The worst thing about Elayne, for me, is her snobbishness. Though I understand where you're coming from, in terms of her making stupid decisions that almost get her killed. I never knew what Rand saw in her. A European friend of mine says that being American makes me less likely to appreciate that she's nobility... what do you think?
Lol, Europeans are no more familiar with nobility than Americans are. Most of us will never meet one the British might put up with snobbishness out of politeness, I suppose. We don't like to make a fuss. But I don't advise trying it in France. (unless you are French, in which case, well...that's an essay for another day.)
But snobbishness in a character doesn't particularly bother me. The WoT books are coming down with snobby, arrogant, self-centred characters, and some of them are a pleasure to read. Elayne irritates me more because of her overwhelming sense of entitlement. When she heard her mother was dead, she delayed going to Caemlyn until after the Bowl of Winds had been used; that decision was the right one, but I can't believe she expected the throne to stay empty and waiting for her while she did so. And her insistence that lines on a map made the Two Rivers part of Andor, despite it not seeing a soldier or a taxman in centuries, beggared belief.
As has been remarked upon, her decision making becomes - if possible - even worse after she learns of her pregnancy. Utterly convinced of her own invulnerability, she throws herself into hideous danger, heedless of the many terrible things that could happen and still leave her able to bear children. What if she was stilled, or burned out? Her bonds would be snapped, killing both Birgitte and Rand! Or what if she was kidnapped, forkrooted, and kept in Mellar's basement? Her babies might be born healthy, but she'd be wishing for death long before they were.
I don't think if she was stilled her bonds would snap. Remember, Min has Rand's bond, and she doesn't have access to the OP.
You might have a point about this particular Warder bond being different to any others. Technically, it was one bond replicated between three women. Does that mean if one breaks, all break? Or that if one holds, all hold? Or was that just in the weaving, and despite their origin, they're now just three normal bonds? We do know that stilling snaps the normal bond between Aes Sedai and Warder, and I wouldn't like to test whether it would do the same in this case. It's an interesting question.
Serious ramblings about WOT
09/12/2010 04:10:05 AM
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Re: Serious ramblings about WOT
09/12/2010 04:26:52 AM
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Re: Serious ramblings about WOT
09/12/2010 04:44:47 AM
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Re: Serious ramblings about WOT
09/12/2010 05:15:12 AM
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Very interesting.
09/12/2010 05:50:23 AM
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Elayne rantage
09/12/2010 11:46:29 AM
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*raises hand*
09/12/2010 09:41:47 PM
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Hm, I don't think so...
09/12/2010 10:47:38 PM
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Oddly enough, I'd say that the WOMEN all seem to be cut from the same cloth
09/12/2010 03:10:43 PM
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Oh, and a note on Sanderson: I think his WoT stuff isn't as good as his original works
09/12/2010 03:34:27 PM
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Re: Oh, and a note on Sanderson: I think his WoT stuff isn't as good as his original works
09/12/2010 03:47:37 PM
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Hm... I'm not sure if "simpler" is the right word for Sanderson's magic systems
09/12/2010 04:40:30 PM
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