Re-Reading "The Eye of the World": "Chapter 37: The Long Chase" and "Chapter 38: Rescue"
After having spent an unfortunate time in the captivity of the Whitecloaks, Perrin and Egwene finally find freedom thanks to Lan, Moiraine, and Nynaeve.
Hello, dear reader! Do you like what you read here at Omnivorous? Do you like reading fun but insightful takes on all things pop culture? Do you like supporting indie writers? If so, then please consider becoming a subscriber and get the newsletter delivered straight to your inbox. There are a number of paid options, but you can also sign up for free! Every little bit helps. Thanks for reading and now, on with the show!
Having spent a couple of chapters with Rand and Mat, it’s now time to move back to Perrin and Nynaeve, who at last come together when Moiraine and Lan set out to rescue the former (plus Egwene) from the Whitecloaks. Nynaeve, despite her growing annoyance with the Aes Sedai, accepts that she needs her help, and they succeed in their mission. However, all is not entirely well, particularly since Perrin continues to have to deal with the reality of his newfound ability to speak to wolves.
In this chapter, we get yet another indication that there’s more to the bond between Nynaeve and Lan than mere allies. It’s clear by this point that there’s quite a strong romantic bond between the two of them, and it’s not one-way. As Lan will discover repeatedly throughout the saga, however, it’s not always easy to be in the service of an Aes Sedai while falling in love with someone else, particularly if that other person is Nynaeve al’Meara. There’s something almost tragic about the way that Moiraine tightens the leash when he looks as if he is going to go riding off to save Nynaeve from whatever trouble she seems to have fallen into. This is a dynamic that will play itself out over the next several novels, as both Lan and Nynaeve find themselves pulled in competing directions.
What’s particularly striking about this whole exchange is the means by which Moiraine exerts her control. In this case, it’s not enough for her to simply remind Lan of his duty as her Warder. Instead, she specifically calls upon his lineage and responsibilities as a son of Malkier. Though from one point of view this is a rather low blow, one has to admit that it is also remarkably cunning. One gets the sense that Moiraine recognizes the fact that Lan is pulling away from her–drawn away by his interest in Nynaeve–which is why she is willing to use every means at her disposal in order to bring him to heel.
For her part, Nynaeve continues to demonstrate why she is one of the best of Jordan’s many creations. I’m not entirely sure why, but I’ve always found myself drawn to her. While she has some of the same tics and irritating mannerisms that afflict all of our main characters, for some reason they feel more natural on her and less forced. And, when it comes down to it, it’s really rather touching the extent to which she is always willing to put herself at risk for others, and she is undoubtedly one of the bravest characters in the entire book.
Moiraine, of course, continues to be as inscrutable as she has been from the very beginning, much to the frustration of Nynaeve and, I daresay, even the reader. Even though she is the one member of the company with the most knowledge at her hands, she refuses to really be very forthcoming about it, even with Lan. It is precisely her enigmatic nature in these chapters that make her so compelling as a character. At this early stage we’re not sure what to make of her, particularly since our point of view is so firmly wedded to Perrin and Nynaeve (and Rand), none of whom have any real reason to trust her.
And speaking of poor Perrin. In addition to having the “gift” (though he doesn’t see it that way) of being able to speak to wolves, he now has to contend with the possibility that this might be, even indirectly, a result of the Dark One’s increasing influence on the world. Like Rand, he finds that there are many perils to being associated with the Wheel and the end of one Age and the beginning of another. It’s never an easy thing being the hero of an epic tale, and Jordan is particularly adept at showing us the emotional toll of such an identity.
As I’ve written before, the Children of the Light are a perfect distillation of the sort of religious zealots who were very much in the ascendant when Jordan wrote his book. Even so, there’s something especially chilling about Child Byar who, as Perrin repeatedly notes, doesn’t seem to have any humanity to him at all. If Bornhald is an example of what one of the Children can be when they haven’t given up their soul to their pursuit of the “Light,” then Byar is the opposite, someone who has become so emptied of anything resembling compassion or grace that it’s hard to imagine him as anything other than a Child of the Light. This is precisely what makes him so terrifying, and there is no doubt that he would have killed Perrin and Egwene had he not been interrupted by the arrival of Moiraine and the wolves.
Of course, no discussion of these chapters would be complete without a discussion of our beloved Bela, who continues to be one of the best horses to ever grace fantasy fiction. This is a steed who has already endured quite a lot by this point, but she proves as steadfast as the other Emond’s Fielders. I know it might sound silly to some, but I’m glad that Jordan actually took time to give her her own rescue. It would have been a shame had she just been left behind.
All in all, I quite enjoyed these two chapters. Now that we’re getting closer to the end of The Eye of the World, it’s clear that Jordan felt the need to pick up the pace and get things moving in a forward direction. By this point we’ve spent quite a lot of time with the various members of the company as they’ve grappled with their own issues and threats after being separated at Shadar Logoth. However, one can only stay separated for so long before the plot needs to move forward in an appreciable way, and it seems that this is what we’re finally getting. We, along with Perrin and Egwene, can heave a sigh of relief, even though it’s clear that the final stage of their journey has yet to begin.