Welcome back to my re-read, recap, and reaction to Robert Jordan’s Wheel of Time series. This post will only have spoilers through the current chapter.
You can find my previous chapter recaps HERE.
Chapter 37: A Note From the Palace
NOTE: The following chapter summary comes from wot.fandom.com
Point of view: Matrim Cauthon
Summary
Mat hurries out of the palace, still finishing dressing after being dragged to Queen Tylin‘s rooms last night by serving women. Six coaches are ready to leave for the Rahad to get the ter’angreal stash. Nalesean, Vanin, and the other Redarms are ready to go. Elayne is there with some of the Kin, discussing their ages which are lengthier than any Aes Sedai. Elayne and Mat begin to argue about how soon they can leave Ebou Dar. Mat wants to be gone yesterday while Elayne wants to stay until they have used the Bowl to fix the weather.
Nynaeve arrives with Lan. Even though she is the reason they’re late, she immediately begins rushing everyone to get moving. Mat peppers Lan with questions until he informs Mat that he is now married to Nynaeve and that the Sea Folk have unusual marriage customs. Lan tells Mat that two of his Redarms were killed with balefire yesterday by Moghedien and that she might still be around. Mat reads a letter Tylin sent with a basket which asks him about the Daughter of the Nine Moons and informs him that she is moving his things in to her room. Mat is almost ready to cry.
REACTION:
I think this chapter should remove any doubt about whether Mat is being raped by Queen Tylin. Is it in some ways more complicated when men are raped by women? Yeah. He *could* use physical force to overpower her – but he feels helpless to do so because of the implications for his friends if he makes that choice. He’s also thinking (on some level) that he he should enjoy this – even though he clearly doesn’t. His physical power is meaningless because she is overpowering him with his circumstances and her office. He says outright in his thoughts that he feels helpless and “like a girl.” He’s deeply embarrassed and he feels a deep sense of confusion and shame. The chapter ends with him being mortified that everyone is just about to find out, too, which gives him even more shame. The only person / situation in this entire series, which has been filled with unimaginable horrors, that has made Mat think about crying is Tylin. That says a lot.
Of course, we get all of that from Mat, so it’s not entirely straight-forward because he’s confused by all of this. But there it is. I don’t really care to what degree this is the local culture. You’d think a monarch would understand the implications and misunderstandings of applying her culture to an outlander. And I think she does, and doesn’t care, which makes me really despise her. Is she entirely evil? No. I think she wants to help Elayne and Nyn. I think she wants to rule her people well. I think she’s on the side of the Light. And yet… she’s an unapologetic rapist because she’s convinced herself that what she’s doing isn’t rape. It’s just her culture.
In the U.S., there are always stories in the news about female teachers who have sexual relationships with their underage male students. All too often, the rapists are very attractive. You wonder if the imbalanced power psychology of that is similar. I wouldn’t say that this sort of thing is “part of American culture” but it’s absolutely celebrated by the culture.
Anyway. The whole thing is gross.
We get some nuggets of info in this chapter that will probably matter more later. All of the Kin, in addition to not having ‘Ageless’ faces, live MUCH longer lives than do Aes Sedai. We never discussed Wise One ages among the Aiel, but is it possible someone like Sorilea is much older than the oldest Aes Sedai, too? It seems probable. That could also be true among the channeling Sea Folk Windfinders. What’s the primary difference between Aes Sedai and every other group of female channelers in the world? The Oath Rod. Or, at least that’s the only one I can think of.
On the other hand… if the Oath Rod produces the Ageless Face look, and limits lifespan, then that implies that everyone in the Black Ajah must have also sworn on the Oath Rod because they suffer the same physical outcomes. And as they can lie and do violence (which Aes Sedai cannot due to their Oaths)… well, I don’t know how to square all of that yet. We’ll see if that gets cleared up.
I never really noticed something that Elayne and Mat have in common, until this chapter. In previous parts of the book, Mat thinks to himself about his own types of smiles, and how he uses them strategically in various situations. Here he notices that Elayne does the same thing (though in typical Mat fashion he lacks the self-awareness in the moment to reflect on the fact that he does the same thing.) Elayne’s version of Mat’s “most winning smile” is to smile in a way that displays her dimple. She’s also got a raised chin look, a frosty look, a somewhat frosty look, etc. Mat kind of goes through the various list of her facial expressions / demeanors, and how she uses them strategically when needed, and Jordan drops a great line:
Was there any woman in the world who is just one person?
Like I said, this is even better when you reflect on the fact that Mat does the same thing. And if anyone in the world is more than one person, it is Mat.
Generally speaking, Mat’s lack of self-awareness (and the same is true with Nynaeve) is played up for comedy. Mat is less frustrating in this, though, because his version of that isn’t berating everyone around him. But they both do it.
Everyone’s reaction to Lan marrying Nynaeve was really funny – probably the best moments in the chapter.
Mat just sat there swaying with the coach’s motion staring. Nynaeve… married? Lan.. married to Nynaeve? The man was mad! No wonder his eyes looked so bleak. Mat would have sooner stuffed a rabid fox down his own shirt. Only a fool married and only a madman married Nynaeve.
It might feel hypocritical of me to forgive Mat’s less than charitable characterization of his former Wisdom, while giving her a hard time for her words about him, but the key difference is that Nynaeve speaks her thoughts aloud and Mat keeps his to himself. Has Mat ever one time berated her unfairly? Would he absolutely refuse to thank her if she saved his life? No. I love Nynaeve, and I am glad Lan sees through her prickliness to the immense goodness beneath, but the two aren’t comparable in their treatment of each other, even if they both fail to really see each other.
It would be just like Nynaeve to get him killed by her husband… her husband… when sure as bread was brown she would have hidden the fact that one of the Forsaken was in the city.
Is it a pretty awful oversight that nobody until Lan told Mat that two of his men were dead and that one of the Forsaken was nearby? Yeah. Seriously… “hey, we’re really sorry, but two of your men (friends) are dead.” That’s the normal decent human thing to do. He’d just spoken to Elayne and she kept it from him. That’s crazy, actually. I’ll give Nyn a bit of a pass because she hasn’t had a chance yet, but Elayne (again) lacks any excuse.
I want to like Elayne. I really do. It’s really difficult.
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