Aratouial Delafeld
Novice
Someone on The Internets has insisted that there are no morally gray characters in the books, that there is no moral complexity in the world of the Wheel of Time, that it is only good vs. evil, black and white.
I disagree rather vehemently, so I started making a mental list of every character I would consider "morally gray," or a decision bad enough from a "good" character that it makes me rethink their "goodness."
Who am I missing? What's your biggest "morally gray" moment, or favorite "morally gray" character?
I disagree rather vehemently, so I started making a mental list of every character I would consider "morally gray," or a decision bad enough from a "good" character that it makes me rethink their "goodness."
- Mat. He does not respect boundaries and does not really care about consent-- he'll stop at a no, but he does not care about hearing yes first. His primary conflict is between his impulses toward selfish desires and his impulses toward nobility.
- Perrin. He does unspeakable things, including selling women into slavery, to get what he wants and to have his revenge.
- Rand. We all know the lengths he goes to during his "hardening" phase, especially the way he handles Graendal.
- Cadsuane. She serves the Light, but is so abusive.
- Tuon. Raised in an authoritarian culture, confronted with a world-shattering truth that she denies in order to save her position and authority. Still fights the Shadow, though, and can come to compromises.
- Faile. Cultural appropriation notwithstanding, she runs a spy ring. No one runs a spy ring and stays morally clean. Also, she is my textbook definition of a character whose ends justify the means.
- Elaida. She is a woman of conviction, and she's is convinced that only her way will save the world. Competent enough to get into power, not competent enough to do well at it.
- I'd argue the very existence of things like the Whitecloaks and Seanchan speak to a very morally gray universe. Rand thinks they're evil and goes to wipe them out, then discovers that maybe he doesn't understand stuff as well as he thought. Galad is capable of being an upstanding, reasonable Whitecloak, and so are the men who serve under him apparently.
- Verin. Double-agents are like the definition of morally gray. She clearly has zero problems with murder.
- Siuan. She thinks her actions are justified, but enough people disagree over that it causes a civil war. Civil War among those faithful to the Light seems pretty darn morally gray.
- Thom. He does a regicide not once, but twice. For "good reasons," probably, but yeah. Also gets pretty motivated by revenge at points.
Who am I missing? What's your biggest "morally gray" moment, or favorite "morally gray" character?