Kevin's Watch

I vote for the story as it is. Understand that there are other actions that leave emotional and spiritual scars and affect the people around you, but what other act not only does this but victimizes the victim as much as rape? The fact that it holds very negative conotations in our culture also makes the entire story more powerful, who else has ever written a story where such a despicable character as Thomas Covenant is presented for some form of atonement to the reader and succeeds to the point that when most people finish the series, that character is amongst their favorites? Due to his actions, TC is difficult to accept and root for, but it is also harder that despite the fact that we despise him, we see him in our own selfs as well. People who can not face their inner demons can never, in my opinion, get through the first chronicles.

shadowbinding shoe wrote:The rape was not in fact the big crime that you all make it out to be. It was how it was treated that made it so monstrous. Lena doesn't go mad because she was raped, she goes mad because she tries to forgive Covenant for it.

It was a double offense ...he Raped a girl..and not just a girl but a 16 year old girl, even in a dream something like that might be frowned on .i know they dont have age laws in the land but they still would probably distrust some 35 year old stranger that came down off KW after fighting a dark cloud seeing how it affected Lena, and i also thought that Triock was worried,in LFB he talks to atiaran about it when he cuts TC, he mentions the look that Lena was giving this Stranger to the land how she saw Berek returned and he triock felt distrust in the unbeliever...something along that line.

I think that lena went mad because of the Ranyhyn..it gave her hope that he would return. a gift she had been given by the unbeliever for the crime he commited against her. she held onto that hope for 40 years with a Ranyhyn coming every year to remind her.

Blackhawk wrote: I think that lena went mad because of the Ranyhyn..it gave her hope that he would return. a gift she had been given by the unbeliever for the crime he commited against her. she held onto that hope for 40 years with a Ranyhyn coming every year to remind her.

Good point. But shouldn't Covenant try to make it up to her somehow? Maybe he should have left her a letter that would have made things clear to her.

shadowbinding shoe wrote:

Blackhawk wrote: I think that lena went mad because of the Ranyhyn..it gave her hope that he would return. a gift she had been given by the unbeliever for the crime he commited against her. she held onto that hope for 40 years with a Ranyhyn coming every year to remind her.

Good point. But shouldn't Covenant try to make it up to her somehow? Maybe he should have left her a letter that would have made things clear to her.

I think he did try to make it up -- that is exactly what the ranyhyn were: A bargain that they would show up each year (in exchange for him not choosing to ride) because she once told him she loved them and wanted one day to be chosen. But, like all bargains made by TC, this one backfired. I dont think he could have left a letter. WHo would he have given it to? He made the bargain at Manhome among the ramen, and then didn't make it back to mithil stonedown until 40 relative years later.

iQuestor wrote: I think he did try to make it up -- that is exactly what the ranyhyn were: A bargain that they would show up each year (in exchange for him not choosing to ride) because she once told him she loved them and wanted one day to be chosen. But, like all bargains made by TC, this one backfired. I dont think he could have left a letter. WHo would he have given it to? He made the bargain at Manhome among the ramen, and then didn't make it back to mithil stonedown until 40 relative years later.

Yes he tried to make it up to her by sending her the ranyhyn. But Blackhawk said and I think he's right that the ranyhyn encouraged to believe he loved her. It was a priceless gift.

And supposing they can read each other's writing why shouldn't he be able to entrust his letter to one of his company such as Lord Mohram and ask him to pass the letter to her when he could?

Kill her wouldn't work thematically, disfigure her would because it would match what he's gone through. I think the rape creates the proper tension out of the options.

As far as her age, in many cultures a 16 year old girl is now a woman. In Florida, Statatory Rape is not prosecuted if the two are between the ages of 16 and 24. Her age, if indeed 16, really shouldn't be a factor.

But I always pictured her slightly younger.