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

He to defend himself had to kill several men with his axe

Not only that but the wolves helped them and this almost got them all killed

They were eventually taken prisoner and to be tortured but all was not lost

The story now moves away from them a bit and other things are dealt with.

Shelter form the storm

Foot prints in the air

Eyes without Pity

Children of Shadow

Play For your Supper

Four Kings in a Shadow

The Dark Waits

The Last Village

Through the course of all the chapters above the most important thing that happens in this series of books occurs

Rand al?Thor discoveries he is the DRAGON REBORN

This is the man that will save the wheel and to take the shadow to its grave

He finds this out when they are trapped by some of the shadow and he thinks of an escape

It happens out of now where but it does none the less

This is what takes him on his road of what will now be self-discovery for the rest of this novel and what will be the next 2

This may seem like a short summary but the other events once again are just situation of trying to elude capture, the most important thing being here the revelation that Rand has found his destiny but he will not except it.

Caemlyn

Web of the pattern

The Long chase

In these chapters what happens is they all meet up

Finally the group comes back together other then Perrin and Egwene

They are now all on path to rescue there friends

From the hands of an army 5 people will try to rescue maybe 2 of the most important people ever born during this age

These are the things that must be dealt with and the characters are starting to doubt each other and things are happening that would never of if they were home

This is really a new world for them all

Rescue

Weaving of the web

The Web Tightens

Old friends and New threats

The rescue there friends from the hands of the enemy but only to understand that they must go to the blight

They do and on their way the discovery there will be a war

Something that the help of Moraine is needed but she can?t

Her responsibility to Rand and the others is great

At this point she realizes that it is him who is the Dragon

The things that are done between the two from this point on are very uncertain when it comes to decisions

She doesn?t understand him

He doesn?t trust her

This makes for a more then volatile situation

Remembrance of Dreams

Decisions and Apparitions

The dark along the ways

What follows in Shadows

Fal Dara

Here is when they finally meet the blight and travel to the tree of life

Or other wise known as the Green man

They do not encounter a fight but they do encounter two of the FORSAKEN

These are people that are not readily destroyed

Moraine could not do it and they are found to be in terrible danger

This is the first time Rand will use his powers to directly attack the shadow

To the surprise of the two he destroys them with a power that almost blinds his companions but he also used to make more then just a point

Without his own knowledge he did something though impossible

He destroyed everyone in the battle at the line during his time in the blight

His power over flowed so that he aided the Warders and other men without them evening knowing what happened

He made the earth move and swallow his enemies

Look to the quotes for some very timely lines

More tales of the Wheel

The blight

The Dark One stirs

Meetings at the Eye

Against the Shadow

There is Neither Beginning Nor End

The Wheel Turns

These last few chapters were short and they honestly tried to represent the way he felt

The things that he wanted and his fears

This was an excellent book and the things that it touched upon were great, some of the summaries were short but I decided I would stick to the point making it much easier to understand.

Quotations

These are possible quotes I would like to use in my Essay

From TSR,

“Duty is heavy as a mountain, death is light as a feather.” From FoH, Mat Cauthon,

“Dovie’andi se tovya sagain … Time to roll the dice.” The Prophecy

Twice and twice shall he be marked,

Twice to live, and twice to die.

Once the heron, to set his path.

Twice the heron, to name him true.

Once the dragon, for remembrance lost.

Twice the dragon, for the price he must pay. From LoC, Taim,

“Kneel and swear to the Lord Dragon, or you will be knelt.” From tEotW,

“Loial, didn’t you say there isn’t any wind in the ways” Mat Cauthon, all the time,

“Blood and Bloody ashes” From A Crown of Swords, Rand Al’thor, Reference to: Padan Fain

“He ravaged my home because it was my home.

He brought Trollocs to kill my friends because

they were my friends.

He is a Darkfriend, and a dead man.”

From FoH, Asmodean,

“I came across a saying in Arad Doman. ‘The more women there are about, the softer a wise man steps.’ ” From tEotW, Bayle Damon,

“No, lad, it no be the treasure that makes for seeing the world. If you find youself a fistful of gold, or some dead kings jewels, all well and good, but it be the strangeness you see that pulls you to the next horizon. In Tanchico–that be a port on the Aryth Ocean–part of the Panarchs Palace were built in the Age of Legends, so it be said._ There be a wall there with a frieze showing animals no man living has ever seen,” Zipped “The breaking left a thousands wonders behind, and there been half a dozen empires or more since, some rivaling Artur Hawkwings, everyone leaving things to see and find. Lightsticks and razorlace and heartstone. A crystal lattice lattice covering an island, and it hums when the moon is up. A mountain hollowed into a bowl, and in its center, a silver spike a hundred spans high, and any who comes within a mile of it, dies. Rusted ruins, and broken bits, and things found on the bottom of the sea, things not even the oldest books know the meaning of. Ive gathered a few, myself. Things you never dreamed of, in more places than you can see in ten lifetimes. that be the strangeness that will draw you” From FoH, Amys – Aiel wise one,

“Life is a dream from which we all must wake before we can dream again.” Mat Cauthon,

“Luck is a horse to ride like no other.” From tGH, Rand al’thor,

“I will not be used!” From All of them, Everyone,

“The Wheel weaves as the Wheel wills.” Mat Cauthon,

“That could be a blessing or a curse, depending on how you look at it.”

Mat on having two wives. Gaul, Irman sept, Shaarad

“As well to try to understand the sun. It simply is, and is not to be understood. You cannot live without it, but it exacts a price.” From FoH, Lews Therin Telamon,

“We all make our limits, and we set them further out than we have any right.” From FoH, The Prophecies of the Dragon,

“The lands turn sere and the Fires of Heaven scourge the earth. There is no salvation without destruction, no hope this side of death.” From aCoS, Min,

“Sheepherder, you’re not woolbrained, you don’t have _any_ brains!” From tEotW, Perrin to Aram,

“I’ll bet you get to run away a lot.”

This is a Time line of Events in the book

The information below is supplied from

http://www-csli.stanford.edu/~emma/jordan-timeline.html

Winternight – Rand and Tam visit Emond’s Field. That evening their farm and the village are attacked by Trollocs.

Day 1

Bel Tine – At dawn Rand, dragging his father, arrives at Emond’s Field. That evening, Rand, Mat, Perrin, and Egwene leave with Thom, Moiraine, and Lan. Before dawn they cross the Taren. Moon only a ‘thin slice less than full’ (ch. 10, p. 146).

Day 2

Party heads towards Baerlon

Day 7

Party arrives at Baerlon towards evening

Day 8

Nynaeve joins the party. Party leaves Baerlon in the night. Moon in its last quarter (ch. 17, p. 251)

Day 11

Attacked by trollocs, take refuge in Shadar Logoth, party splits. Moon ‘last thin sliver before the new moon’ (ch. 19, p 291). [however moon shouldn't even be visible at that time of night in that phase].

I can’t judge accurately how much time after this point but can give some vague estimates. Perrin and Egwene spend at least three days of travelling before meeting Elyas (ch. 23). Meet Elyas in the evening and travel with him for three days before meeting the tinkers (ch. 25) in the afternoon (’first thin sliver of a new moon’ that evening) [don't ask me how a minimum of six days from the last of the old moon to the first of the new moon]. Several days with the tinkers and several more days travelling alone with Elyas. Egwene and Perrin are captured on the night of a full moon (ch. 30, p. 443 ‘clouds hid the full moon’). They are rescued (ch. 38) on the night of a slithered, waning moon) by Moiraine, Lan, and Nynaeve. Lan comments that the have a ‘few hard days’ of travelling before reaching Caemlyn.

For Rand, Mat, and Thom, there is first the river voyage towards Whitebridge, which takes at least 10 days (Bayle Domon remarks after seeing the metal tower that ‘We be ten days from Whitebridge at the rate we go’). After Whitebridge the boys are on their own. First night they sleep under bushes after that either sleeping under bushes or at farmhouses for at least four days (ch. 31, p. 462, they are asked to leave one farm, three days earlier they had been chased off, and we know the first day they didn’t work). After working at the Grinwell’s the boys start playing the inns in the evening (first night at Arien, next morning a ride in Eazeil Forney’s cart). This lasts for a few days at least also.

Day A0

Rand and Mat arrive at Four Kings. Approached by Howal Gode, darkfriend, at The Dancing Cartman. Rand channels.

Day A1

Alpert Mull gives them a lift and two scarves. Stay at Rulan Allwine’s inn in Market Sheran.

Day A2

Meet Paitr, a darkfriend, at breakfast. Stay at The Queen’s Man that evening (in the barn since Rand has a reaction).

Day A3

Meet a female darkfriend in the morning. Hyam Kinch gives them a ride. Pass through Carysford that evening and sleep in a haystack.

Day A4

walking. See a fade in the evening. Almen Bunt gives them a ride.

Day A5

Arrive at Caemlyn at dawn.

Rand and Mat spend at least three days in Caemlyn before the rest arrive.

Nynaeve, Moiraine, and Lan arrive in Whitebridge the day after Rand and Mat. Moiraine senses that Perrin has lost and regain his coin after Whitebridge (ch. 37).

Conclusions: I guess that it takes slightly over a lunar month from the attack at Shadar Logoth till the reunion in Caemlyn. This is mostly because of the moon which is in its last quarter at Shadar Logoth and again last quarter when Perrin and Egwene are rescued. A few days after the rescue the group is reunited (among other things Perrin still has some of his bruises).

The rest of the book is dicey for other reasons. Time does not run the same within the Ways as outside but assuming it does.

Day B0

Rand watches Logain paraded through Caemlyn. Meets Elayne. Reunion of the party that evening.

Day B1

Enter the Ways at dawn.

Day B2

Late in the day the hear the Black Wind.

Day B3

Leave the Ways at dawn. Arrive at Fal Dara

Day B4

Leave Fal Dara for the Blight. Camp near the Seven Towers

Day B5

Find the Eye of the World. Victory at Tarwin’s Gap.

Day B6

Leave the now destroyed Eye of the World.

Day B7

Arrive late afternoon back at Fal Dara.

Day B14

Last scene of the book.