Will the Last Chronicles come full circle?

[ur-bane]

My English Lit teacher in senior year of high school said once that the best works of literature bring you back to the beginning at the end.
All of his published works began with one sentence, and ended with that same sentence.
SRD has introduced time-travel in the Chronicles.
Will the last sentence of the Final Chronicles be
"She came out of the store just in time to see
her young son playing on the sidewalk directly in the
path of the gray, gaunt man who strode down the
center of the walk like a mechanical derelict." ?

[Gadget nee Jemcheeta]

I don't think it'll be exactly that, but I really do think it will be related somehow. Maybe not bringing the story into a circle, but enclosing the story entirely. I thought one of the points of the series was that covenant still had some lessons to learn? Hopefully the poor guy will finally earn his rest. He deserves that at least.

[Warmark]

i dont think the story will end as any of us expect, SRD will have something way better.

[ur-bane]

...I thought one of the points of the series was that covenant still had some lessons to learn? Hopefully the poor guy will finally earn his rest. He deserves that at least.

I agree, he does deserve his rest. Unfortunately for him, it won't come easy. Not with the Law of Life broken.
There is no middle ground for Covenant, unfortunately. Taking the "externalization" angle (which I happen to like and support, although cannot prove on every detail) the only way for the Foul Dilemma to be solved is for Covenant to truly die. If Covenant is alive at all in the World, so will Foul be alive. Enter another heroic act of martyrdom, this time on a more than physical level.
A well deserved rest, indeed. In the same grave as the Despiser.

[drew]

These Chroncles are supposed to be about acceptance.
Already we have seen a small bit, for example, Stave accepting the fact that he is no longer Haruchairific.
The big question is, what will TC have to accept. Well in the real world, he had to accept himself, which he never did..but how will that leson (if that indeed is the leson) be translated to the Land?

I imagine that ther's only one person who knows the answer...try as we may, I hop we never figure it out.

[wayfriend]

My English Lit teacher in senior year of high school said once that the best works of literature bring you back to the beginning at the end.

... mmm ... Dhalgren ...

All of his published works began with one sentence, and ended with that same sentence.

And he thereby declares all of his own works as the best works in literature.

[ur-bane]

Excellent observation! One which I have overlooked for nearly 20 years.

However, I believe he modeled his writing after what he considered to be great works. His works were actually romance novels under a female pseudonym.

[Gadget nee Jemcheeta]

Comination of two things... First, that romance novel thing, that's hilarious.

And second: "Haruchairific."

That's the best word ever. Tony the tiger style, how are the haruchai? Theeeeeyre Haruchairific!

[Akasri]

Not likely. Linden wasn't even living in the same town as TC during the first chronicles was she?

She had just moved there at the beginning of the second chronicles and that was 10 years after the first.

Not saying something strange may not end up happening, but I doubt it'll be exactly that

[drew]

And second: "Haruchairific."

I'm glad you liked it.

[Edelaith]

(sighs)

Perhaps Lena, Atiaran, Trell, and Triock must forgive Covenant.
I'm not saying they should forgive, or that forgiveness is due. I'm not saying forgiveness is ever warranted.
Yet ... nevertheless.
Somehow, I get the feeling that they must find a way to forgive. How else can THEY ever be at peace, otherwise? Because they cannot change the past, cannot undo Covenants' crime, and no amount of punishment of Covenant is going to make the hurt go away. Seeing Covenant punished will grant a grim sense of vengeance and perhaps make them feel better temporarily, but it will not undo the hurt Covenant caused. Nothing can.

And Covenants' crimes against them are the reason for all of this.
Covenants' crimes saw the birth of Elena and her warping, which lead to the destruction of the Staff of Law and the breaking of the Law of Death.
The destruction of the Staff saw the possibility of Lord Foul using the Earthpower to come back, and the rise of the Sunbane as his new tool of horrific manipulation.
Thus, Linden was pulled in, when Lord Foul went after Covenant the second time. Lindens' life was reshaped by this, along with her mentality. Covenants' life was ended.
And now, the current situation exists because of those events, 10 years / 3,650 years ago.

In some ways, Covenants' crimes against Lena and her family led to all of this.
And Lena and her family have not forgiven, in my opinion. They appeared as old and withered in Andelain in the Second Chronicles, and that indicates they had not forgiven (or healed.) And why should they have forgiven?
And yet ... nevertheless.

I just have the feeling they are going to have to find a way to forgive, and to heal.
And that is coming full circle.

[Charles Timewaster]

SRD has introduced time-travel in the Chronicles.
Will the last sentence of the Final Chronicles be
"She came out of the store just in time to see
her young son playing on the sidewalk directly in the
path of the gray, gaunt man who strode down the
center of the walk like a mechanical derelict." ?

Yes, I think you're right! And now that we know that, it's pretty easy to figure out how the events lead up to it.

The "she" character can only be Linden Avery. She's worried that her son will catch leprosy from Covenant...and she's worried for a good reason, because her son is in fact Covenant-as-a-child, and he got exposed when he gave the beggar's pamphlet to himself-as-an-adult. (This solves the mystery of how Covenant contracted leprosy in the first place.)

Conspicuously absent is the Covenant's father, Jeremiah. My guess is that he grew up to be the underemployed musician type, and he skipped town so he wouldn't have to pay child support. The first chapters of "The Illearth War" hint that he changed his name to "Berrett Williams", and when he got summoned back into the Land people misheard his name and called him "Berek".

[ur-bane]

OK. Now you're just making fun of me.

C'mon CT, think about what you just wrote, and laugh!

[Borillar]

Just as long as it doesn't end with Covenant in bed with Suzanne Pleshette, with Covenant saying, "I just had the weirdest dream..."

[Akasri]

Or it could end with Linden waking up and seeing TC in her shower...

[CovenantJr]

Yes, I think you're right! And now that we know that, it's pretty easy to figure out how the events lead up to it.

The "she" character can only be Linden Avery. She's worried that her son will catch leprosy from Covenant...and she's worried for a good reason, because her son is in fact Covenant-as-a-child, and he got exposed when he gave the beggar's pamphlet to himself-as-an-adult. (This solves the mystery of how Covenant contracted leprosy in the first place.)

Conspicuously absent is the Covenant's father, Jeremiah. My guess is that he grew up to be the underemployed musician type, and he skipped town so he wouldn't have to pay child support. The first chapters of "The Illearth War" hint that he changed his name to "Berrett Williams", and when he got summoned back into the Land people misheard his name and called him "Berek".

There aren't many serious comments I can make about this. I think it's far too ludicrous for SRD

Ok, I can make one serious comment. Covenant doesn't need to catch leprosy. He is a primary case, ie one that manifests out of the blue for no apparent reason. Leprosy that has been contracted from someone else is "secondary". It's all in the leprosarium flashback.

[NightBlaze]

Perhaps the full circle is Linden bringing TC back. I know, far fetched, but, I AM hoping our favorite author wont go for the same old "the hero must die mentality". Thats always been the fantasy genre consistant. It would be a nice surprise if she managed to bring him back and give him the only thing he wanted in the beginning. A wife, a family. I know thats hoaky, but its gotta be better than the hero must die yada yada.

[Avatar]

Personally, I like it when the hero dies, and I think that was a large part of what made the Chrons the masterpieces that they are.

Too often the "happily ever after" ending is a boringly predictable way of doing things.

It was the fact that it didn't happen, when I suspected it would, that made the 2nd Chrons have such an impact on me.

--A

[ur-bane]

It was the fact that it didn't happen, when I suspected it would, that made the 2nd Chrons have such an impact on me.

Excellent point, Av. And I felt the same way about it.
It also weaved the threads of a nagging suspicion that only Jeremiah will make it back to the "real" world y the time we are done.

[Avatar]

Interesting thought. If Linden has replaced TC, and J replaced Linden in the scheme of things, perhaps she will share his fate (and be reunited?) in the end.

(Damn, this reappearance of TC really bugs me.)

--A