51 pages • 1 hour read
Robert JordanThe Eye of the World
Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 1990A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Symbols & Motifs
Wheel of Time
The Wheel of Time symbolizes cyclicity. It is at the core of the book’s world-building and shapes how characters think about their lives and conceptualize fate and magic. A spinning wheel is traditionally associated with weaving, which historically is women’s work. In Greek mythology, the three fates are portrayed as spinning and allocating human lives. In the book, pagan imagery is mixed with the Judeo-Christian concept of a male Creator and his eternal opposite, Shai’tan, which sounds like Satan.
The cyclicity implied by the wheel’s round shape is echoed in the idea of rebirth. As people are reincarnated, they re-live variations of their lives. This idea is very similar to the Buddhist concept of rebirth. However, in Buddhist teachings there is escape from the cycle of life once a soul reaches nirvana. That does not seem to be the case in The Wheel of Time, which raises questions about the meaning of a person’s life and the function of free will.
Light and Dark
Directly connected to the Wheel is the concept of Light and its opposite, the Dark. Light is conceived as the force of good; it is synonymous with the Creator, a Godlike cosmic sentient power that brought the Wheel into being. In many ways, the Creator is similar to the Judeo-Christian god, as he epitomizes everything that is good and right.
The Creator’s counterpart is the Dark One, also known as Shai’tan and Ba’alzamon. The names are another allusion to Jewish beliefs. The name Shai’tan is likely taken from the Hebrew Satan. The name Ba’alzamon is also found in the Old Testament, where it is the name of the pagan god Baal. Additionally, the Forsaken could be read as fallen angels, and the Aes Sedai as nuns. However, the Judeo-Christian subtext should not be overemphasized. Rigney also borrows strongly from Taoist and Buddhist beliefs; in the world of The Wheel of Time, primacy is given to balance, which is a foreign concept in Western cultures.
The presence of the Dark One is questionable. It seems that the series’ universe is already fundamentally Light, with the Dark playing a smaller side-role.
Friendship
The Wheel of Time is sometimes compared to J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings. In both series, a group of friends undertake an impossible task to save the world. Friendship plays an important role in The Eye of the World as well as the series as a whole. As children, Rand, Perrin, and Mat are constantly together and love exploring the Two Rivers region. On the quest to reach the Eye of the World, each faces his own personal challenge and has to come to terms with newfound abilities and shortcomings. They keep helping and supporting each other, even when disagreeing. For example, when Mat thoughtlessly follows Mordeth, Rand and Perrin have grave misgivings but stay with him. A lighter, comic element of the young men’s friendship is each man’s belief that the others understand women more.
Moiraine and Lan’s friendship is also crucial to the plot. They are the ultimate team, brought together by their shared hatred of the Dark One and dedication to his eradication. While not expressive with their feelings, it is clear that they care for each other. Lan is constantly monitoring Moiraine’s energy levels, for example, and often tries to prevent her from overtaxing herself. He also is protective of her when others, such as Nynaeve, criticize her needlessly.
