Chapter Four (The Gleeman)

Wow, there is a lot, and yet so little packed into this chapter.  Stories and mentions of things that the reader won't see again for sometimes chapters, or even books.  The Green man, black veiled Aiel, Tinkers.  Reading it this time all I can think is wow, Jordan built his world so thoroughly that it popped into existence, it didn't have x, y or z introduced randomly in the 5th book, it already was waiting to happen. 

I mean, really, all that happens, Thom meets the boys and Egwene.  Rand is compared to an Aielman for the first time, but Perrin says "we're not the stuff of stories" while Thom silently mocks them.  Moraine interrupts Thom - leaving Rand with the impression that Thom really doesn't trust Moriaine.  Good for the reader to know, right?  Did you like Thom on first read, or even second?  I liked him…I sure liked him better than Padan Fain.  Didn't know that both of them were going to factor into the story so much, but my instinct was, don't trust Fain, trust Thom.  Why?  Thom liked attention too - even as Cenn Buie asked "Is he supposed to be a gleeman or a king?" I liked Thom.  At that point, though, it could have been blind trust in storytellers.  It sounded like Fain pretended to be one, and Thom really was one. 

Oh - world view is also made clear here, if the reader doesn't miss it when Tam points out to Rand, in any village the mayor and Wisdom seldom agree.  This comes after Bran lets loose that Nynaeve called him a fool in front of the Village Council and told the Council it didn’t have a full set of wits among them.  Tam was trying to make reason of it - my thinking is that it sounds like Nynaeve just hasn't grown up yet. 

Can't miss the mention of "Battles interest me" by Mat - and earlier in chapter 2 where he was excited and Perrin looked, was it like he tasted something bad, when the war was first mentioned.  Also - Mat's the first to volunteer for the watch duty saying he can "ride as well as anyone in the village."  I'll tell you now - Rand's the main character, but Mat's my favorite.  Perrin was my husband's, until Perrin went emo (but more on that way later, and not even in this book later).  Rand volunteered after Mat did, do you think perhaps Mat volunteered for adventure, Rand for duty, Perrin loyalty since his answer after they asked him was "he would if Master Luhan could spare him."?

Many people talk about Rand not having a personality in the first while of the book(s) but currently I'm having a bit of an issue with Perrin.  When you meet him he seems to be happy, shouting at Rand about thinking Rand would be at the farm through the Festival and he was laughing when Thom brought up Perrin resembling an Ogier.  But then for periods of time he seems to not react or think for himself, eg when they were talking of volunteering for the watch.  Perrin's answer was typical, responsible and thoughtful - but he took no initiative, all of the sudden he's being very reactionary, when prior to this, he hasn't been that way. 

Enough about Perrin - Tam and Rand get some great quality time together, bonding over news of the far off war on their way back to the farm.  People don't behave the way you expect them to, Tam tells Rand, and isn't that the truth?  Is this here a bit, a touch of foreshadowing - it's a simple village, far from the places that Rand ends up leading, but Tam grooming his son to be a good man, to be a leader, is that foreshadowing?  If it is - it's only one of the things about this series/world building, etc that blow my mind, and we haven't even gotten to the prophesies yet!

I love how Jordan finishes off this chapter with Edmond's Field could handle anything together.  This feeling really ties in with the later books also, but it's a great ending to the chapter.