Eye Of The World Essay, Research Paper
{Book One of: THE WHEEL OF TIME}
Title: The Eye of the World
By: Robert Jordan
Length: 782 pages
The Below are the chapter names and following them will be a short summary of each chapter. Overall the book was excellently written the imagery that it portrayed was excellent although at times the character development was more then drawn out, but in this particular book it suited the plot and the fantasy theme that it tried to express to the readers. As you may read, the chapter reviews are very brief and they will really only bring the basic meaning of what happened. Before the actually summary of the chapter, there is a bit of background information that is actually quite relevant and it helps me in not retelling the whole chapter, but only summating the most important parts.
In the first few chapters they are really detailed because I though that they were some of the most important. As I go deeper into the book there are several chapters that will be grouped Together, because they flow together and a lot of the ideas that are shown are portrayed in them
Prologue; Dragonmount
This prologue is supposed to be during the first age of man. When one man how had the power or later explained as the one power was responsible for the breaking of the world. Where evil was let lose and the Dark one almost released. Later reading many of the chapters there are references to the breaking of the world. This prologue is what the characters in the story draw many beliefs and ideas from. This event happening around 3000 years before the story takes place is how the faith of the people is structured.
The prologue is used to first paint a picture of the surrounding area. It looks as though a battle has taken place, but by description it isn?t a battle that has taken place but more like a slaughtering. Women and children lay dead all around, with burn marks on the walls and the stench of dead bodies was the aroma in the air. Lewis Therin Telmon wondered the palace among the dead and called for his wife. He screamed ?Ilyena! My love where are you?? As He peered into a mirror on the wall he saw his own mattered looking face, and he began to laugh. Behind him he saw in the mirror a reflection that began to slowly take shape. He turned and the laughter stopped almost like it had not even began at all. He asked the stranger of his name and the reply that was given was ?Elan Morin Tedronai?. With the name, Lewis Therin uttered, ?betrayer of hope?. The dialogue between the two was very harsh. Lewis Therin had seemed to go mad. He still called for his wife as though nothing was the matter. Stepping over bodies and walking around fires he did not say anything, but call for his wife, as though he wanted to introduce her. Then the stranger said, ?look, there is your beloved wife?? Lewis Therin ran to her but when he saw where the stranger had pointed to he looked down and began to scream. The scream of a madman realizing himself, what he was doing. He looked around and could not believe the site. The stranger said to him, the dark one would bring her back to you if only you wish it. Lewis Therin could not, he would not. This was the breaking of the world and he could not live with himself after what he had done, let alone be the man to not only be responsible but also rule this hell he created. He replied ?Light, please forgive me?. Then he touched saidin the male half of the power that ran the universe. With this power, more then he could handle he destroyed everything around him and then, it is said in the prophecy the world shook like it was in pain, and in agony like a living thing. When the wind died and the earth stopped shaking, the strangers looked on at the castle and it?s surrounding in rage and yelled ?IT IS NOT OVER WITH US, IT WILL NEVER BE OVER UNTIL THE END OF TIME?. With that remark he left and then the mountain the castle has laid on was left there waiting, alone.
An empty Road
This chapter?s purpose in my mind is not really an introduction of characters, but more of an introduction of the type of environment that they will be surrounded by during the duration of the story. The first two characters that are mention are Tam al?thor and his Son Rand. In this the first book of this on going series Rand is the protagonist, so most of the story is told through his eyes.
As Tam and Rand take their horses towards the village of two rivers, the setting is very dark and ominous. Rand is very nervous, and he can?t see a reason why. His father tries to calm his fears explained to him, ?the conditions this year are worse then any other, make any man nervous even make some go mad?. Rand though that what he was feeling was just his imagination and that he nothing to worry about. Even though he still looked over his shoulder once in a while just to make sure that his father was they?re following.
As the journey grew longer Rand moved slower and eventually feel behind his father, but was still close enough to grab if he felt anything was wrong. He scanned the surrounding forest and looked to make sure that they weren?t being followed. Until he saw something, something so mesmerizing he couldn?t look away, but it hurt even more to look dead ahead. It was a tall man, on a horse. He was wearing black and he almost blended in with the horse as though they were one. His gauze was timeless, so disturbing and probing. Rand tried to turn away but could not. He looked at the eyes, and finally broke the stare when he encountered his eyes, or Rand had discovered, the lack of eyes. His cloak didn?t move in the wind, the holes where his eyes had been like bottomless pits, Rand couldn?t understand what it was he saw. ?Rand, hurry up?? Rand turned around to answer his father, but when he turned to look back at the figure he saw nothing.
Rand went and told Tam of what he saw and couldn?t tell him without the fear in his voice. Tam looked weary at the claim, but his trust in his son was unequaled by anything else so he said, ?Lets look at the hill where you saw this man, his cloak may not have moved, but his horse must have left some prints.? Tam picked up the bow and the arrow and he followed Rand to where he said he had seen this man and his mask. There were no prints not even broken twigs to indicate something had been there. Rand new he had seen something. What that something was, Rand himself wasn?t even sure about. Tam told him, ?Time like these makes a man wonder if even his hands in front of his own face are real?. An explanation that may have made him feel better, but Rand could not get rid of the feeling of being watched.
The soon arrived in the village after there long journey. Glad to be there with their Brandy and ready for the festival of beltine, Rand got of his horse weary, and ready to rest when he met his friend Mat. Mat and Rand had been friends since they were young and the trouble they would get into was more then
Stranger
As in previous chapters, Rand discusses his encounter with his friends looking for them to tell him that he wasn?t crazy
He found out that all of them that were around the same age as him had seen the same things
They each saw the motionless man in the wind all in black
Rand consulted Mat and Perrin on what it is that he should do, finally they though that they would all go to there fathers and tell them what had happened
Rand already did this and it brought him nothing but with his new witness maybe he would be able to show that he was right
When they approached their parents they were received by grim looks, apparently many of the boys told their parents and it was being discussed
They took the matter very seriously
This was also the introduction of Lan and Moraine
Lan a large burley man and he had a colour shifting cloak and when Rand first saw him he though that this was the man
He had cold eyes and looks as though he had seen many battles
His Companion looked much different, she was short riding a white horse but was incredibly beautiful
Her name was Moraine and she said that she was in the Two rivers studying it?s past because of all that it held
This were the most important points that occurred in the chapter, near the end something about a gleemen was mentioned; he seemed to be some type of traveling performer
The Peddler
Not many things happened in this chapter but they were very important
With the peddler coming into the story he brought news from the outside world
He told them that there was a man calling himself the Dragon Reborn
This was a man that could shift the one power and that there were armies and fighting in many places
People were shocked but the peddle just told them as though it was matter of fact
This is where some of the most important information is reveled to the characters about the outside world and they are interested because they never thought that it was something they would ever hear about
Moraine and Lan were especially interested because they knew what it was about, having left many of those places
The peddler looked as though he took special interest in the boys, Rand, Mat and Perrin
The connection between them other then being best friends is that they were the ones that also saw the eyeless man
They felt a chill when the peddler looked them at
The above is direct foreshadowing for later on in the story
The Gleeman
This chapter in the whole story line is used for much more then developing the character Tom Merlin
He is the Gleemen that comes into town and not much is known of him.
People are excited because he is a gleemen and that is basically what all of the talk is of in this chapter
One more even occurs; when moraine gives Perrin, Matt and Rand coins for helping her
Little did they know that it was a type of device she would use to track them
Not much else happened, I think this is because the next chapter was so detailed and important
Winter night
It was winter night and tomorrow would be beltine
This was the festival that they all celebrated and sometimes it was basically a match making party
All the young ladies would dance with the young boys
The night before Rand and his father decided to go home and return the village the next day
That night they sat at home and they felt very comfortable
Things were very peaceful, they looked at the fireplace and it was in a sense the calm before the storm
All of a sudden there were noised as the door the windows the roofs the house was basically under siege
Tam rushed the his draw and grabbed a remarkable looking sword, one with a Heron mark on it
This mark was the mark of master sword men and had to be earned
With all that was happening Rand was surprised because he never though that would be his father and seeing him with such a weapon
This was the beginning of the end of the world that was once known by Rand al?Thor
He told Rand to run as the huge figures came into the Room
They looked like they were animals and a man combined but they were so tall
Rand ran and left his father to wait in the woods
He was sure what was happening
Soon things went silent, the cries of the monsters as they fell one by one was not heard but neither was his father
When all was quiet he couldn?t take it so he returned to the house to see what was left
When he entered he saw one Trolloc
The weird beast said his name and he could not do a thing
He had seen his fathers sword on the ground before and picked it up
He had it in his hands as the beast jumped on top of him crushing him under his weight but instead of striking the beast did not do a thing
He lay on top of Rand laying still, Rand hand killed it
The sword pierced the beast chest and it lay dead
The surprise ran through him and he did not know what to do
West Wood
Out of the Woods
* The two above chapters are more of fillers, because they do nothing more then really describe the landscape. There is a lot of traveling and sometimes several chapters are dedicated that that. Just traveling and description of certain areas. Fore these chapters there will be no chapter summaries because they don?t really help in describing.
A Place of Safety
Telling of the Wheel
Leave-taking
These three chapters deal with Rand and his companions leaving the two rivers and going out into the world
A lot of the dialogue shows how scared they are when they first leave and that they don?t know exactly what it is that they must do
They have now found out that there village and their people were attacked because of them
They leave the village but not without finding out a great many things
First off Moraine is Aesedi and her companion Lan is her warder
They came specifically for the reason of finding these three boys
Before the 5 of them leave they take on 2 more Egwene and the Gleemen
She will not let Rand go alone and for some odd reason the Gleemen shows some sense of duty to these people he has never met before
They next thing they do is leave but no with out running into trouble
As they leave the village they are confronted
This is because the Women and Lan are though to be the reason for all of the things that have happened
That is not the case and they try to reason with them
The mayor is the one that helps them pass because he believes that if it were not for them then many people would of died because they needed there help
This is a very difficult time for them to leave, they didn?t get to tell their families and they had to leave letters
Something they always wanted and dreamed about, leaving their town and seeing the world was upon them but none of them showed that they were ready
This is where the quest theme in the book really begins
The Road to Taren Ferry
Across the Taren
Choices
Here is where they begin their travels
Only two important things really happened here
The order of things came together, they were shown that moraine had absolute control of the situation
Other things that happened were the group was attacked for the first time and they had to separate
Tom and Mat and Rand together were removed from the others and this is where the stories in a sense really break up into two different situations
The two different groups go there separate ways looking for each other but because of this the friends are separated and they find a way to grow up in a really short period of time
Stag and Lion
Strangers and Friends
This is where Mat and Rand stayed
They had no money and they didn?t know what to do
They met one of Toms friends and he took them in this was what happened in this chapter basically
Nothing more then merely the introduction of
The Wisdom
Watchers and Hunters
The Caemlyn Road
Shadows Waiting
Dust on the Wind
Listen to the Wind
These chapters move the from the main character of the story Rand to Moraine and Lan
These two are looking for the two groups but are torn between who to go after
Surprisingly enough they are not done with the additions to there company
The town wisdom Nayeve joins
Moraine lets her stay not only because she wanted her help but she poised a power that was greater then hers
She had a talent, something that was the strongest seen in over 1000 years
This is very important because later book in the series touch on this
Note: I?m now on the 5th book and her power is something that is very important
She can?t except what she has but she must use it
Another interesting turn of events is the relationship that she garners with Lan
It is this that is really important
They develop feelings for each other that neither wants to explain
This develops later on in the story
From chapters 19-21 a lot of the actions is about them making choices on trying to elude the
A Path chosen
Wolf brother
Flight Down the Arinelle
The Traveling People
White bridge
Now we are moved to the story-taking place with Perrin and Egwene
They are separated and they are to move down the river
This what happens in the path chosen.
Something that happens to Perrin
Perrin is begins to understand wolves
He has them talking to him in his dreams and his mind
He thinks that he is going mad and his eyes are now a yellow colour
This is all happening and he then meets a man by the name of Elyas
He too can also talk to the wolves
At first Perrin thinks this is the one power, but it is not
This is one of the forgotten talents that people though was lost with the loss of the age of Legends
This man takes them in because they are not sure where they are and what it is that they are doing
He takes them to a Tinker camp
These are known as the traveling people and all this time Perrin deals with more then what everyone else is but the worry that he might be going mad
This is the first sign of several gifts that are imparted in all of the boys
The group decides that it is time for them to leave the other (tinkers)
Elyas leaves on his own but Perrin follows
They are then encountered by a group of whitecloks
This is where Perrin becomes different, he will now take the life of someone else