Kevin's Watch

I just finished reading this book and joined, so pardon me if this has been covered elsewhere, but it struck me that maimed eyes and hands are everywhere in this book. I'm sure I could puzzle out the ramifications on my own, but I prefer a lively discussion.

We have blind Anele, blinded Marthiir and one-eyed Stave. Not to mention Kevin's Dirt blinding the health sense.

We have Covenant losing even more of his hands (leaving me to wonder how he continues to 'spread his hands' so often) and then Jeremiah, the Humbled, Kindwind and Kastenessen/Roger losing part or all of their hands.

Meanings? Interpretations? Ramifications? Anyone? Bueller?

That's SRD's attempts on the Oath - kill not where maiming is enough. Some got killed anyway, right, but later than maimed.

IIRC, SRD said something on the GI about blindness [the literal blind people, not the Dirt blindness] like "I didn't consciously realize there were so many, but it might mean something" [roughly]

The hands have fascinated me, since the Humbled appeared especially: on the one hand [hah!] we have those who view it as a badge of honor/mark of heroism, respect. On the other, it's a maiming, a loss of sensitivity, connection and control. In some cases given, in some taken. In all cases it bears a close relation with power...and with being out of "touch," in one way or the other...
And you forgot to mention Linden's hand wound...IIRC, it spurred her to greater power...but after, she was more "out of touch" with her own nature.

Yeah, since I just finished the book on Friday of last week, I hadn't read any of the possible spoilers, so that's good info.

Interesting observation boss. yet..what is fascinating to me is..despite these " challenges"..characters manage to surpass, go beyound themselves. Perhaps there is a " dimension" being hinted at ,as in Mahir's example. He is without eyes,,yet seems knowledgeable of what is going on. The Humbled, still kick butt or give it a great try, despite being two fingers down.. In a way this could be SRD's parable of his old man fu being the product of his physical limitations brought on by age..SRD has had to become smarter with his fu as he has gotten older. Its really a beautiful recognition of " change" and creating a new future , a new perspective, due to inevitable change. SRD has these " challenged" characters all around Linden..demonstrating to her, what she must eventually do. Its just a matter of her " seeing " it.

I can go good places with that, Lurch, for all but the Humbled. Stave is the "old man fu" of the Haruchai. Their half-handedness [because intentional?] is a counter movement to all the other maiming in the Land. It is their own fault.

Vraith wrote:I can go good places with that, Lurch, for all but the Humbled. Stave is the "old man fu" of the Haruchai. Their half-handedness [because intentional?] is a counter movement to all the other maiming in the Land. It is their own fault.

Self-maiming definitely seems to be a gateway drug to Despite.

So perhaps those who are blinded are on the road to seeing something morre, and it's the real badge, while the self-mutilation of the hands leads to the desper and despair.
I can't remember, does the spokesman for the Haruchai have any impairment or impediment?

SGuilfoyle1966 wrote:So perhaps those who are blinded are on the road to seeing something morre, and it's the real badge, while the self-mutilation of the hands leads to the desper and despair.
I can't remember, does the spokesman for the Haruchai have any impairment or impediment?

You mean back in Revelstone [Handir, I think the name?] Not as I recall...but symbolically...and because, despite individuality they are also corporate/communal...also literally, it is the same: the Haruchai honor the Humbled, battle for the self-mutilation, the social aspect makes it a self-mutilation of the haruchai as a whole.

"In the land of the blind, the one eyed man is king"

I think it all starts with Covenant's mutilations: his lost fingers and his lost sense of touch and his unwillingness to compromise.

As the central figure in the Covenant chronicles everyone become flawed and partial reflections of him in some sense. Consciously or unconsciously they take up his example, and saw we have mutilated characters everywhere who want to give their all in a never surrender fight against the enemies of the Land. And can they surpass him? Becoming perfect when the Creator's avatar isn't is a kind of blasphemy.

I see the issue in terms of wholeness.

All those who have lost senses, eyes, fingers or hands--who have lost sight or sensitivity--can be deemed less than whole. However, as has been said, they continue to exceed themselves, their limitations. Or put another way, they continue to gain knowledge or act in ways that hint at wholeness being more than mere physical haleness.

A wounded individual may transcend limitations that in turn create new wholes...

Sight has always been a metaphor for rational understanding, even in our everyday speech. E.g. "Do you see what I mean?"

But it seems to me that Donaldson's blinded characters don't fail to understand. Rather, they seem to gain other forms of perception in lieu of sight, and so might be considered as "seeing things differently".

Fingers are the primary organs of the sense of touch, and touch has always been a metaphor for non-rational understanding, even in our everyday speech. E.g. "I don't see what you mean, but I feel it's right."

Donaldson's maimed characters always seem to be disconnected in some way from the rest of the world.