Roran and Katrina: Domestic (if dull) bliss
Chapter seven: What is a Man?
That's a funny question, now isn't it? I mean, what does is it that makes a man a man? Traditionally it's "Snips and Snails and puppy dog tails". But that doesn't really work in today's world. Though, I suppose we could go with "what is a man" in regards to species in general. And that's something that scientists are going to have to answer. Or it could be a trite title for chapter seven, which is from Roran's POV.
He's currently walking through camp in the mud. It's about six inches deep and keeps on trying to steal his shoes. The mud is also slippery. Yes. Because apparently slippery is not a descriptor of all kinds of mud. Thick as it was, the mud was also slippery. I don't think depth would prevent mud from being slippery. This is part of the description of mud. I think it would have been better if the sentence was something like "Roran struggled through the slippery, ankle deep mud." Because by saying it was six inches makes you wonder if Roran stopped long enough to get a ruler to measure how deep the mud was. Also mud that deep wouldn't be too slippery as they be getting stuck. Of course thin layers of mud would be slippery and act as a good lube.
Um.
Anyway unless the deep sections are just sticky and the thin sections are slippery. Still, Roran trudges on and he is very tired. And sore. And has plot armor. Really good plot armor. I mean, really, really good plot armor.
He got pot-shotted by a crossbow earlier and only survived because someone stepped in front of him and got killed instead.
Someone had shot at him with a crossbow from the roof of a building. Only the sheerest of luck had saved him; one of his men, Mortenson, had stepped in front of him at the exact moment the attacker had fired. The bolt had punched through Mortenson from back to belly and had still retained enough force to give Roran a nasty bruise. Mortenson had died on the spot, and whoever had shot the crossbow had escaped.
Yes. Poor Mortenson, who ever he is, died by stepping in front of Roran for some particular reason. I say for some particular reason because it doesn't say that Mortenson jumps in the way to protect Roran just that Mortenson stepped in front of him. Note the "Sheerest of luck" mentioned. So really, only because of author intervention, did Roran survive. Roran doesn't seem upset about Mortenson dying, just that the guy who shot him was a coward. I mean the dead guy even got a name! Surely that should earn something of a pang of sadness or something.
No, instead Roran's pissed at the guy who shot him and pissed at the villagers... towns people... for fighting back. Why? Because they should know that the Varden are here to help them. No. Really. He doesn't blame them for trying to defend their home... but they should know better that the Varden were trying to help them.
From what Roran understood, such attacks were common throughout the city. No doubt, Galbatorix’s agents were behind many of them, but the inhabitants of Belatona were also responsible-men and women who could not bear to stand by idly while an invading army seized control of their home, no matter how honorable the Varden’s intentions might be. Roran could sympathize with the people who felt they had to defend their families, but at the same time, he cursed them for being so thick-skulled that they could not recognize the Varden were trying to help them, not hurt them.
HEY LOOK! PEOPLE ARE ATTACKING US AND KILLING US WILLY NILLY WITH NO INDICATION THAT THEY MEAN WELL BEYOND THE FACT THAT THEY SAID SO BECAUSE WHO NEEDS DIPLOMACY?! YES, THEY OBVIOUSLY HAVE OUR BEST INTENTIONS AT HEART AS THEY KILL US EVEN WHEN WE'RE RUNNING AWAY OR HIDING IN OUR ROOMS. NEVER MIND THE FACT THAT THEY'VE RAVAGED ALL THE OTHER TOWNS AND THINGS AND HAVE BEEN DECRIED AS TERRORISTS BY THE GOVERNMENT, WHO BY THE WAY HASN'T BEEN ALL THAT BAD CONSIDERING WE SEEM TO HAVE A GOOD LIVELIHOOD. CLEARLY WE SHOULDN'T PROTECT OUR HOMES FROM THESE LOOTERS AND VILLAINS BECAUSE THEY SAY THEY MEAN US WELL AND NOT HURT THEM. THEM AND THEIR ARMY OF EVIL URGALS.
Yeah.
I just.
Gnnhgh.
*headdesk*
Really. Also, I like that it's Galby's agents that are OBVIOUSLY the ones that are mostly string up trouble.
But really, I just can't get how Roran sympathies for them but can't believe that they don't believe that the Varden is there to help them. It's like Paolini is giving nod to the logical reactions but then says, but they're stupid for not realizing that the Heroes are there and therefor despite the heroes not doing heroic things, they should welcome them with open arms and everything. Bit of a mixed message. Of course by now we should realize that Paolini is all about mixed messages.
Roran reaches his tent and sees Katrina where he's all about how she's his comfort in his life, his rock, refuge, looks beautiful even if she's all grimy etc. She's washing bandages and thrilled to see him giving him a big hug. It's sweet. She then sits him down and gets him food. Stew, of course, bread and cheese. Also ale. Your perfect fantasy dinner.
They discuss his fight at the gates and how Roran did in combat. Then they start discussing the actions of men in battle. There are some men that are frightened and don't want to fight. They don't fight unless they're cornered or they just wave around and make noises. Katrina calls them cowards. Because everyone should willing want to throw their lives away and be willing to kill people. Perhaps they're just human, you know? Sure Roran is just a simple farmer (or something)but clearly he's wonderful because he's willing to kill hundreds of people. He may have invincible plot armor, but that doesn't mean that other people have it. In fact as they're red shirts they'd definitely be dead. So they've got survival instinct. Amazing! They're not cowards, they're people.
Roran has a different take on it.
“I don’t know. I think … I think that, perhaps, they just can’t bring themselves to look a man in the face and kill him, although it seems easy enough for them to cut down soldiers whose backs are turned. So they wait for others to do what they cannot. They wait for people like me.”
Why not? If the blood thirsty people want to kill people and it may save your life, why not? And what about the archers? Are they cowards because they stand in the back and shoot at the enemy? Yeah. GUESS WHAT? LEGOLAS IS A COWARD!
Katrina wonders if Galby's men are cowards and Roran says that he doesn't know, not like they have a choice in the matter because Galby has forced them all to do. So she suggests that the Varden do the same thing. Good one Katrina. Your solution to prevent people from being cowards is to force them to fight. Fortunately Roran says that if they did that they'd be no better than Galby. However he doesn't say it in any angry or emotional way. He doesn't really rebuke her. It's like they're discussing how to get the cat to stop scratching the furniture.
"Oh our army of cats keeps on scratching the furniture. What can we do?"
"We should mind control them!"
"No, then we'd be as bad as those people who cut their claws. Pass me a beer. Besides, they're cats. They'd probably end up mind controlling us."
Katrina then mentions that she felt something through her ring. Roran stalls for a bit before admitting that he had a wall fall on him. And then he admits that he didn't mind that he might have died when the wall fell on him. ... I think Roran is trying to get out of this story. Things keep on trying to kill him but the author keeps on saving him. I mean look at it, in the course of seven chapters he's been almost killed twice now and yet miraculously saved and he says that he wouldn't mind if he died.
The edge of his right thumbnail tore as he picked at the mug again. He rubbed the sharp flap against his forefinger several times. “I thought I was going to die when the wall fell.”
“Anyone might have.”
“Yes, but the thing is, I didn’t mind.” Anguished, he looked at her. “Don’t you understand? I gave up. When I realized I couldn’t escape, I accepted it as meekly as a lamb led to slaughter, and I-” Unable to continue, he dropped the mug and hid his face in his hands. The swelling in his throat made it hard to breathe. Then he felt Katrina’s fingers light upon his shoulders. “I gave up,” he growled, furious and disgusted with himself. “I just stopped fighting.… For you … For our child.” He choked on the words.
I think this is an interesting thing. Paolini is trying to make Roran human by giving him this flaw of ... I guess being suicidal? But it doesn't seem to be really in character. His entire thing has been "Protect Katrina. If she leaves I'll die" not "I can't live with myself and everything and want to die". Does that makes sense? This sudden I wish to die is either Roran trying to get out of the story or this is Roran getting forced into character traits that is out of character for him. Paolini is trying to make Roran vulnerable when it doesn't seem to be consent when we see him elsewhere. It's only when he's with Katrina. It could be that he's only allowing himself to be like this when he is with Katrina, but it is still a weird sort of thing. I'm not really sure what to make of it.
In any case Katrina tells him it was all right and he shouldn't worry about his moment of weakness. She still loves him no matter what.
Then Roran does the laundry even though Katrina says it wouldn't be fitting. Roran then declares I'm not sure what the point of this scene is. "By whose decree? A man’s work, or a woman’s, is whatever needs to be done..." How... nice of him? I'm not really sure what the point of this scene is, where Roran is washing things. Is it supposed to show domestic bliss? And is it setting up latter domestic conflict between Roran and Katrina? I imagine it'll be about her choice to stay with Roran and the Varden or head back to Surda to have the baby. I also imagine it will come to naught.
As he finishes, one of Horst's sons comes running up to them. Roran thinks that it's a shame that Nasuada won't let them fight because blacksmiths are too valuable to put on the front lines. They're apparently very able warriors. I'm amused that "having Muscles" seems to indicate that you're a good fighter. Honestly, these farm folks end up being excellent warriors for... some reason I don't even know why.
And now that I think about it, why did the heavily pregnant woman come with the DANGEROUS army on a WAR MARCH instead of staying in the relative safety of Sudra? I mean this isn't the Enterprise D after all!
In any case, Horst's son comes running up to Roran and Katerina saying that his mother is giving birth and that they should come. Because they're necessary or something. I don't know. Still, that's the end of this chapter. THANKFULLY.
That's a funny question, now isn't it? I mean, what does is it that makes a man a man? Traditionally it's "Snips and Snails and puppy dog tails". But that doesn't really work in today's world. Though, I suppose we could go with "what is a man" in regards to species in general. And that's something that scientists are going to have to answer. Or it could be a trite title for chapter seven, which is from Roran's POV.
He's currently walking through camp in the mud. It's about six inches deep and keeps on trying to steal his shoes. The mud is also slippery. Yes. Because apparently slippery is not a descriptor of all kinds of mud. Thick as it was, the mud was also slippery. I don't think depth would prevent mud from being slippery. This is part of the description of mud. I think it would have been better if the sentence was something like "Roran struggled through the slippery, ankle deep mud." Because by saying it was six inches makes you wonder if Roran stopped long enough to get a ruler to measure how deep the mud was. Also mud that deep wouldn't be too slippery as they be getting stuck. Of course thin layers of mud would be slippery and act as a good lube.
Um.
Anyway unless the deep sections are just sticky and the thin sections are slippery. Still, Roran trudges on and he is very tired. And sore. And has plot armor. Really good plot armor. I mean, really, really good plot armor.
He got pot-shotted by a crossbow earlier and only survived because someone stepped in front of him and got killed instead.
Someone had shot at him with a crossbow from the roof of a building. Only the sheerest of luck had saved him; one of his men, Mortenson, had stepped in front of him at the exact moment the attacker had fired. The bolt had punched through Mortenson from back to belly and had still retained enough force to give Roran a nasty bruise. Mortenson had died on the spot, and whoever had shot the crossbow had escaped.
Yes. Poor Mortenson, who ever he is, died by stepping in front of Roran for some particular reason. I say for some particular reason because it doesn't say that Mortenson jumps in the way to protect Roran just that Mortenson stepped in front of him. Note the "Sheerest of luck" mentioned. So really, only because of author intervention, did Roran survive. Roran doesn't seem upset about Mortenson dying, just that the guy who shot him was a coward. I mean the dead guy even got a name! Surely that should earn something of a pang of sadness or something.
No, instead Roran's pissed at the guy who shot him and pissed at the villagers... towns people... for fighting back. Why? Because they should know that the Varden are here to help them. No. Really. He doesn't blame them for trying to defend their home... but they should know better that the Varden were trying to help them.
From what Roran understood, such attacks were common throughout the city. No doubt, Galbatorix’s agents were behind many of them, but the inhabitants of Belatona were also responsible-men and women who could not bear to stand by idly while an invading army seized control of their home, no matter how honorable the Varden’s intentions might be. Roran could sympathize with the people who felt they had to defend their families, but at the same time, he cursed them for being so thick-skulled that they could not recognize the Varden were trying to help them, not hurt them.
HEY LOOK! PEOPLE ARE ATTACKING US AND KILLING US WILLY NILLY WITH NO INDICATION THAT THEY MEAN WELL BEYOND THE FACT THAT THEY SAID SO BECAUSE WHO NEEDS DIPLOMACY?! YES, THEY OBVIOUSLY HAVE OUR BEST INTENTIONS AT HEART AS THEY KILL US EVEN WHEN WE'RE RUNNING AWAY OR HIDING IN OUR ROOMS. NEVER MIND THE FACT THAT THEY'VE RAVAGED ALL THE OTHER TOWNS AND THINGS AND HAVE BEEN DECRIED AS TERRORISTS BY THE GOVERNMENT, WHO BY THE WAY HASN'T BEEN ALL THAT BAD CONSIDERING WE SEEM TO HAVE A GOOD LIVELIHOOD. CLEARLY WE SHOULDN'T PROTECT OUR HOMES FROM THESE LOOTERS AND VILLAINS BECAUSE THEY SAY THEY MEAN US WELL AND NOT HURT THEM. THEM AND THEIR ARMY OF EVIL URGALS.
Yeah.
I just.
Gnnhgh.
*headdesk*
Really. Also, I like that it's Galby's agents that are OBVIOUSLY the ones that are mostly string up trouble.
But really, I just can't get how Roran sympathies for them but can't believe that they don't believe that the Varden is there to help them. It's like Paolini is giving nod to the logical reactions but then says, but they're stupid for not realizing that the Heroes are there and therefor despite the heroes not doing heroic things, they should welcome them with open arms and everything. Bit of a mixed message. Of course by now we should realize that Paolini is all about mixed messages.
Roran reaches his tent and sees Katrina where he's all about how she's his comfort in his life, his rock, refuge, looks beautiful even if she's all grimy etc. She's washing bandages and thrilled to see him giving him a big hug. It's sweet. She then sits him down and gets him food. Stew, of course, bread and cheese. Also ale. Your perfect fantasy dinner.
They discuss his fight at the gates and how Roran did in combat. Then they start discussing the actions of men in battle. There are some men that are frightened and don't want to fight. They don't fight unless they're cornered or they just wave around and make noises. Katrina calls them cowards. Because everyone should willing want to throw their lives away and be willing to kill people. Perhaps they're just human, you know? Sure Roran is just a simple farmer (or something)but clearly he's wonderful because he's willing to kill hundreds of people. He may have invincible plot armor, but that doesn't mean that other people have it. In fact as they're red shirts they'd definitely be dead. So they've got survival instinct. Amazing! They're not cowards, they're people.
Roran has a different take on it.
“I don’t know. I think … I think that, perhaps, they just can’t bring themselves to look a man in the face and kill him, although it seems easy enough for them to cut down soldiers whose backs are turned. So they wait for others to do what they cannot. They wait for people like me.”
Why not? If the blood thirsty people want to kill people and it may save your life, why not? And what about the archers? Are they cowards because they stand in the back and shoot at the enemy? Yeah. GUESS WHAT? LEGOLAS IS A COWARD!
Katrina wonders if Galby's men are cowards and Roran says that he doesn't know, not like they have a choice in the matter because Galby has forced them all to do. So she suggests that the Varden do the same thing. Good one Katrina. Your solution to prevent people from being cowards is to force them to fight. Fortunately Roran says that if they did that they'd be no better than Galby. However he doesn't say it in any angry or emotional way. He doesn't really rebuke her. It's like they're discussing how to get the cat to stop scratching the furniture.
"Oh our army of cats keeps on scratching the furniture. What can we do?"
"We should mind control them!"
"No, then we'd be as bad as those people who cut their claws. Pass me a beer. Besides, they're cats. They'd probably end up mind controlling us."
Katrina then mentions that she felt something through her ring. Roran stalls for a bit before admitting that he had a wall fall on him. And then he admits that he didn't mind that he might have died when the wall fell on him. ... I think Roran is trying to get out of this story. Things keep on trying to kill him but the author keeps on saving him. I mean look at it, in the course of seven chapters he's been almost killed twice now and yet miraculously saved and he says that he wouldn't mind if he died.
The edge of his right thumbnail tore as he picked at the mug again. He rubbed the sharp flap against his forefinger several times. “I thought I was going to die when the wall fell.”
“Anyone might have.”
“Yes, but the thing is, I didn’t mind.” Anguished, he looked at her. “Don’t you understand? I gave up. When I realized I couldn’t escape, I accepted it as meekly as a lamb led to slaughter, and I-” Unable to continue, he dropped the mug and hid his face in his hands. The swelling in his throat made it hard to breathe. Then he felt Katrina’s fingers light upon his shoulders. “I gave up,” he growled, furious and disgusted with himself. “I just stopped fighting.… For you … For our child.” He choked on the words.
I think this is an interesting thing. Paolini is trying to make Roran human by giving him this flaw of ... I guess being suicidal? But it doesn't seem to be really in character. His entire thing has been "Protect Katrina. If she leaves I'll die" not "I can't live with myself and everything and want to die". Does that makes sense? This sudden I wish to die is either Roran trying to get out of the story or this is Roran getting forced into character traits that is out of character for him. Paolini is trying to make Roran vulnerable when it doesn't seem to be consent when we see him elsewhere. It's only when he's with Katrina. It could be that he's only allowing himself to be like this when he is with Katrina, but it is still a weird sort of thing. I'm not really sure what to make of it.
In any case Katrina tells him it was all right and he shouldn't worry about his moment of weakness. She still loves him no matter what.
Then Roran does the laundry even though Katrina says it wouldn't be fitting. Roran then declares I'm not sure what the point of this scene is. "By whose decree? A man’s work, or a woman’s, is whatever needs to be done..." How... nice of him? I'm not really sure what the point of this scene is, where Roran is washing things. Is it supposed to show domestic bliss? And is it setting up latter domestic conflict between Roran and Katrina? I imagine it'll be about her choice to stay with Roran and the Varden or head back to Surda to have the baby. I also imagine it will come to naught.
As he finishes, one of Horst's sons comes running up to them. Roran thinks that it's a shame that Nasuada won't let them fight because blacksmiths are too valuable to put on the front lines. They're apparently very able warriors. I'm amused that "having Muscles" seems to indicate that you're a good fighter. Honestly, these farm folks end up being excellent warriors for... some reason I don't even know why.
And now that I think about it, why did the heavily pregnant woman come with the DANGEROUS army on a WAR MARCH instead of staying in the relative safety of Sudra? I mean this isn't the Enterprise D after all!
In any case, Horst's son comes running up to Roran and Katerina saying that his mother is giving birth and that they should come. Because they're necessary or something. I don't know. Still, that's the end of this chapter. THANKFULLY.