Faile in The Dragon Reborn.

[RobertAlexWillis]

Rand's a hick from the sticks with overly romantic notions about women. He's not alone in that. His inability to knowingly kill a woman constitues a personal quirk, not insanity.

 

There are people who always put on their left shoe first. Does that make them insane, too? No, it's just something they do without even thinking about it. Another personal quirk.

 

Personal quirks that leave you moaning in the mud reciting a list of dead people, (like after Dumai's Wells, or any number of other times), or cause you to knowingly allow someone to torture you, with the intention of killing you (Lanfear at the docks), are forms of mental illness. A good example to contrast is Mat. He doesn't want to kill women, hates it in fact. It caused him to almost get himself killed in that knife fight in Maderin. But he doesn't take it to the unhealthy extreme that Rand does. The difference between how Mat handles that cultural peculiarity, and how Rand handles his, is the difference between a personal quirk and a mental illness.

[Bob T Dwarf]

In your opinion.

[RobertAlexWillis]

Yep. In my opinion.

[aznprince001]

sounds good...

[Gandaal]

Why wouldn't she be shocked and in disbelief that Fetches are running around Illian? Its not exactly the first place you'd expect to find Fades. Plus she never said or implied that Fades were a fairy tale, just that the Darkhounds were.

 

Not to mentioned that its fairly reasonable to be frightened at the possibility of facing a Fade one on one when you have no experience fighting the shadow personally whatsoever and you understand just how dangerous they can really be.

[aznprince001]

I remember Faile as a really aggressive character when she first met Perrin. Now she plays a back roll... It lessens the spirit of the story, but not every character can be gung ho.

 

Faile's "weakness" maybe contributed to Perrin's babying or something that made her less warrior like and less like a hunter of the horn.

[racha_giurgiu]

I hardly see Faile as being weak. Annoying, in my opinion yes, but not weak. For the past too many books she has been a prisoner of the shaido. Only so much she could do there and she has been working her best to get herself and others out of the situation that they are in. She only has so much room to move about when being captured and therefore only so much story that can be woven around her.

[aznprince001]

true...i stand corrected

[Mesaana]

I was a Faile fan in the beginning... but the whole Shaido prisoner thing dragging out so long has really gotten on my nerves and her attitude and personality gets worse in each book. I much preferred her when we were first introduced to her as a playful quasi-tough hanger-on, looking for adventure.

[Mystica]

for me personally Faile is one my least liked characters, though she does have her strong sides.

I particularly don't like her ambition and hunger for power/adventure which is shown in how she repeatedly tries to force Perrin to become someone else than who he is.

 

For me, Perrin was more than well enough who he was in the beginning. A strong, silent, caring, considerate young man with a clear understanding for the larger picture (something that was clearly missing in Mat, eg. who I love for being the raskal he is and keeps being).

 

Faile, however, from the start was out for 'a place in the history books' a.k.a. fame for herself. Failing to achieve that as a Hunter, she does the next best thing. Grab on to some goody two shoes of a boy (at the time), badger him into becoming a Lord (granted, it was needed for Emond's Field) and on several occasions trying to push him

out from under Rand's shadow [unquote].

 

Faile is still out for personal glory, a thing that is used consistantly by the Dark Side as a 'prize' to dangle at idiots' noses. She does have a feeling of responsibility for those in her charge, but too often to my taste does she show an immaturity that doesn't fit with one that would be the co-ruler of a nation like Manetheren (no matter how it's called today).

 

As to the effect of Faile on Perrin. I think she's not doing him any good. Him willing to 'deal with the Dark One himself to get Faile back' is not something I think he is 'just saying out of desperation'. I believe he would actually do it too.

 

And giving away the Flag of Manetheren to the Sanchean??? What is that all about? He's delivering all the people of that area into the hands of the Sanchean, leaving them all to their mercy, allowing them (or as good as) to chain every woman and girl that can channel into slavery and what not.

All this to get 1 woman back.

 

Romance is a fine and lovely thing, but it's not worth selling your soul for. And that (to my feeling) is what he would be willing to do.

 

This is no longer the Perrin I liked in the beginning and I put the blame for that in Faile's hands. And that's why I don't like her much. Instead of strenghtening him, she has actually weakened him in my eyes.

 

But that is just my opinion :)

[Guest Majsju]

And giving away the Flag of Manetheren to the Sanchean??? What is that all about? He's delivering all the people of that area into the hands of the Sanchean, leaving them all to their mercy, allowing them (or as good as) to chain every woman and girl that can channel into slavery and what not.

All this to get 1 woman back.

 

No, what he actually does is showing that he surrenders all claims to "Manetheren", ie promises to not attempt to bring an old nation back from the dead. Nowhere does he say he gives the lands to Seanchan, which, even if he had said he did, he has no authority whatsoever to do.

[Mystica]

you're right, but the sentiment is the same really.

At least to my feeling it is. But then, who am I... :)

[Bob T Dwarf]

For my two pennies, you're somebody who sees both Faile and Perrin with very clear eyes.

[Mystica]

Not sure if that was meant for me, but I'll pretend it is *grins*

 

thanks Bob :)

[Bob T Dwarf]

It was, and you're welcome.

[aznprince001]

Romance ruins books sometimes, The hero makes a stupid decision and makes the plot thicker...Wait nevermind, it does make it somewhat more interesting. Question:

 

What is Perrin gonna do now that he doesn't have anything else to do?

 

1. No need to protect the Two Rivers

2. Faile is back

3. Friends with Seanchan and Rand al' Thor

 

 

Sit back and relax, Perrin.

[RobertAlexWillis]

Allow me to add one little bitty teeny weenie unsolved problem:

 

The Dark One is breaking free.

[aznprince001]

Well what am i supposed to do about it?!

-Perrin

 

 

Wait, I remember now, Choose the axe Young bull!

[Mystica]

well, he still has to deliver the Prophet to Rand, so I'm guessing that's what he'll do now.

[Guest Majsju]

well, he still has to deliver the Prophet to Rand, so I'm guessing that's what he'll do now

 

Does he now? Masema doesn't have an army, however ragtag, to bring to Rand anymore. He has about 200 people left, not an amount that would make a difference.

 

And I don't think Perrin would be such an idiot that he brought Masema to Rand after what happened with Aram. I think it is more likely that Perrin solves the problem by making sure there is no prophet to bring to Rand, at least not a living one.

[ladyfromeboudar]

faile has made perrin into the man he is. without her he'd be the bumbling, apparant idiot (we know he wasn't, he just thought things through). perrin will never be in rands shadow because just like mat he has his own place in the pattern. rand might be the dragon reborn but they're all ta'veren. without them there would be no pattern, no lace and consequently no wheel of time.

[aznprince001]

I think Perrin can do without Faile for awhile.

[ladyfromeboudar]

faile is feisty, but thats not a bad thing. Admittedly i dont particularly like her but i dont think she's a bad influence on perrin. I think she makes him stand up for himself.