One of those things that I only truly noticed now...

[Iryssa]

I was searching for a quote in LFB today when I stumbled on TC's original encounter with the old man.

"Look, is there anything I can do for you? Food? A place to stay? You can have what I've got."
As if Covenant had said some crucial password, the old man's eyes lost their perilous cast.
"You have done too much. Gifts like this I return to the giver."
He extended his bowl toward Covenant.
"Take back the ring. Be true. You need not fail."

(emphasis mine)

Anyway, I'm sure you know the passage I'm talking about...
I don't know why this only struck me today, but his offer of everything he had was so important...If he had not said that, would he have been pulled into the Land? If he had, would such a great burden have been placed on his shoulders?
Or maybe I'm just nuts.
Has this been brought up before?
Anyway, the longer I look at that passage, the more I can see the significance of the words he and the old man exchanged. I wonder just how much influence those words had on the events in the Land...

Obviously, this is all very speculative...but I tend to enjoy overanalyzing things...

[Zarathustra]

I think this is a great point. Yes, it seemed like something clicked there as soon as he offered help. I'm not sure if that means he would not have gone to the Land otherwise, but perhaps the outcome would have been different (Foul winning).

I think this passage shows that there is something redeemable within Covenant, that Covenant hasn't been completely, irrevocably lost to his own self-despite and bitterness. He doesn't just want to assert himself among his fellow humans and demand his humanity to be recognized; no, he is also capable of recognizing the humanity in others.

We can interpret this as the Creator seeing Covenant as a worthy savior for the Land (his guilt makes him powerful, but his generosity exhibits his restraint). Or we can interpret this as Covenant recognizing it himself (subconsciously), and thus sending himself into his own psychological breakdown ("the Land") in order to nurture this potential and heal himself.

[bossk]

Yeah "some crucial password" really supports your theory. Thanks for pointing that out.

[Cail]

Wow Iryssa, I've been reading and re-reading these books for 25 years, and I never picked up on that.

That sentence is crucial to the entire story.

Crap, now I gotta read 'em all again.

[Iryssa]

Crap, now I gotta read 'em all again.

*laugh* gee...poor you

[safetyjedi]

You go girl!

[CovenantJr]

Yeah, I noticed that recently too. Vitally important, I think.

[Kevin BeerDrinker]

Hmmm... seems to me that maybe the old man was making sure that Covenant was at a stage where he was ready to give up everything.

[Zarathustra]

Hmmm... seems to me that maybe the old man was making sure that Covenant was at a stage where he was ready to give up everything.

This makes me rethink my first response. It wasn't just Covenant's generosity that is exhibited in this action, but in some sense, giving up his claim to lost love (represented by the ring), giving up the idea that he still deserves love. This seems like an act of despair--which would be the opposite of how I read it--unless you factor in that this "giving up" is ALSO an act of "giving to" someone else. Somehow, that modifies it into sacrifice, and not strictly despair. Possibly.

[Corwin]

It seems to me like he offered up his life to the old man, starting with his ring (his only semblance of love left to him) along with what he says.... therefore the man knows he will "be true" in the end.

[Kevin BeerDrinker]

I was brief in my last post because I hadn't coalesced my thoughts about this... so let me give it another go. Kevin had everything, and his responsibility for it all led him to the Ritual. By offering to give up everything, Covenant is expressing that he has nothing. By having nothing, Covenant is free to act in any way, without the burden of responsibility. And I think that may be what the Old Man was looking for: a completely free agent, who is free to save or damn the Land. And what the Old Man sees in Covenant leads him to believe that Covenant will ultimately save the Land.

That still doesn't cover everything that's swirling around in my head about this, but it's a start.

[Lord Mhoram]

Awesome find, Iryssa! Fascinating.

[danlo]

For more discussion on this fascinating question go to: kevinswatch.ihugny.com/phpBB2/viewtopic ... 50&start=0