(no subject)

Dear Paul,

Please stop hanging over my shoulder and asking me to document what I'm doing with the periodical binding. It's distracting me from actually figuring out how to do the periodical binding. When I'm actually done with the periodical binding process I'd be more than happy to write something up. Especially if I've done it right.

Kippur



Dear Erika

If we work in the same room, not twenty feet from each other and you have loud conversations, I am not eavesdropping. I can't help but hear what you say. I don't particularly want to hear what you say either, since you appear to only be saying nasty things about people.


Kippur



Dear Harvey,

I politely asked you to check next time to see if I'm in the room before you turn off the lights and shut the door. You're not going to be hearing voices from me because I'M THE ONLY ONE IN THE DAMN ROOM AND I GENERALLY DON'T TALK OUT LOUD TO MY SELF! You did not need to say after I asked you to next time check to see if I'm still in the room, that next time I need to check to see if the students who pulled the periodicals for binding don't push them against the wall. That makes no sense, and I'm not in charge of the students. If you don't want them pushing them against the wall, tell them yourselves.

Kippur

How effective was Eldest

There'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.

Eldest part thirty five

Here it is, the final chapter of of Eldest. Hold on.

Chapter Reunion


Summary

Now that they're all done killing things, Saphira and Eragon go through the plain of dead and injured people, which does not smell at all. As they go through the battle field, Eragon heals who ever he comes across, be it Galby's men or Varden. Eragon, last we checked, was absolutely drained of magical energy. He had used it all up. Yet, he has enough power to heal people as he walks through the battle field. The fact that he made no distinction between the Varden and the Empire soldiers is to show that Eragon has compassion. It's a very cliched thing to do, the hero who cares for both his enemies and his own people to show how noble and wonderful he is. He also thinks to himself about how senseless the fighting has been, feeling very sorrowful. "What a tragedy that so many must die to thwart a single madman." (page 654) he thinks. Which is another contender for the most ironic line in the book. After all it is the Varden who started the aggressions. And he was the one who wanted to start fighting as well. Galby has only been trying to protect his empire which is being beset by people who intend it harm and by a rider who wants to destroy him. He's perfectly justified in protecting his interests.

As he does this, he thinks about Murtagh's revelation. We're told that it would take him months if not years to come to terms with this and that he feels sullied being sired by a monster. Then, he rationalizes it away.

But no... As he healed a man's broken spine, a new way of viewing the situation occurred to him, one that restored a measure of his self confidence: Morzan may be my parent, but he is not my father. Garrow was my father. He raised me. He taught me how to live well and honorably, with integrity. I am who I am because of him. Even Brom and Oromis are more my father than Morzan. And Roran is my brother, not Murtagh. (page 655)

Now any potential personal challenges that being Morzan's son could present have been essentially wiped off the board. He isn't really Morzan's son. Morzan was just a sperm donor. He doesn't have to think, well what if I turn out like Morzan (which he has). He doesn't have to compare himself to his father, wonder if the same thing that made Morzan go bad will happen to him. But now, he doesn't have to worry about that. He's just rationalized it away so that it's okay. He doesn't have to worry about it any more. It didn't happen. He barely felt the emotional trauma of having Morzan as his father before he shoves the emotion away. And then there's Murtagh, who saved his life on numerous occasions, fought with him and helped him rescue Arya and himself, is thrown out of the family equation because he's on the side of evil. Not willingly, mind you, but there isn't room for that in Paolini's land. If you work for Galby -willingly or not- you're automatically evil. Eragon never even seemed to process the fact that Murtagh did what he did because he was forced to. He was too busy being upset that Murtagh betrayed him to understand what his friend was going through.

As Eragon goes through the battle field he eventually stumbles upon the dwarves mourning the dwarf king. Dwarf asks him if he killed the rider who did it, and Eragon tells him that no, he got away, not mentioning it was Murtagh. He does swear that he'll do what he can to avenge Dwarf King's murder. Dwarf mentions that he's Dwarf King's heir. Which probably means that the only reason why Dwarf King had to die was so that Dwarf could become king and unconditionally support Eragon. So, Eragon'll have the dwarves, the Varden and the elves supporting him. The final big battle will be like the last alliance of Men and Elves... with dwarves thrown in as they face Sauron Galbatorix. Eragon will be Isildur.


Though, now that I think about it, if this is really going to be a Star Wars rip off, where is the Death Star equivalent? I want my giant planet killing moon. It should be a flying warship with magical lasers that rain death from above. And its weak spot will be a chimney stack. The Varden will learn about it when one of their diplomatic envoys send a map with a messenger bird before being captured by Murtagh. During the climatic battle Eragon flies on Saphira to try and destroy it, Brom's spirit guides him to the correct chimney stack to blow up.

Roran catches up with Eragon and tells him what happened with Katrina. Eragon introduces him to Saphira, and he's surprised she can speak. Eragon takes him to Nasuada tent. When Nasuada learns what he's done, she offers him all the supplies he wants. She has an army of wounded and in need men and she's offering Roran's group which is intact and uninjured supplies. This is a fantastic allotment of resources. Especially since Roran's people were already offered what ever they needed in one of the cities that they stopped at when they first got to Sudra.

Once that is settled, Eragon tells Nasuada, Arya and Roran what happened with the rider. Nasuada guesses that the rider was Murtagh. Then he tells them what Murtagh told him. They decided not to tell anyone about this because it might demoralize the troops.

Eventually Eragon and Roran have a heart to heart talk together. It begins with Roran wanting to know how his father died. Eragon says, "Our father." Eragon remained calm as Roran's expression hardened. In a gentle voice, he said, "I have as much right to call him that as you. Look within yourself; you know it to be true." (page 665) This sound familiar to anyone? Anyone? Roran, however, doesn't to be too excited about this prospect as he appears to reply rather tersely with "Fine. Our father, how did he die?" He seems to be more interested in learning what happened to his father than accepting Eragon as his brother. So, Eragon tells him what happened.

Roran then comforts Eragon by saying that they both made mistakes and are both equally guilty. They clasp hands and "wrestle" like they used to do. It is not slashy at all. When they're done wrestling in bed, Roran tells Eragon what happened with Katarina, asking him to help him.

Eragon takes out the Dues Ex Machina potion and swallows a sip of it, getting enough energy to try a scrying. He uses the rest of the Dues Ex Machina potion -the potion that Yoda told him to use carefully - to create a surface to him to scry in. They discover that Katrina is still alive.

When the vision fades, Eragon says that yes, he'll go with Roran to rescue Katrina. Yes, he's going to leave the Varden and the people who needs him to go on a rescue mission for insignificant person. Just a chapter a go he was willing to sacrifice Murtagh someone of far greater importance to help untold innocents. But one random person who is obviously bait in a trap and not that important at all, even if Roran loves her, is worth the death of untold innocents. Showing, in the end, as in the beginning that Eragon hasn't got his priorities straight and doesn't know how to do anything right.

The End.