Rand asks Lews Therin, "Why did you remake the prison with a flaw?" and Lews Therin basically replies that the female Aes Sedai condemned his plan and wouldn't go along with it, and tries to blame them but then goes off on one of his Ilyena tangents.
I think this is massively significant. Ever since the world book came out, there seems to have been this assumption that the information in it was known to Rand and co, since the world book was apparently a historical text written in Rand's time. However this turns out not to be the case. Rand has no idea about the Fateful Concord, Latra Posae Decume or the split in the Hall of the Servants that led Lews Therin to take only men to attack Shayol Ghul.
This to me confirms that the 'flaw' in the prison is because the prison was made out of the combined, full might of the One Power: saidin and saidar together. And saidin by itself could not repair the Bore, only tighten it closed and give the Dark One the chance to eventually break through again (and taint saidin at the same time), albeit not for 3500 years.
So that gives us the answer to the entire situation: Rand cannot re-seal the Dark One's prison by himself, not without re-tainting saidin. He needs to take female channelers with him when he does the Assault on Shayol Ghul II or it's game over. And if the women try to do it solo, saidar will be tainted next time.
I think this is massively significant. Ever since the world book came out, there seems to have been this assumption that the information in it was known to Rand and co, since the world book was apparently a historical text written in Rand's time. However this turns out not to be the case. Rand has no idea about the Fateful Concord, Latra Posae Decume or the split in the Hall of the Servants that led Lews Therin to take only men to attack Shayol Ghul.
This to me confirms that the 'flaw' in the prison is because the prison was made out of the combined, full might of the One Power: saidin and saidar together. And saidin by itself could not repair the Bore, only tighten it closed and give the Dark One the chance to eventually break through again (and taint saidin at the same time), albeit not for 3500 years.
So that gives us the answer to the entire situation: Rand cannot re-seal the Dark One's prison by himself, not without re-tainting saidin. He needs to take female channelers with him when he does the Assault on Shayol Ghul II or it's game over. And if the women try to do it solo, saidar will be tainted next time.
I really don't think that's the flaw. I think the flaw is that LTT put band-aids over the Bore instead of truly repairing it. Seals made from both sides of the Power would have had the same problem - the Bore would still exist, it would just be patched. For the Wheel to come full circle, the Bore has to cease to exist at some point and I think the end of the Third Age is that point.
If there was anything useful from LTT's rantings about Latra Posae's refusal to help LTT with his plan, then IMO it is that Rand needs to work with women channelers to achieve his ends instead of things being like they were between the men and women in the AoL. Not all of them (he doesn't need the whole Tower following him and doesn't need to bend knee to them either), but he does need their help. The thing is, he has it in the form of Cadsuane, Nynaeve, Alivia, and the Aes Sedai who have sworn to him. They are the ones who can help him, not LTT. LTT likely has no idea why the seals didn't work properly and is too insane to be of much use in figuring it out. What Fel told Rand is of far more use but he needs to get the input of others to help him figure out the riddle instead of asking an insane man for guidance.
The more I think about LTT and Latra Posae, the more I see a reflection of the Rand/Egwene relationship - the two of them were apparently adversaries and thought the other one was an arrogant jerk. They each thought they knew best and it was LTT who finally relented and went with LP's plan, but when Latra's plan failed because of the CK being taken by Forsaken, she still refused to compromise. LTT, at that point, was convinced his way was the only way (as LP believed hers was the only way) and since he believed time was running out he moved ahead with no help from the women because LP convinced all the women to refuse to help him.
Thankfully, this time the Pattern has interfered and given the Dragon some female channelers who want to help him (Caddy, Nyn, Alivia, etc.) and who will help him even if this age's Latra Posae (Egwene) doesn't like it because she thinks she should be dictating all of his actions. It would be in Rand's best interest to accept help from the women he has with him and forget Egwene. Let her deal with her own mess.
As for sealing the Bore, he needs to forget the seals (I think him trying to do a repeat of LTT's plan with both sides of the Power would end in complete and utter disaster) and find the meaning behind Fel's words. When he thinks to himself that he needs to get to TG before there's nothing left of him to kill, he's right. He needs to forget trying to bring peace to the world (peace he admits won't hold because no one seems to want it) and get on with what he needs to do. He has what he needs in the Aes Sedai with him, Alivia, the Asha'man, Mat's army, and Bashere and his army. Everyone else can either follow his lead, and stop bickering like a bunch of children, or they can die at the hands of the Shadow.
Your thoughts on TGS - Chapter 1
05/09/2009 05:23:47 PM
- 5926 Views
For all of those whining about it not sounding like RJ:
05/09/2009 05:47:07 PM
- 1848 Views
You're forgetting one thing.
06/09/2009 12:13:03 AM
- 1801 Views
And if he were to off Egwene? What would your opinion be? *NM*
07/09/2009 05:38:36 AM
- 893 Views
He dislikes Sanderson's prose. Plot content is irrelevant here. *NM*
08/09/2009 06:44:42 PM
- 992 Views
Pretty good.
05/09/2009 07:35:41 PM
- 45230 Views
Re: Pretty good.
05/09/2009 09:13:44 PM
- 1716 Views
I found it well-written, but rather uninteresting story-wise *NM*
05/09/2009 08:04:15 PM
- 991 Views
because there should totaly be massive plot development in the first chapter
05/09/2009 08:29:18 PM
- 1533 Views
I'm tired of passive story telling.
05/09/2009 08:57:13 PM
- 1493 Views
I'm tired of mindless readers
06/09/2009 01:54:14 AM
- 1579 Views
Re: I'm tired of mindless readers
06/09/2009 04:01:56 AM
- 1724 Views
I was over critical.
06/09/2009 04:56:48 AM
- 1371 Views
A real analyst or literary critic would laugh his ass off to see this...
06/09/2009 06:51:57 AM
- 1557 Views
Re: because there should totaly be massive plot development in the first chapter
06/09/2009 01:22:09 AM
- 1502 Views
A few things that drew my attention... (this is long and rambling...spoilers)
05/09/2009 09:34:44 PM
- 1620 Views
Re: A few things that drew my attention... (this is long and rambling...spoilers)
05/09/2009 10:03:59 PM
- 1635 Views
Re: A few things that drew my attention... (this is long and rambling...spoilers)
06/09/2009 03:18:41 AM
- 1458 Views
I think Lews Therin's comments to Rand were the most hugely significant part of the chapter.
06/09/2009 01:15:05 AM
- 1400 Views
I don't really agree...
06/09/2009 03:50:08 AM
- 1387 Views
Re: A few things that drew my attention... (this is long and rambling...spoilers)
06/09/2009 02:52:47 AM
- 2044 Views
Re: A few things that drew my attention... (this is long and rambling...spoilers)
06/09/2009 07:08:08 AM
- 1362 Views
Re: A few things that drew my attention... (this is long and rambling...spoilers)
06/09/2009 10:31:20 AM
- 1798 Views
Re: A few things that drew my attention... (this is long and rambling...spoilers)
07/09/2009 05:09:38 AM
- 1419 Views
Re: A few things that drew my attention... (this is long and rambling...spoilers)
08/09/2009 10:19:13 PM
- 1306 Views
Re: A few things that drew my attention... (this is long and rambling...spoilers)
10/09/2009 06:20:56 AM
- 1552 Views
Re: A few things that drew my attention... (this is long and rambling...spoilers)
08/09/2009 11:46:44 PM
- 1471 Views
Re: A few things that drew my attention... (this is long and rambling...spoilers)
07/09/2009 04:41:47 AM
- 1475 Views
Re: A few things that drew my attention... (this is long and rambling...spoilers)
09/09/2009 03:48:53 PM
- 1415 Views
Good post, but I have an alternative explanation for the saidin barrier
28/09/2009 12:53:41 AM
- 1223 Views
Robert Jordon vs Brandon Sanderson
06/09/2009 12:02:13 AM
- 1433 Views
Re: Robert Jordon vs Brandon Sanderson
06/09/2009 05:12:25 PM
- 1286 Views
Re: Robert Jordon vs Brandon Sanderson
06/09/2009 07:20:45 PM
- 1284 Views
I found it...interesting --spoilers--
06/09/2009 01:33:11 AM
- 1614 Views
I liked it
06/09/2009 07:58:09 AM
- 1397 Views
Some questions...
06/09/2009 08:04:30 AM
- 1427 Views
Theory: Rand and Egwene. What is up?
06/09/2009 07:59:58 AM
- 2291 Views
A simpler answer
06/09/2009 03:04:04 PM
- 1484 Views
Really?
06/09/2009 03:38:59 PM
- 1349 Views
Look at what he has seen...
06/09/2009 11:45:44 PM
- 1292 Views
And all this happeened in the few days between the end of KoD and the beginning of tGS?
07/09/2009 12:35:29 AM
- 1341 Views
Why not? How often did he think of Egwene in A Plain Wooden Box? It might have been there already
07/09/2009 05:29:27 AM
- 1465 Views
She treated him like a pawn when she "passed" him over to Elayne way back. NM *NM*
07/09/2009 02:49:18 PM
- 880 Views
are we already at the location of the book cover?
06/09/2009 11:49:06 AM
- 1375 Views
Two Things
07/09/2009 12:25:31 AM
- 1452 Views
My thoughts are that the main page is being crowded by too many duplicate threads
07/09/2009 10:23:41 PM
- 1378 Views
I know why Rand is mad at Egwene...read inside to find out
11/09/2009 03:15:00 AM
- 1345 Views
Ummm... the embassy's proposal was accepted, and (presumably) communicated to Egwene at the earliest *NM*
11/09/2009 04:16:31 AM
- 914 Views
Semirhage isn't scaring anyone
28/09/2009 02:32:34 PM
- 1676 Views
Indeed...
28/09/2009 03:36:55 PM
- 1290 Views
Will the Chosen pass that edict down or just not act themselves?
28/09/2009 10:29:53 PM
- 1253 Views