She is willing to revise her pre-conceived notions.
Really? To me she seems the most rigid and uncompromising of them all. After spending weeks in the company of Aes Sedai and finding the truth about the Sul'dam, she still believes that channeling women should be enslaved for life, with no purpose, family or even clothes to their name. She still views treating people as property perfectly valid. She still believes she has a God given right to attack women who never hurt her in order to murder or preferably enslave them. And she is still convinced that the Dragon Reborn needs to be a slave to her as well.
No matter the evidence, she refuses to listen or accept it.
I agree she is a tough, intelligent person, with a strong sense of justice and leadership skills, but her blindness to anything that contradicts the customs and beliefs of her country makes her for a figure to only encourage strife and division. I am looking forward to her putdown (bound to happen, based on the Prophecies).
randfandom
Most of what you are holding against her falls neatly into the category of "Seanchan social norms". She does not think the Dragon should be her slave, but she does believe that NO PERSON can be the equal of the Empress. Remember that in Seanchan, the prophecies of the Dragon say he will kneel to the Crystal Throne before the last battle. She believes that as firmly as people on this side of the ocean believe in all the other prophecies.
The Senchan have been collaring women for over 1000 years. Before that, the female channeling population in Seanchan still called themselves Aes Sedai and they had carved their own power out. Incidentally, the AS across the ocean did the exact opposite of what the WT Aes Sedai did.
After the breaking: The "WT Aes Sedai" banded together, formed a central base of power, and swore oaths on a Binder to ensure that the other nations and rulers would be able to trust them still/again. They swore oaths that made the populace feel safe, they did not try to rule nations (except Tar Valon) and they kept their schemes subtle.
The "Seanchan Aes Sedai" split apart, carved power out for themselves, continued to lie and manipulate blatantly, tried to rule nations, and generally made a bad name for themselves. When someone of power arrived who incidentally happened to hate Aes Sedai (Luthair Paendrag) and he realized that these Aes Sedai were 10 times worse manipulators, schemers, and untrustworties, the $*** hit the fan and he did something about it.
It's only natural that the entire populace was more comfortable with damane to fight for a centralized empire than they were with freelance Aes Sedai. Strangely, in a way the a'dam provides the same trust as the Oaths do.
The WT Aes Sedai are no more comfortable with being removed of the oaths than the Seanchan are of un-collaring their damane.
I degress: my point was that her opinions about damane and her own place in the world have been ingrained upon her from birth and have been in place in her culture for a millennium. Perhaps we shouldn't be so hard on her for only revising her plans and her tactics and not her entire belief system and culture.
I always say, if you must mount the gallows, give a jest to the crowd, a coin to the hangman, and make the drop with a smile on your lips. ~Birgitte
Character discussion 10 : Tuon
- 18/07/2010 06:08:30 PM
1924 Views
Most annoying, unlikeable, incomprehensible, irredeemable character in the books.
- 18/07/2010 06:44:14 PM
1106 Views
I disprove your argument with one word. Coincidentally, it is a character.
- 18/07/2010 07:50:17 PM
922 Views
Re: Most annoying, unlikeable, incomprehensible, irredeemable character in the books.
- 19/07/2010 05:57:29 PM
906 Views
Re: Most annoying, unlikeable, incomprehensible, irredeemable character in the books.
- 20/07/2010 01:01:50 AM
842 Views
Re: Most annoying, unlikeable, incomprehensible, irredeemable character in the books.
- 20/07/2010 06:36:11 PM
1039 Views
I really like Tuon.
- 18/07/2010 07:45:11 PM
1019 Views
Re: I really like Tuon.
- 18/07/2010 07:56:22 PM
967 Views
I guess I should have said she and Egwene share positive personality traits 
- 18/07/2010 09:01:50 PM
945 Views
- 18/07/2010 09:01:50 PM
945 Views
Re: I guess I should have said she and Egwene share positive personality traits
- 21/07/2010 01:26:03 PM
701 Views
- 21/07/2010 01:26:03 PM
701 Views
Cool character but has major flaws
- 19/07/2010 06:22:15 AM
881 Views
The a'dam and the 3 Oaths are a lot alike.
- 20/07/2010 01:01:49 AM
958 Views
Re: "She is a better ruler than most". Really? Can you provide the examples?
- 19/07/2010 06:58:46 PM
852 Views
Re: "She is a better ruler than most". Really? Can you provide the examples?
- 20/07/2010 12:39:15 AM
831 Views
Re: "She is a better ruler than most". Really? Can you provide the examples?
- 20/07/2010 03:59:30 PM
802 Views
You meant to say Graendal used Arad Doman as her base & destroyed it, right?
- 20/07/2010 04:14:41 PM
905 Views
There are plenty of examples
- 20/07/2010 08:59:19 PM
967 Views
Re: There are plenty of examples
- 21/07/2010 02:21:01 PM
704 Views
Does Tuon know sul'dam can channel or not?
- 18/07/2010 10:56:40 PM
855 Views
I'm laughing out loud. AS are normal women? Have you been paying attention to the AS she's with?
- 19/07/2010 01:35:08 AM
885 Views
A horrible woman
- 19/07/2010 07:02:45 AM
928 Views
Yes - and the Seanchan Empire is ten thousand times worse than a White Tower-like organization
- 22/07/2010 03:24:28 PM
778 Views
I think she has the most potential for evil
- 19/07/2010 03:24:28 PM
817 Views
Tuon and omens plus other thoughts.
- 20/07/2010 05:20:26 AM
753 Views
On that note, I think she is a bit uncanny because she sometimes seems a bit insane
- 20/07/2010 03:52:58 PM
755 Views
One thing among many that really bothered me about Tuon
- 21/07/2010 08:07:57 AM
781 Views