On 8/17/2020 at 9:25 AM, Ravenprince said:

I think we take away something from Egwene if we simply say she was Ta'Veren.  From the very beginning when she first saw the blue spark in Moraine's jewel she has showed us her power. She had an intelligence, a tenacity, a courage , a wisdom, and even a charm about her that rivaled Kings and Queens, that went well beyond her years. She earned a lot of that through MUCH pain and anguish and  discipline ... Some of it was chosen, some thrust upon her and some beaten into her.

 

Besides Rand, she had one of the most anguished psychological components of being kidnapped and made a slave, then used as a puppet,  had an attempted manipulation of her mind by a Forsaken for a short time,  then later  she was a debased prisoner fallen from a great height only to rise up through willpower, intelligence, and courage.   She was no Mary Sue... She earned every bit of her story.

 

I never saw her as Ta'Varen (even though it would be cool in its own way) .  I always saw her as shear WILL personified on paper as a character. 

   

Love this take, I realize that I have always felt the same way. She is a little power house who was crafted by her circumstance. But it was her sheer determination and willpower that carried her through and made her such an important character in determining the fate of the world.

Great post, it really got me thinking. I will have to think about prologues, but I know my favorite epilogue. The Lord of the Rings epilogue is my fave and it is not even close (I am speaking of the ending that was included, not the unpublished epilogue which I still love). You are spot on in your analysis, the assurance that the story goes on and the world is better because of our heroes efforts is so comforting. I mean who doesn't get a burst of joy upon hearing Harry, Hermoine, Ron, and Ginny all build families and continue their close bond? One of the strengths of Lord of the Rings (and WOT for that matter) is the development of dynamic characters who are carefully placed in the vibrant settings which spark the imagination. The primary reason that the epilogue found in the Return of the King has such a strong effect on me is that it brings closure to the characters I have come to know and love. Aragorn becomes a great king, reuniting the broken pieces of the world with the love of his life by his side. Gimli and Legolas continue their friendship and adventures, later taking time to mend the scars from the great war of the 3rd age before sailing off into the west together. But the part that spoke to me most was concerning hobbits and the fate of the shire. 

Rustic simplicity and a return to the “shire life” are the highlights of this section. Tolkien has lamented that he did not have the ability to further expand upon the story, even mentioning days after the book was released that "I still feel the picture incomplete without something on Samwise and Elanor, but I could not devise anything that would not have destroyed the ending, more than the hints (possibly sufficient) in the appendices". Personally, I feel a deep connection with the character of Samwise Gamgee, and I love having closure with his story. As a passionate gardener and nature lover, my imagination runs wild when Tolkien describes the revitalization of the shire and the mallorn tree. Life in the shire seems to return to a modicum of normalcy, but the world is a much wider place for its inhabitants… It is hard to explain, but it’s just good to have closure, especially when you invest large amounts of time in the lives and worlds of your favorite stories and sagas.