Egwene is Worst Ever upon reread- I think the first time I read her stuff, it was all "Oh, she's the plucky girl who has magic and spunk, awesome!"
And upon reread, I just get annoyed at how much of a bitch she is to her friends.
Honestly, I'd take Egwene in a fight over any of the other women in the series ... she may have had her flaws as a person, but she was relentless in her focus and kicked anyone's ass who stood in the way. #Respect
I've never really seen why people think she's such a bitch, especially given how horrible other women light-side characters are in the series:
Tuon, bow to me or die
Faile, Perrin is my personal possession
Elaida, straight up crazy
Alanna, force-bond even though everyone thinks that rape
Siuan, straight up control freak
Cadsuane, haggard, nasty bully
Romanda, vindictive and pretty stupid
Lelaine, manipulative as hell
All of these women are WAY bigger bitches for WAY less reason than Egwene. Elayne is an entitled brat who I believe the only reason everyone gives the "pass" to about her bitchiness is because she's a fairytale princess ... Egwene isn't 1/10 as bitchy but because she's a village girl she gets heaps of shit for having ambition. She literally sacrificed her life while Elayne was fretting about how much respect she should be getting from Perrin. Min, Aviendha, Nynaeve, and Moiraine weren't exactly sweet little ladies either ... you know all those bitches would shank you if you crossed them!
In all fairness I doubt I would be friends with Egwene in real life, but I know many women who are driven in similar ways and I respect them even if I don't always like them a lot.
