How effective was Eldest
May. 7th, 2007 06:01 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
kippurbirdThere's nothing like a massive amount of sugar to fuel an essay. Two scoops of ice cream, and tons of sugary toppings. MMmmmm...
We are finally at the end of Eldest. There is only one more chapter left to go. The chapter that culminates the book and sets us up for book three and the end of the series. What should have happened in this book is that the characters grew and changed to prepare them for the challenges of the third book. They should have an understanding of who they are and what they can do and what they have to do to bring about their goals. The question is, then, did this happen?
Eragon, our hero, should have shown the most change and growth because the series -much like the world - revolves around him. He began the book as a moderately powerful human boy with probably sociopathic tendencies, believing that the only way to free the world from Galbatorix's enslavement was by his hand. He ends the book as a exceptionally powerful human boy who looks like an elf with definite sociopathic tendencies, believing that the only way to free the world from Galbatorix's enslavement was by his hand. Now, while physically and in power he has changed and grown, his personality and views of the world has not. At least, he's not made any changes from learning by himself. Everything that he changes -like refusing to eat meat- happens because of what other people show him how to do or believe is right. He does not make any of these decisions on his own. And then even when he makes a belief change, it doesn't seem to have any ramifications of on his behavior. He declares that he has become a vegetarian because he does not wish to cause undo pain and suffering and that it is cruel to the animals to eat them. Yet, when it comes to sentients, from Urgals to humans, he shows no remorse or caring that he has to kill them. Instead he revels in the idea that he can kill more efficiently at one point. If he truly believed in the idea of not causing undo harm because of the pain and suffering it caused, he'd become a pacifist.
Other characters in the book also suffer from a lack of development. Arya remains without personality, merely there to rebuff Eragon's romantic attempts. Orik does nothing in particular except get drunk at one point. We never see what it is like for him to be living among the elves and how that effects him since dwarves and elves never got along, at least according to Paolini. Nasuada gains the responsibility of the Varden, but we never really see her struggle to come to terms with her leadership, never see her bend the council to her will or the people's uneasiness at having such a young person as their leader. She never faces any of these challenges. Roran may have had some character development, but he goes from an ignorant farm boy to a rather kill happy individual. This could be considered development, though it is not in the direction that Paolini wanted him to go. Paolini wanted him to become a great leader of men, but instead his defining characteristic is that he kills people with his hammer at the slightest offense, which is not the sort of thing you want in a leader of great men.
Then there is Murtagh. He shows up for all of two chapters in the book. It is assumed that he has gone through a great deal of change, after all he has bonded to a dragon and been forced to work for Galbatorix. But none of this appears to bother him. He shrugs off having his mind invaded, never speaking about it in a painful voice. And instead he spouts off Galbatorix's propaganda, propaganda that he didn't believe in the first book. So obviously he's been brainwashed some how, but this never gets explored because he shows up, beats Eragon, takes back his father's sword and flies off. None of his inner conflict, how he feels about what has happened to him is shown. The scenes are almost a throw away, just there so Eragon can learn who his father is, when there are other ways for him to find out. And still, it's not necessary for him to know.
The story arc for Eldest can't really be examined, because there was none. There was no build up to danger. No one was particularly worried about anything. No one was afraid of dying and neither was the reader. It reminds me of a quote from Terry Pratchett, I believe it was from Small Gods, where it said that history was really kings and wars and dramatic events, but if no one noticed them they were just random events. What we have here is random events. They don't make a story because there is no plot, stuff just happens. There is no build up, no pressure of time, no worry. Eragon often feels safe and relaxed during his time with the elves. He doesn't feel pressured to hurry up and learn what he can to get back to the Varden. Galbatorix's army shows up in the last quarter of the book, literally out of nowhere. There's no build up to it. No worry from the Varden if they'll be able to gather up enough men and supplies to meet them in time. No planning on how to defend themselves or deciding where the best place is to have the battle. They learn about the army and the next time we see them, they're already in place ready to fight. We don't see them get ready, we don't see the time table ticking down until the large battle. A battle that doesn't even need to be fought in the first place. With Roran, we could say that things do happen and that there's a rising action - except that there's not. They have problems and solutions immediately appear to fix the problems. They need boats, they get boats. The Ra'zac are after them, but never attack. We never see anyone afraid for their lives, or get sick or die. No one complains to Roran or questions his leadership. They just accept it and do what he says. He has no challenges, once again, to over come.
It is these lack of challenges, these lack of things to over come personal or other wise that makes this book just a series of events and not a story. Struggle and conflict are at the heart of any story. It's what the character has to overcome that drives a story. If a character has nothing to over come then there's no story. It just reads like a dry chronicle of daily events.
At the end of this book, we are no closer to finding a way to defeat Galbatorix than we were in the beginning of Eragon. We haven't learned a thing about the king. We don't know what his potential weaknesses are, if there is a magical way to destroy him or some object that'll help Eragon with the final battle.There isn't even a magical prophecy to point in that direction. Not even Angela's. What Paolini seems to be setting up is a final one on one battle between Eragon and Galbatorix. And the only way for Eragon to do this is to become more powerful. He's not going to figure out a way to defeat him. He's just going to pit his strength against Galbatorix's. Logically, the king should win this fight of power, after all he's been steadily getting more powerful over a hundred years, and we don't know how long he was alive before he destroyed the Riders. Even Murtagh, who was trained by him for maybe six months is more powerful than Eragon. But, since Eragon is the hero the book, he will triumph somehow in an epic one on one battle. He will do this not by any cleverness but by sheer physical power. Physical power that he shouldn't have but will manage to get somehow be it a gift of the dragons or finding that one right magical object and/or spell.
Technically speaking from what has happened in this book, or at least what hasn't happened in this book, it's completely cuttable from the series. Either that it has to be completely rewritten to be given a plot and a story arc. If this doesn't happen then all it does is waste paper and ink.
We are finally at the end of Eldest. There is only one more chapter left to go. The chapter that culminates the book and sets us up for book three and the end of the series. What should have happened in this book is that the characters grew and changed to prepare them for the challenges of the third book. They should have an understanding of who they are and what they can do and what they have to do to bring about their goals. The question is, then, did this happen?
Eragon, our hero, should have shown the most change and growth because the series -much like the world - revolves around him. He began the book as a moderately powerful human boy with probably sociopathic tendencies, believing that the only way to free the world from Galbatorix's enslavement was by his hand. He ends the book as a exceptionally powerful human boy who looks like an elf with definite sociopathic tendencies, believing that the only way to free the world from Galbatorix's enslavement was by his hand. Now, while physically and in power he has changed and grown, his personality and views of the world has not. At least, he's not made any changes from learning by himself. Everything that he changes -like refusing to eat meat- happens because of what other people show him how to do or believe is right. He does not make any of these decisions on his own. And then even when he makes a belief change, it doesn't seem to have any ramifications of on his behavior. He declares that he has become a vegetarian because he does not wish to cause undo pain and suffering and that it is cruel to the animals to eat them. Yet, when it comes to sentients, from Urgals to humans, he shows no remorse or caring that he has to kill them. Instead he revels in the idea that he can kill more efficiently at one point. If he truly believed in the idea of not causing undo harm because of the pain and suffering it caused, he'd become a pacifist.
Other characters in the book also suffer from a lack of development. Arya remains without personality, merely there to rebuff Eragon's romantic attempts. Orik does nothing in particular except get drunk at one point. We never see what it is like for him to be living among the elves and how that effects him since dwarves and elves never got along, at least according to Paolini. Nasuada gains the responsibility of the Varden, but we never really see her struggle to come to terms with her leadership, never see her bend the council to her will or the people's uneasiness at having such a young person as their leader. She never faces any of these challenges. Roran may have had some character development, but he goes from an ignorant farm boy to a rather kill happy individual. This could be considered development, though it is not in the direction that Paolini wanted him to go. Paolini wanted him to become a great leader of men, but instead his defining characteristic is that he kills people with his hammer at the slightest offense, which is not the sort of thing you want in a leader of great men.
Then there is Murtagh. He shows up for all of two chapters in the book. It is assumed that he has gone through a great deal of change, after all he has bonded to a dragon and been forced to work for Galbatorix. But none of this appears to bother him. He shrugs off having his mind invaded, never speaking about it in a painful voice. And instead he spouts off Galbatorix's propaganda, propaganda that he didn't believe in the first book. So obviously he's been brainwashed some how, but this never gets explored because he shows up, beats Eragon, takes back his father's sword and flies off. None of his inner conflict, how he feels about what has happened to him is shown. The scenes are almost a throw away, just there so Eragon can learn who his father is, when there are other ways for him to find out. And still, it's not necessary for him to know.
The story arc for Eldest can't really be examined, because there was none. There was no build up to danger. No one was particularly worried about anything. No one was afraid of dying and neither was the reader. It reminds me of a quote from Terry Pratchett, I believe it was from Small Gods, where it said that history was really kings and wars and dramatic events, but if no one noticed them they were just random events. What we have here is random events. They don't make a story because there is no plot, stuff just happens. There is no build up, no pressure of time, no worry. Eragon often feels safe and relaxed during his time with the elves. He doesn't feel pressured to hurry up and learn what he can to get back to the Varden. Galbatorix's army shows up in the last quarter of the book, literally out of nowhere. There's no build up to it. No worry from the Varden if they'll be able to gather up enough men and supplies to meet them in time. No planning on how to defend themselves or deciding where the best place is to have the battle. They learn about the army and the next time we see them, they're already in place ready to fight. We don't see them get ready, we don't see the time table ticking down until the large battle. A battle that doesn't even need to be fought in the first place. With Roran, we could say that things do happen and that there's a rising action - except that there's not. They have problems and solutions immediately appear to fix the problems. They need boats, they get boats. The Ra'zac are after them, but never attack. We never see anyone afraid for their lives, or get sick or die. No one complains to Roran or questions his leadership. They just accept it and do what he says. He has no challenges, once again, to over come.
It is these lack of challenges, these lack of things to over come personal or other wise that makes this book just a series of events and not a story. Struggle and conflict are at the heart of any story. It's what the character has to overcome that drives a story. If a character has nothing to over come then there's no story. It just reads like a dry chronicle of daily events.
At the end of this book, we are no closer to finding a way to defeat Galbatorix than we were in the beginning of Eragon. We haven't learned a thing about the king. We don't know what his potential weaknesses are, if there is a magical way to destroy him or some object that'll help Eragon with the final battle.There isn't even a magical prophecy to point in that direction. Not even Angela's. What Paolini seems to be setting up is a final one on one battle between Eragon and Galbatorix. And the only way for Eragon to do this is to become more powerful. He's not going to figure out a way to defeat him. He's just going to pit his strength against Galbatorix's. Logically, the king should win this fight of power, after all he's been steadily getting more powerful over a hundred years, and we don't know how long he was alive before he destroyed the Riders. Even Murtagh, who was trained by him for maybe six months is more powerful than Eragon. But, since Eragon is the hero the book, he will triumph somehow in an epic one on one battle. He will do this not by any cleverness but by sheer physical power. Physical power that he shouldn't have but will manage to get somehow be it a gift of the dragons or finding that one right magical object and/or spell.
Technically speaking from what has happened in this book, or at least what hasn't happened in this book, it's completely cuttable from the series. Either that it has to be completely rewritten to be given a plot and a story arc. If this doesn't happen then all it does is waste paper and ink.
