Zelazny suggests, both here and in many other stories and novels, that personal enlightenment is the necessary prelude to political or social liberation. Typically his protagonists are confronted with challenges which, successfully met, lead to some kind of enlightenment or spiritual/emotional growth. Those characters who fail the test usually face death, sometimes physical but more often spiritual. Connected with this movement towards enlightenment is the notion of immortality. A large number of Zelazny's protagonists enjoy immortality — whether as a supernatural given or as the result of technology. Immortality allows for some interesting plot developments, but for Zelazny it is primarily a metaphor for the human need for growth and fullness of experience. The characters' long lives give them the chance to play a variety of roles, to experience all that life has to offer.
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