The Official Wheel of Time Thread (UNMARKED SPOILERS FOR ENTIRE SERIES)

[Kantor]

gergroy said:

Kantor said:

gergroy said:

I also did not like the Rand switching bodies at the end.  I think it would have been a more powerful ending if he had actually died.  

I would be inclined to agree with you. But I don't think he should have died.

He should have stayed in the Rand body and gained the powers that he managed to gain. He is essentially the avatar of the Creator in the mortal world.

But as avatar of the creator his purpose was accomplished.  If Rand had stayed around, he would upset the balance of power in the world.  He was way too powerful, especially with his ties to Mat, Perrin, and Elayne, he would essentially be ruling the world.  

Besides, in order to truly make his act of defeating the dark one monumentous, sacrifice was needed.  The way the story is written, that sacrifice was that of Egwene... but that isn't nearly as powerful as if he had sacrificed himself.  Fact is, from the 8 original characters that left edmonds field in the first book, only one died... 

Well, none of the people from Emond's Field really had any reason to die. Not even Egwene.

Nynaeve and Moiraine were safe in Shayol Ghul. Nobody could really harm them there.

Mat's luck would certainly protect him.

Perrin would achieve nothing through his death; he spends most of the book in Tel'aran'rhiod anyway.

Lan surviving a Sheathing the Sword move is a huge inspiration for all of his troops and pushes them onwards.

Thom... okay, Thom didn't really do anything in that series after Eye of the World except occasionally go on sentry duty and help to rescue Moiraine. I was hoping that some huge secret about him would come out - like, he was Jain Farstrider or something - and that would make him significant, but that didn't really happen. As it was, he spend the Last Battle sitting on a rock watching Shayol Ghul.

Rand deserved his rest after everything he had done, and he was pretty specifically told that he would survive. Plus, the fact that he was expecting death makes his survival far more powerful than his death.

Egwene... she could have woven that Flame without killing herself. But if Gawyn had to die, then Egwene had to go with him.