The Titular Metaphor
Of the many common bonds of repetition linking each of the individual novels together to form The Wheel of Time series, one of the most immediately apparent is the use of metaphor within the title. Although not al of the titles exist necessarily entirely within the metaphorical real, they all do work to foster a metaphorical concept of what is literally taking place. Precise meaning of the title of this particular novel is provided at the start in the Epigraph before the narrative commences:
“The sweetness of victory and the bitterness of defeat are alike a knife of dreams. From Fog and Steel by Madoc Comadrin.”
The Fool with Two Names
A conversation about a man with two names—of note since one of the speakers suggests that in this world only great men are known by two names—leads to an incomplete metaphorical description. The details seem oddly beyond the reach of the other conversant and one is left dangling at the end with only part of the information:
"He went gallivanting about the world and left a good and loving wife to die of a fever without him there to hold her hand while she died. He let himself be made into a tool by—"
Confession Bares the Soul
Baring one’s soul through the act of confessing one’s sins is said to have some sort of effect. What kind? Oh, who knows, but one thing is for sure: it stimulates the use of metaphorical language:
"I've done dark things in service to the Light," gaunt-faced Byar said grimly, his deep-set eyes glittering as though at a personal insult, "dark as moonless midnight, and likely I will again, but some things are too dark to be allowed."
Chapter Titles
One of the commonalities of uniting the books in the series is that very often the titles of individual chapters reference metaphorical imagery. When a reader gets lucky, the content within that chapter will explain, or at least allusively hint at, the meaning of the chapter title. For instance, Chapter 26 is titled “As if the World Were Fog” and therein can be found this allusive hint:
“Everything rippled for a third time, and Perrin felt as if he were made of fog, as if the world were fog with a high wind coming.”
Pearls of Wisdom
A significant chunk of metaphor in this fantasy series is handed over to pearls of wisdom. Whether spoken by characters or thought by characters or quoted from the ancient texts invented for the mythology of the books, enough of these examples exist to compile an entire book of philosophical reflections:
“Small courtesies were the lubricant of daily life.”
