Re: Interesting take - Edit 1
Before modification by Hot Pie at 14/01/2011 07:09:07 PM
However, you have too many sides.
If you take the "grounds below" to be Rand's side and breaking the Seal, and the "Crest above" to be Egwene's side and not breaking the Seal, which side does the "broken ledge to her left ten feet away" and "the mist to her right" represent?
If you deem the unity of Aes Sedai to be the broken ledge, your own answer would say Egwene NEVER went back to the broken ledge on the left, which means the unity of Aes Sedai would never be restored after her alliance with Tuon.
The bigger problem I have is that you have decided that Rand is wrong, and his side is falling down to the depth below; and Egwene is right, and her side is going up to the heavens.
Why can't "the crest above" be the victory over the shadow, and "the grounds below" be doom of the world, "going to the broken ledge to the left" mean keeping three remaining seals together with the four seals already broken, and "going to the mist to the right" mean breaking the seal and trusting Rand? There is a mist to the right because no one knows FOR SURE what is going to happen after the Seals are broken.
Egwene is hanging there because there is no time left for delay. Make a decision now or she will fall into the pit of doom.
I believe that is a better interpretation of the passage.
The theme of the book is how men should work with women, not how two group of women band together to oppose men.
I apologize if it comes across as I'm taking sides, I didn't really attempt to. It's just my musings on what the various things in it mean. I lean towards interteping this Dream from Egwene's POV, since it's her Dream. I suppose the Dream could be interpeted objectively outside of Egwene's POV though, just doesn't seem plausable. This is Egwene's POV of the meeting with Rand at FOM, I feel.
It's also a good thing that Egwene and Tuon make an alliance, regardless of where they stand on the seals I would say. It will work out somehow. I think the third paragraph of the Dream indicates Tuon and Egwene's alliance then you have the Dream/Foretelling (whatever it is) that says something along the lines of, "And she confronted Rand, and there was a Seanchan woman with her". I just interpret that to mean that Egwene will regroup via an alliance with the Seanchan and confront Rand again about not breaking the seals with Tuon by her side.