Tehanu starts with 'But what do we do with things that can't be right, not ever?' It starts with a child whose burns no magic can cure
This is what I found so frustrating about the ending, and about the later Earthsea books in general. In earlier books having the power to call a dragon to solve a problem would have made sense, thematically and emotionally. But Tehanu is about unsolvable problems and how to live in an unjust society; it's specifically about NOT being able to solve problems with magic. And then at the end, the problem of child abuse, violence against women and children, and misogyny baked into the structure of society is solved with a dragon.
I also love large parts of the book, but it is the only book I have ever read that I would have liked better if it hadn't had dragons.
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Date: 2024-03-18 06:35 pm (UTC)This is what I found so frustrating about the ending, and about the later Earthsea books in general. In earlier books having the power to call a dragon to solve a problem would have made sense, thematically and emotionally. But Tehanu is about unsolvable problems and how to live in an unjust society; it's specifically about NOT being able to solve problems with magic. And then at the end, the problem of child abuse, violence against women and children, and misogyny baked into the structure of society is solved with a dragon.
I also love large parts of the book, but it is the only book I have ever read that I would have liked better if it hadn't had dragons.