Huh - Edit 1
Before modification by Sidious at 09/11/2010 07:57:25 AM
Note how in the early books they mention how careful Perrin is, because of his size and strength. Egwene, being small and female, would never have had to learn lessons like that. When young Perrin gets in a confrontation, he backs down or gets told "pick on someone your own size." When a small person gets in that situation, they have the oppositte experience. Younger children tend to receive much less discipline than their older siblings, because the parents are used to the ideas of their babies growing up and learning to function, and because they are tired of fighting the same battles with each kid. By the time the youngest hits her teens, Mom & Dad are basically going "Fuck it. What's the worst that can happen?" In a village where everyone is into everyone else's business anyway, a kid can't get into too much trouble, and with the family business being inn-keeping, her chores and responsibilities were basically ordinary daily tasks only expanded in scale. Farm kids would have had to learn to take care of the farm, and bust their humps and take responsibility (even Mat is only irresponsible by comparison to the super-conscientious Perrin & Rand). Their wills are curtailed by mother nature, whereas Egwene's example would have been Nynaeve who appeared to make nature bend to her.
There's really no evidence that Egwene grew up as a spoiled brat just because her father is the mayor and owner of the inn. Her life has not been better than any of the other main characters. If anything, Egwene has been begrudged by years of bad treatment by Nynaeve as her apprentice as a wisdom that led to a feeling of desperation to prove her worth, considering Nynaeve never saw it. Not a single person in Emonds Field liked Nynaeve, its no surprise her own apprentice felt unloved.
In short, Egwene would have grown up unrestrained or curtailed in her basic behavior patterns (also, more likely to end up a homosexual, BTW), and at the same time, being among the least in many ways, would have come by her craving for power quite naturally.
IMO Egwene should have been a lesbian, or at least uninterested in relationships much like Moiraine/Siuan are. I've never thought that the Amyrlin is a good candidate for a normal life, and her relationship with Gawyn is forced and a little perverse with its radical aspects of control. Even Lan said that it would take a strong man to marry an Aes Sedai, and to marry the Amyrlin, even worse. Egwene shouldn't be involved with anyone - she's got a permanent high-stress political position, and no time for another mindless Trakand.
Not to mention, we see how well she takes criticism, or even people arguing a contrary point of view. The girl who unilateraly decided Rand needed to be taken down a peg for his own good, because he had the audacity to expect his soldiers to obey his orders, who used their aquaintanceship to barge in on him and make a big production out of her refusal to acknowledge his rank or stature,
Egwene and Rand have irritated each other since the beginning of the series. It's plain that the Pattern has set her up to oppose him in everything, and for some underlying reason.
orders beatings for girls who make faces at her
She's the Amyrlin... what would Siuan Sanche do if that happened to her?
on exactly the same terms she used to tell Rand to wash his ears. When she has her flip-flop on the subject of the Three Oaths, she gratuitously threatens punishment for the two people who have done a far better job of living up to them than she did. One day she's challenging Nynaeve for agreeing to do her best to live up to the Oaths, contrarily asserting her intentions to use the Power as weapon when she damn well wants, and ridiculing her for her attempts to avoid lies, and then when Nynaeve merely asks if she's thought about that topic, she's cutting off all conversation with an imperious gesture and threatening punishment for disobediance to a rule they have just found out cuts your life in half.
Nynaeve/Elayne weren't tutored by Siuan. Flawed as she is, Siuan was still an Amyrlin and had knowledge of the secret history of the Tower, as well as a greater understanding of its ethos and customs, which she heavily imprinted on Egwene. Egwene shouldn't even consider Nynaeve's opinion on these issues, base philosophers are they... Nynaeve probably had an epiphany in her tent that lasted all of ten minutes surrounding the subject, whereas Egwene has been considering all aspects of the Tower for months.
Egwene could pick much better advisors than Nynaeve/Elayne. Nynaeve has always been impulsive and illogical, and Elayne is almost singular in her thought processes surrounding Andor. Egwene is the only one who consistently thinks about the White Tower, and she has some close advisors and the Hall who are much better equipped than two women who spend all their time fighting the Shadow. Let them play their part, and let Egwene play hers.
Mommy & Daddy's homespun wisdom does not have a chance.
She outgrew them almost as soon as she climbed onto Bela. Its not unlikely she resents them for the simple-minded existence they tried to suppress her with when she knew she had potential. In only a few years she became the youngest and most powerful woman in the world (except maybe for Tuon). Emonds Field never created a greater woman. The thought of her going back is toxic to the mind.