The Rich Are Different
Apparently, F. Scott Fitzgerald was really onto something with his famous observation that the rich are different from regular folk. This does not apply merely to our own world as we know it, but invented words as well. Or, of course, it just might be the authors in this world bring their own experience even into worlds they invent:
“In Pevara's estimation, Tsutama Rath's rooms were flamboyant beyond the point of extravagance, and her own beginnings as a butcher's daughter played no part in her opinion. The sitting room simply put her on edge. Beneath a cornice carved with swallows in flight and gilded, the walls held two large silk tapestries, one displaying bright red bloodroses, the other a calma bush covered in scarlet blossoms larger than her two hands together. The tables and chairs were delicate pieces, if you ignored sufficient carving and gilding for any throne.”
The Kinswomen
So many characters and groups of characters in this series. It can be tough to keep track of them all. Were it not for the extensive use of imagery serving the purpose of character description and design, the job would be even more difficult:
“Julanya was plump and pretty, with touches of white in her dark hair, while Keraille was short and slim, with tilted green eyes and fiery red curls. Birgitte wondered whether those were their real names. These Kinswomen changed names as easily as other women changed stockings. They wore plain woolens suitable for country peddlers, which each had been in the past, and each was a keen observer, skilled at taking care of herself. They could talk their way out of most situations, but their simple belt knives were not the only blades they carried and they could surprise a strong man with what they could do with those walking staffs. Both offered curtsies.”
The Wind
In the opening paragraph of Chapter 1 of every book in this series, the wind rises somewhere special. That wind brings not the beginning and certainly not the end as such things are unknown to the Wheel of Time. Still, it is always at least a beginning and substantial use of imagery commences immediately to describe this wind. In this case, the wind is situated over a mountain known as Dragonmount.
“Born beneath the glow of a fat, sinking moon, at an altitude where men could not breathe, born among writhing currents heated by the fires inside the ragged peak, the wind was a zephyr in the beginning, yet it gained in strength as it rushed down the steep, rugged slope. Carrying ash and the stench of burning sulfur from the heights, the wind roared across the sudden, snowy hills that reared from the plain surrounding the impossible height of Dragonmount, roared and tossed trees in the night.”
Women According to Men
The battle of the sexes continues through this entry in the series. One of the defining marks of The Wheel of Time is the plethora of imagery devoted to expressions of how men view women. Considering all the preparations underway for the apocalyptic showdown between good and evil that looms over everything, it is really kid of amazing how much time these men have to devote to such philosophizing:
“A woman's love can be violent, Lews Therin murmured. Sometimes they hurt a man worse than they think they have, worse than they mean to. Sometimes, they're even sorry afterwards.”
“…only a fool thought he knew what was in a woman's head just because she had a smile on her face.”
“We’ll talk about it,” she murmured, the bond filling with stubborn resolve. The most dire words a woman can say short of “`I’m going to kill you,” Rand thought.
