Thoughts on Rand..

[danzo]

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I don't really have much of a question—more or less just some thoughts. I had an interesting convo with someone a while ago who claimed that Rand's mental health comes off as superficial. To say that after reading all 14 books is shocking. But let’s even talk about it—
Of course, this is a character with extensive characterization, so you can't really call every aspect unrealistic objectively. So let us hit the nail on the right spot! Let’s talk about the very aspect of his characterization that provokes this kind of discussion—"Lews Therin / Rand."
Anyone who understands the story to a reasonable extent will say they are two different people in one body. Someone who understands a bit more will say they are one person divided into two by the taint. And that, of course, stems from Rand’s refusal to accept that version of himself. Divided into two, clashing against the mad version of himself, this isn’t just a case of split personalities—it’s a symbolic struggle between self-acceptance and self-rejection, between past trauma and present responsibility. —an abstract battle of identity, an abstract exploration of madness
I think art and literature only truly get very good when the authors gets abstract with it. Because it says a lot more than being completely literal—it leaves a lot more room for interpertation and you as  the readers get to participate, dive in, and analyze. It’s like reading Kafka’s "Metamorphosis" another book i love and I hope Wheel of Time fans can see that.
Stay Randing.
if u have thoughts share them!

 

[Asthereal]

Someone who calls Rand's mental health issues superficial either hasn't read the books or completely misunderstands what's happening in them, in my opinion.

 

But beyond that I completely agree that art needs a certain measure of abstraction so the audience has the opportunity to interpret the art in their own way. It deepens the enjoyment. But the artist doesn't have to focus too much on that aspect, because typically there's plenty abstraction without adding it on purpose, especially in books. Then again recently, especially in recent Hollywood productions, you see a decline of the amount of abstraction we get. Some people like that, but I feel stories get more stale and preachy as a result. It's an interesting topic for analysis.

 

 

[Codes87]

With Rand, I sometimes wonder if the mistakes he made as Lews Therin contribute to a depression. He failed, bad, as Lews Therin, killed everyone he loved, and doomed the world he loved. I feel once Rand realized who he had been, and the enormity of that guilt, it would hit him hard. Especially since he's already hurt and wounded by the events of his current life, and the deep trauma of the list he keeps in his head of the dead. Just my thought.

[Aarenis]

Something I feel more after coming off Brandon Sanderson's Stormlight Archives and also a pretty infamous series in the Harry Potter fandom is that people almost cannot bear too much realism.

 

In a way, yes, we don't really get the gritty take through Rand's mental health but I'm not convinced we need it. Too much realism also annoys the reader, and messes with the pace of the story. I love WoT but LoC to KoD often feels very slow/bracing to me, and that's ignoring Dumai's Wells. Like, what purpose would it even serve to bog us deeper into Rand's mental health? I prefer the abstraction - it's hard not to look at Kaladin's recurring depression and to just be so tired of reading about it, even if it's realistic.

Edited March 15 by Aarenis

[KakitaOCU]

I would also suggest the concern that a lot of people, even from good intentions, have trouble when a character is well written but isn't handled how THEY had to handle it.

Not a book example, but there's a show on Prime called Hazbin Hotel.  There's a character that 100% is being used to work through trauma from abuse, power imbalance in a relationship and addiction.  The level of fights that pop up on the internet with people both finding this character to be wonderful and incredibly well done and the people who find him to be completely wrong and making fun of serous issues for laughs...

Rand has legitimate Trauma and I think balances it halfway decent given the complete lack of actual therapists...  But for some, what he's has to go through is SO far above what people normally face  and so they have no reference for it.  And for some, they handled a similar situation differently and how Rand did it comes off harmful to them...

[Asthereal]

  On 3/22/2025 at 2:12 AM, KakitaOCU said:

I would also suggest the concern that a lot of people, even from good intentions, have trouble when a character is well written but isn't handled how THEY had to handle it.

Not a book example, but there's a show on Prime called Hazbin Hotel.  There's a character that 100% is being used to work through trauma from abuse, power imbalance in a relationship and addiction.  The level of fights that pop up on the internet with people both finding this character to be wonderful and incredibly well done and the people who find him to be completely wrong and making fun of serous issues for laughs...

Rand has legitimate Trauma and I think balances it halfway decent given the complete lack of actual therapists...  But for some, what he's has to go through is SO far above what people normally face  and so they have no reference for it.  And for some, they handled a similar situation differently and how Rand did it comes off harmful to them...

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It is absolutely difficult to relate to Rand's struggle. Farmboy to Demigod having to fight Satan, the weight of the world on his shoulders, Magic-induced madness, nobody trusts him and he doesn't trust a lot of people around him either. Thankfully we have a whole shelf of books in characterization for us to help understand his struggles.

 

Does Rand handle his struggles perfectly? No. But he isn't a perfect person. Some people find that hard to deal with in stories. Many feel like every character has to deal with their issues the right way. But that's not realistic.

 

I like WoT so much mainly because characters make mistakes all the time. And they learn from them. Rand finally coming to terms with the duality of himself and Lews Therin, and finally fully accepting his fate feels incredibly cathartic at the end of book 12, and reading about him in book 13 and 14 is a joy because he's grown so much and he's finally ready to do what must be done, not just out of anger or basic necessity, but because that's the way the people he loves get to live their lives the way they deserve to. Zen Rand is amazing, and the journey towards Zen Rand is the best character arc I've ever read in any piece of fiction.

[EmreY]

  On 4/14/2025 at 9:57 AM, Asthereal said:

Zen Rand is amazing

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I agree.

 

https://images.app.goo.gl/HDVw4iyxohVQnZrn9

Edited Saturday at 07:10 AM by EmreY