I know Brandon totally screwed this up, but it isn't that unclear. BAscially, Rand was right the Seals had to be broken. Egwene's idea of doing something else while they were intact was wrong.
Rand was wrong about the timing, but Egwene was wrong about not doing it at all. She served a purpose in delaying him till the right moment, but was ultimately forced to admit he was right about WHAT to do, if not when.
But Rand was wrong on when to break the Seals. He wanted to do it the day after Merrilor. As we saw when Logain broke them, the DO broke free of his prison immediately. The only reason disaster was averted was that Rand had already woven a "hand" of the three Powers, and thus "all that he is can be seized" came true.
I agree with IA we did not see the DO break free. It is highly dubious he could ever break free at all without additional help; poking a hole in a concrete prison wall does not allow the captive to wiggle his finger in it until it is man-sized. The Bore was just that; if it were a simple matter of the DO breaking free the moment the Bore opened he would have done it in the AoL. Rand pulled him out to kill him, then stuffed him back in and restored the original wall when he realized "Love can't be coerced."
As we saw in Chapter 1, Egwene had the resources to figure out the time. "Wait for the Light" was not a last minute statement she made. She just understood its true meaning the moment before she died. She already had read the commentary from the Dreamer Amyrlin which said just that.
I had forgotten about that commentary, but since she did not comprehend it until her dying moment nothing really changes.
As for Egwene's role not being important... its funny how you guys are so insecure in your hate that you feel the need to ignore direct statements in her book and diminish what she did. Remember the dream she has, early in the book? There's a globe of light with cracks, and she's straining to hold it together? Remember the same globe of light coming up in her ToM dream of Rand hacking the ropes/Seals holding it together? The ToM Dream was a warning... Rand could not be the one to break them, since he was planning it at the wrong time. The second one was a Dream about exactly what she did: she patched up a new hole in the Pattern from which the DO would have unfettered access. It was a new Bore forming, and but for her figuring out how to plug it, Rand's efforts would have had no purpose. He wasn't in the Polov Heights to fight the DO from there too, and there would have been no Seals there to reduce the DO's strength anyway.
Was referring to the series (or ToM? ) as "her book" a Freudian slip? You will have to cite where she patched a SECOND Bore, because I recall NO basis for that assertion. A second Bore would have been superfluous: Unopposed, the Forsaken would have broken the Seals and freed the DO through the first (interesting that Taim did not break them the moment he got them;) Rand and Co. could prevent that (or not) with two Bores as easily as with one. The first Bore required Lanfear AND one of the most accomplished AoL male channelers, and required the greatest channeler EVER, plus considerable research, construction and the Hundred Companions, to seal. Are you REALLY suggesting the DO spontaneously made his own second Bore and Egwene just as spontaneously sealed it singlehandedly?
I know it is galling that the Dragon Reborn actually DID reseal the Bore just like every word of the fourteen volume series for the past two decades said he would. However, inventing a second, unsubstantiated, Bore just so Egwene can be a second Dragon smacks of desperation.
Rand played the much bigger part, obviously. That's the whole point of the balance thing, by the way. The reason it was a man who was critical to removing the DO's influence is because for 3000 years, the male half of the Pattern has been forcefully repressed. But just like Latra Pose's actions allowed Lews Therins work to be more than a Phyrric Victory, Egwene did the same with Rand. Its clear that there's always a female opposition/alliance to balance the Dragon, and its in this "working together, yet against each other" manner that the Pattern corrects the imbalance, much as saidin and saidar interact to drive the Pattern itself.
The point of the balance thing was Moiraine and Nynaeve presence so he could access saidar, and Moridin so he could access the TP. Egwene is NOT Latra, Reborn or metaphorically (and, btw, I do not see how the latters actions made LTTs Strike anything but pyhrric; her Choedan Kal plan not only would not have worked, but would have tainted BOTH halves of the Source AND was impossible anyway since the Shadow overran the locations of all access keys.)
Egwenes role was exactly what she told Rand it was at the end: To remind him that, while his role is foremost and indispensable, EVERYONE has a unique lesser role, and he can no more deny them their destiny than they can deny him his.
Honorbound and honored to be Bonded to Mahtaliel Sedai
Last First in wotmania Chat
Slightly better than chocolate.
Love still can't be coerced.
Please Don't Eat the Newbies!
LoL. Be well, RAFOlk.
Last First in wotmania Chat
Slightly better than chocolate.
Love still can't be coerced.
Please Don't Eat the Newbies!
LoL. Be well, RAFOlk.
This message last edited by Joel on 15/01/2013 at 07:30:33 AM
So, is anyone else thinking that ending was a bit of a dick move....
10/01/2013 04:40:55 AM
- 3173 Views
Because, to quote the series...
10/01/2013 05:01:51 AM
- 1581 Views
It's not so much about him not telling as cutting loved ones out of his life altogether *NM*
10/01/2013 05:47:14 AM
- 665 Views
I could be wrong, but...
10/01/2013 06:16:02 AM
- 1291 Views
Except...
10/01/2013 06:54:04 AM
- 1284 Views
Re: Except...
10/01/2013 06:56:43 AM
- 1040 Views
That was my interpretation as well. I think it was an attempt at showing Rand's humility. *NM*
10/01/2013 08:17:52 AM
- 639 Views
If the World finds out he's still alive
10/01/2013 08:05:18 AM
- 1211 Views
I can agree with keeping it secret from just about everyone, BUT his father and closest friends.
10/01/2013 10:56:58 AM
- 1196 Views
Re: I can agree with keeping it secret from just about everyone, BUT his father and closest friends.
10/01/2013 04:00:57 PM
- 1174 Views
Re: I can agree with keeping it secret from just about everyone, BUT his father and closest friends.
11/01/2013 02:34:16 AM
- 1044 Views
Re: I can agree with keeping it secret from just about everyone, BUT his father and closest friends.
13/01/2013 09:01:38 PM
- 997 Views
I got the impression Egwene knew releasing the Source would instantly kill her.
14/01/2013 11:42:03 AM
- 1138 Views
Re: I got the impression Egwene knew she was dead the moment she released the Source.
14/01/2013 05:59:21 PM
- 981 Views
Even if she would just have been burned out there was no reason to think it permanent.
14/01/2013 06:49:00 PM
- 943 Views
Where do people get that only Rand was right on the Seals?
14/01/2013 10:03:19 PM
- 1122 Views
One point- the DO didn't break free, Rand dragged him out into the Pattern, specifically to kill him
15/01/2013 03:03:43 AM
- 822 Views
Nope..
15/01/2013 03:19:02 AM
- 911 Views
If that were the case Taim certainly would have smashed the seals right away
15/01/2013 08:54:14 AM
- 1037 Views
From Egwenes insistence they NEVER be broken.
15/01/2013 07:26:36 AM
- 1096 Views
Re: So, is anyone else thinking that ending was a bit of a dick move....
10/01/2013 07:13:52 PM
- 1341 Views
You don't think Nakomi did it?
10/01/2013 07:54:20 PM
- 1619 Views
Maybe
10/01/2013 09:46:39 PM
- 1285 Views
Re: Maybe
10/01/2013 11:08:32 PM
- 1124 Views
I thought it was largely believed that Nakomi is an avatar of the Creator. *NM*
10/01/2013 11:19:43 PM
- 618 Views
It's one of the dominant theories, not sure it's the one favoured by the majority, but maybe *NM*
10/01/2013 11:55:46 PM
- 562 Views
IDK, I thought the body switch was a side-effect of the link between them
11/01/2013 02:38:33 AM
- 1081 Views
*NM* *NM*
11/01/2013 06:51:10 PM
- 495 Views
Re: IDK, I thought the body switch was a side-effect of the link between them
11/01/2013 06:52:29 PM
- 1371 Views
Re: So, is anyone else thinking that ending was a bit of a dick move....
11/01/2013 12:01:09 AM
- 862 Views
Re: So, is anyone else thinking that ending was a bit of a dick move....
11/01/2013 07:45:26 AM
- 894 Views
He realised that both he and LTT were not peace rulers several books ago
11/01/2013 12:25:37 PM
- 888 Views
Re: He realised that both he and LTT were not peace rulers several books ago
11/01/2013 10:39:33 PM
- 923 Views
I've a suspiscion that the Rand scene of Epilogue was probably drafted already
12/01/2013 12:11:13 AM
- 1105 Views
Re: I've a suspiscion that the Rand scene of Epilogue was probably drafted already
12/01/2013 12:58:01 PM
- 962 Views
I think you need to re-read that last section
15/01/2013 09:19:41 AM
- 1029 Views
I agree. Rand carries a man out of SG who he didn't bring there- logic dictates he is Forsaken *NM*
15/01/2013 12:44:18 PM
- 513 Views
That makes a great deal of sense.
15/01/2013 07:45:55 AM
- 1060 Views
Re: That makes a great deal of sense.
15/01/2013 09:37:47 AM
- 896 Views
It is something we just had to expect when Sanderson came in to finish the series.
15/01/2013 11:24:06 AM
- 863 Views
Impossible to say, but I doubt he intended to keep his inner circle perpetually in the dark.
14/01/2013 11:25:47 AM
- 1085 Views
Re: So, is anyone else thinking that ending was a bit of a dick move....
25/01/2013 03:53:05 PM
- 820 Views