Identity and Transformation: How Characters Redefine Themselves in Any Way the Wind Blows

Thematic Claim: Identity as a Process of Loss and Reinvention

In Any Way the Wind Blows, the third Simon Snow novel by Rainbow Rowell, identity is not a fixed state but a fluid process shaped by loss, revelation, and choice. Characters who once defined themselves by magic, prophecy, or societal roles must reconstruct who they are when those foundations crumble. The novel argues that transformation is rarely clean or triumphant—it is messy, painful, and often incomplete, yet it holds the possibility of authentic selfhood.

1. Simon Snow: From Chosen One to Unchosen Self

Simon’s arc in this book is the most direct exploration of identity swallowed by a role. For years he was the “Chosen One,” the prophesied weapon of the World of Mages. By the start of the novel, he has willingly given away his magic and killed the Mage. In Chapter 2, he rejects the inheritance of the Mage’s estate, insisting he is no longer a magician. Dr. Wellbelove urges him to take the money, but Simon refuses the label.

Later, in Chapter 8, Simon decides to accept the money not as a reward but as a way out: “The only way forward is out.” He plans to surgically remove his dragon wings—the most visible symbol of his former identity—and become the ordinary person he was before the Mage found him. Yet this transformation is undercut when he learns in Chapter 91 that he was never a Normal: he actually has magic. The revelation that the Mage lied and that his true parentage (possibly Lucy Salisbury’s son) ties him to the very world he tried to leave forces Simon into a new phase of identity work. He breaks down in Baz’s arms, asking if he was always a magician, and Baz confirms it. The transformation from Chosen One to something else remains unresolved, a painful becoming.

2. Smith-Richards: The False Chosen One and the Limits of Self-Mythology

Smith-Richards represents a character who constructs his identity entirely through narrative—he sees himself as the true Chosen One foretold in prophecy. In Chapter 44, he thinks of Simon as a “fallen angel” and imagines himself as the hero who will restore glory to the World of Mages. His identity is performative: he gives people temporary magical boosts through a spell that eventually wears off, creating a cult of followers who believe he has empowered them.

But this identity is built on a lie. In Chapter 75, when Simon confronts him about the spell’s temporary effect, Smith-Richards argues that his magic begets magic and that the loss of power in others is irrelevant. His transformation is not genuine growth but a desperate clinging to a role that unravels when exposed. By the end of his arc, he is arrested, his narrative shattered. His story shows that identity cannot be imposed by performance alone—it must be grounded in truth.

3. Agatha Wellbelove: Choosing the Simple Life

Agatha’s transformation is the quietest but perhaps most complete. In the Epilogue, set one year after the main events, she has abandoned magic entirely. She trades her wand for a walking stick and spends her days tending goats on the Watford grounds. She reflects that the goats could manage without her, but she chooses to stay with them. This is not a regression but a deliberate redefinition: Agatha was always uncomfortable with the dangerous, high-stakes world of magicians, and she now embraces a life of simplicity and care. Her transformation is a rejection of the identity others tried to impose on her—the pretty blonde sidekick, the reluctant hero—and an acceptance of her own quiet values.

Character and Symbol Connections

The dragon wings Simon retains even after losing his magic are a central symbol of identity struggling to be shed. They mark him as different, making his transformation visible and painful. The candle spell lit by Lady Ruth in Chapter 1 symbolizes hope for familial identity—she lights a second candle for her son Jamie, hoping her daughter Lucy returns. This candle connects to Simon’s possible parentage, linking identity to family secrets. The Excalibur sword Simon trains with in Chapter 91 represents his attempt to reclaim agency through a weapon that is not magical but physical. The goats of Watford symbolize Agatha’s new identity: gentle, grounded, and removed from the world of spells.

Complexity and Contradiction

The novel refuses a simple message about transformation. Simon’s most profound identity shift—from Normal to magician—happens offstage and leaves him weeping in confusion. Smith-Richards’ transformation is a fraud, yet he genuinely believes in his own myth. Penelope and Shepard’s future is uncertain: in Chapter 90, Penelope asks Shepard to stay, but he invites her to Omaha, leaving their identities as a couple unresolved. Even Baz must face his past theft of Philippa’s voice (Chapter 56), a crime that haunts his sense of self. Identity, the book suggests, is never fully resolved—it is an ongoing negotiation between who we were, who we are told we are, and who we choose to become.

Study Questions and Answers

1. How does Simon’s rejection of the Mage’s inheritance in Chapter 2 represent a rejection of his former identity?
   Simon refuses the estate because he no longer sees himself as the Chosen One or the Mage’s heir. He insists he killed the Mage and was manipulated, but he also gave away his magic willingly. The money would tie him to a role he wants to escape.

2. Why is Smith-Richards’ spell inherently flawed as a basis for transformation?
   His spell gives temporary power that wears off, leaving recipients weaker than before. This means the transformation is not real growth but a dependency on Smith-Richards. Real identity cannot be borrowed from another.

3. What does Agatha’s decision to stay with the goats reveal about her understanding of identity?
   She actively chooses a simple, non-magical life over the drama of the magician world. Her identity becomes one of stewardship and peace, not power or prophecy.

4. How does the symbol of the dragon wings complicate Simon’s transformation?
   The wings are physical reminders of his former identity that he cannot remove without surgery. They make his difference visible and prevent him from blending in as a Normal. The wings symbolize that some aspects of identity are not easily shed.

5. In what way does Penelope’s situation with Shepard reflect a tension between old and new identities?
   Penelope is determined to help Shepard and integrate him into the magician world, but she also hesitates to leave for America. Her identity as a loyal friend and a protective magician conflicts with the possibility of a new life outside her known world.