New Take on Perrin

[Sajius]

 

Always to me Perrin’s actions during the middle books were just...boring. I stopped really caring about his problems after the first book about his rescuing of Faile. He was singly focused, and completely tunnel visioned on his quest (and when the quest is mostly uninspiring that’s not great story material). Now it didn't quite dawn on me until I was re-reading the final three books that Perrins single focus mind set is one of his key traits. It’s one of his key struggles in ToM, finding the balance in himself. Now Perrin does come to terms with himself and in my eyes completely redeems himself over the last few books. So that got me thinking, was Perrin’s boring stretches through the middle intentionally boring? Were we as an audience not supposed to like this Perrin because of his tunnel vision? Is this an intentionally boring character because that’s who he is in the books?

 

Thoughts or questions about my theory?

[DojoToad]

A character can be loved, liked, disked, or hated without being boring.  If readers are bored the author chances losing them.  If Jordan deliberately made Perrin boring, I'd say that was a bad decision...

[Guest]

For me, Perrin was never boring. He wasn't always one of my favorite characters. However, I never considered him to be boring. 

[solarz]

Perrin is the ordinary guy thrust onto extraordinary circumstances. He's actually a deconstruction of the fantasy hero archetype. He's more concerned with his wife than with the fate of the world, and while he's got a strong sense of duty, he resents shouldering more responsibility than he expected in life.

 

In any other fantasy series, he would be a strong supporting character. In WOT, we get to see what happens when such a character is forced into a leadership role.

 

A telling part of Perrin's character is when Elayne offered him Stewardship of the Two Rivers instead of making him Lord, and Perrin was actually glad!

 

From the very beginning, when Perrin cut off that sapling and fashioned it into a pole to carry the Dragon Banner into battle, he showed that all he wanted was to support Rand in his quest to save the world.

[Sajius]

13 hours ago, solarz said:

Perrin is the ordinary guy thrust onto extraordinary circumstances. He's actually a deconstruction of the fantasy hero archetype. He's more concerned with his wife than with the fate of the world, and while he's got a strong sense of duty, he resents shouldering more responsibility than he expected in life.

 

In any other fantasy series, he would be a strong supporting character. In WOT, we get to see what happens when such a character is forced into a leadership role.

 

A telling part of Perrin's character is when Elayne offered him Stewardship of the Two Rivers instead of making him Lord, and Perrin was actually glad!

 

From the very beginning, when Perrin cut off that sapling and fashioned it into a pole to carry the Dragon Banner into battle, he showed that all he wanted was to support Rand in his quest to save the world.

You're right Perrin's character is very much the country man thrust into the spotlight without the crutches that Mat and Rand were offered. His acceptance of that leadership led to the very iconic scene of the crafting of his new hammer. My main idea was only that Perrin's story was intentionally single focused and played very similarly to how his character was. 

[Wulf]

I wonder if, on the topic of Perrin crafting Mjölnir, BS ever said he was thorry.

[Sajius]

Both in appearance and weapon Perrin could give thor a run for his money in most Thorry.

[Apple151]

Perrin's incredibly interesting because he is a heroic defender of his faith/values without resorting to violence it's atypical in fantasy series for the most part.....

 

Although as we know he does occasional use violence... it's essentially a primitive tribal ish religino almost.

 

Mat's the complete opposite.

Edited March 3, 2019 by Apple151

[Sabio]

What????  When does Mat resort to unnecessary violence?  Mat tries to avoid violence. Perin as we have seen when he leads heads straight into the fight where Mat you see always tries to stay in the back.

 

With Perin it was boring, since unlike Mat who seemed to do a lot in the series Perin seemed to go very slow.  The whole series for Perin was OMG I don't want to lose control, I have to save Faile. and fighting Slayer.  I mean it took him 14 books to finally come to terms and control the wolf dream.  It just seemed like throughout 14 books he didn't accomplish much. where Mat seemed to be everywhere.   The pace of the Faile rescue was horrible.  One flaw with RJ's writing was seemed like the three main female characters wanted to be in charge and thought they should lead.  The main male characters had the I don't want to be a leader mentality and had leadership forced on them.

[Liam N]

On 3/3/2019 at 7:05 PM, Sabio said:

the three main female characters wanted to be in charge and thought they should lead.  The main male characters had the I don't want to be a leader mentality and had leadership forced on them.

I agree, I think it made sense for Rand's character and his situation was a bit more nuanced and he does accept his role as a leader by the third book even if he doesn't accept the mantle of Dragon Reborn, but with Perrin it could of been done better and with Mat it really didn't make any sense. As for the female leads, Elayne it Nyaneve it makes sense but Egwene it did not. Nyaneve would of made more sense as amyrlin seat IMO with Egwene going off with Rand, you would have to move plot stuff around but I think it would of been better like that. That being said I wouldn't want anything changed for the TV show because I like to keep with cannon for the most part. Thats on the wrong thread though so i'll stop lol

[DemandredFO]

Perrin would've been better written differently or just less ink period. We didn't need to know he really, really didn't like this or that and certainly didn't need 3 and a little more books of rescuing Faile, etc. Honestly Perrin could've disappeared for most of the story, only surfacing occassionally and no one would notice.

[Sabio]

Or his non stop sniffing of emotions.

[solarz]

The only thing I didn't like about Perrin was his role in the LB. While Mat was directing the battle and Rand was confronting the DO, Perrin was fighting... Slayer?

[mb]

1 minute ago, solarz said:

The only thing I didn't like about Perrin was his role in the LB. While Mat was directing the battle and Rand was confronting the DO, Perrin was fighting... Slayer?

Slayer needed to be fought; and Perrin seemed to be the main one who knew how.

[solarz]

8 minutes ago, mb said:

Slayer needed to be fought; and Perrin seemed to be the main one who knew how.

 

Not really. Slayer has always been a minor character, and thematically, it just feels out of place for Perrin to spend the entire LB fighting him.

 

If Slayer has to be a part of Perrin's arc, it should have been wrapped up in a few chapters, and Perrin should have moved on to more important things.

 

Jordan's notes said Perrin becomes a king. Somehow, BS interpreted that to mean Perrin becomes Neo.

 

???

[Maedelin]

Perrin becomes a king when the Lords and Lady Bashere kick it in the final hours of the Last Battle.  It's oblique and no one really talks about it, but its's there.

[solarz]

16 hours ago, Maedelin said:

Perrin becomes a king when the Lords and Lady Bashere kick it in the final hours of the Last Battle.  It's oblique and no one really talks about it, but its's there.

 

I imagine that if Jordan left notes about something explicitly happening, it wasn't meant to be just an oblique, off-screen, reference.

 

Perrin was criminally underused in the LB. He fielded the largest army at Merrilor, yet had no part in the subsequent decisions and battles? He would have been a far better field leader than a heavily pregnant Elayne.

[Sabio]

Perin did not have the largest army, pretty sure the Aiel alone out numbered Perins army.  

[mb]

from what I recall of Memory of Light, fighting Slayer was only part of Perrin's Last Battle time.  some of the time he rested, and towards the end he dealt with Cyndane/Lanfear.

 

[wotfan4472]

Both of which were disastrous if Perrin didn't. To me, he is Sam  given command, while Mat is Merry given it. Quite cool actually.

Edited May 3, 2019 by wotfan4472

[Maedelin]

On 5/2/2019 at 10:13 AM, solarz said:

 

I imagine that if Jordan left notes about something explicitly happening, it wasn't meant to be just an oblique, off-screen, reference.

 

Perrin was criminally underused in the LB. He fielded the largest army at Merrilor, yet had no part in the subsequent decisions and battles? He would have been a far better field leader than a heavily pregnant Elayne.

 

I completely agree with you regarding Perrin's role.  I felt that his entire arc was wasted with a torturous (mostly for the reader) time in Malden, and retreading the same tropes ad nauseum.  Perhaps his ascendancy to the throne of Saldaea when Lord and Lady Bashere bit the dust was to be a larger part of the Last Battle, but I have a feeling the same could be said about Moiraine, the discussion and signing of the Dragon's Peace, and yes, the Last Battle too.

 

However, I'm complaining about the hamburger I was served.  I am gonna eat it...

 

...but I'll be dreaming of the prime rib that could have been.

[CrystallineTart]

On 9/16/2018 at 4:53 PM, Sajius said:

 

 

Always to me Perrin’s actions during the middle books were just...boring. I stopped really caring about his problems after the first book about his rescuing of Faile. He was singly focused, and completely tunnel visioned on his quest (and when the quest is mostly uninspiring that’s not great story material). Now it didn't quite dawn on me until I was re-reading the final three books that Perrins single focus mind set is one of his key traits. It’s one of his key struggles in ToM, finding the balance in himself. Now Perrin does come to terms with himself and in my eyes completely redeems himself over the last few books. So that got me thinking, was Perrin’s boring stretches through the middle intentionally boring? Were we as an audience not supposed to like this Perrin because of his tunnel vision? Is this an intentionally boring character because that’s who he is in the books?

 

Thoughts or questions about my theory?

 

Chgange Perin Perrin for Mat and you have me convinced.