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amra and Moiraine's search

by a dragonburned fool: 2005-06-13 | 7.63 out of 10 (8 votes)

Previous Categories: New Spring: the Novel

Here I'm basing on the scene from New Spring chapter 6, where Tamra allows (unofficially) Moiraine to use OP to clear an ink spot from her dress. It was in the second day when Moiraine and Siuan worked with the records of the other Accepted and when Amyrlin came with the clercs. After Tamra asked Moiraine, does she yet have problems with her feelings regarding the death of her uncles, Moiraine replied, she has nightmares yet (and Moiraine was very proud to give so aessedaish answer to the Amyrlin), Tamra said them they can continue the work with the records of the other Accepted, and that she changes her initial intention to give them a free day, and that they have only to write a message when they get tired with the clerc's work. After that she said to Moiraine, that ink spots are very difficult to be cleansed form a white dress and that she would not say to Moiraine to not use OP for that, because Moiraine knows it. Moiraine interepretes that as obvious permission to her to use OP to clean the dress (and so to break the rules). Moiraine also knows that this permission was said in the manner of Daes Daimar.

So we have an Amyrlin Seat using Great Game techniques to say to an Accepted, that she's permitted to use OP to make her dress clean. That sounds somewhat strange, for the Great Game is not used for such a stuff usually, but for more "serious" tasks. Actually the usage of Daes Daimar for the purpose, Moiraine had seen in it, is possible, because usage of OP for housekeeping purposes is not permitted to Accepted, and an Amyrlin cannot officially encourage breaking Tower's rules by Accepted, so if an Amyrlin is a good woman, and if she wants not the Accepted feel inconfortable because of a rule, this Amyrlin would make her permission inofficial and tacit. So it's possible, but I still don't believe. Because even the most charitable Amyrlin would not care so much about a little bit more household work of an Accepted, and because Daes Daimar is just not used for such purposes. And the Great Game's essence is to use ambivalent expressions, such that really have well argumented interpretation that is not the player's real intention, so that the message cannot be figured out by logic (so young Siuan with her exceptional deductive skills cannot understand a Daes Daimar message). So, if Tamra wanted to use Daes Daimar to say something more special to Moiraine, she would do it in a way, that it could be interpreted as if having nothing to do with her real intention, even when the interpreter is a perfect logician.

And there are indications that Tamra could have something to say to Moiraine and Siuan. Tamra knows that both Accepted know about the Dragon reborn, she knows that they want to participate in the search (Tamra seems to take special care several times that Moiraine and Siuan do not make too much in that search), she definitely knows that both girls have the desire and the ambition, and that if an Accepted like them has the desire and ambition, that Accepted would try to find a permitted or non-permitted way to do what she wants. She sees also that Siuan keeps enthusiastically to do the clerc work, while Siuan is known to hate any kind of clerc work. She has managed previously to give to the both girls the work with the lists, and she would know that the both girls would know what to look for. When the clercs came to her with the complaint, she could give them the order from her cabinet, but Tamra came herself to check out, and I doubt that she would do it only for to ask Moiraine how she is feeling after Laman's death. Briefly Tamra is aware that both girls want to do search, and she most likely has that in mind in the ink-spot scene.

When Moiraine deciphers the Great Game permission to clean the ink-spot, she is surprised and glad and also proud with her skills to read Great Game messages. In addition soon after her enthusiasm, Siuan remarks that if any AS comes while Moiraine is using OP on the ink, Moiraine would be punished despite of all implicite permissions; and that comment makes her Daes Daimar reading enthusiasm to collapse. It is an ideal combination for a person to miss a possible second-layer encrypted message, because of being too much occupied with the deciphering the first-layer message.

So, what if the permission to clean the ink spot was only a Great Game move to tell something else? It's possible, because Tamra has something to say, and because the Great Game is like that.

What would a permission to clean the spot mean in the language of the Great game? 1. Moiraine is permitted to do something, that she obviously wants, but that is not permitted to an Accepted. 2. A tacit permission is given in a situation, when apparently the search for the Dragon is the main task for both the Amyrlin and the girls, and in a moment when it's time to decide, will the both girls work on something related to the search or not. 3. A permission for not important thing is made in high-style Daes Daimar language, and it is made in a moment when usually the most important message in Daes Daimar is given: in the end of the conversation and in idle manner, as if giving an unimportant comment, and that is done after Moiraine mastered to give an excellent evasive answer. 4. It's the time Amyrlin has for first time after the Gitara's foretelling an opportunity to meet both girls alone without it to be interpreted as special attention to them. 5. Before to say that, Tamra told them to work until they are not bored, and after that to write a letter and to put it together with the completed work: that could be a hint about the possible finding of the solution by them.

Having all that in mind, Tamra's message could be something like that: Well, if you want it so much, you can do some search, despite of it being against the Rules, but my permission is unofficial and limited, and you must take care that nobody finds out what are you doing. I.e. Tamra agrees with what Moiraine and Siuan have made until now, and encourages them for more search. However Tamra keeps them rather as reserve variant for redunadncy, and wants not to make them too active.

Tamra is definitely not happy, that the both girls know about the Dragon, but exactly because of that she has to take special care of them, by giving them some work (not too much however) and so having them under control. The unusual testing them for the shawl in the same day could be done for allowing them not to break their workgroup. Giving them not too much a mission could be part of keeping them under control.

All that reveals much more Tamra's engagement in Moiraine's and Siuan's search than visible.
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Comments

1

Tamyrlin: 2005-06-26

I need to go back and read that section, because I can't remember Tamra's intentions enough to respond to what you suggest. From what you have described, without access to the story, I would suggest Tamra was giving them implied authority, while enabling herself to rat them out to the Tower if they discovered anything she wanted to hide. I think she was using them indirectly...I wish I had my books. I look forward to those who reply, who have a better memory and access to quotes to back up their opinions (all my searches are out for this month).

2

mako0424: 2005-06-27

here i can almost agree totally, even though dragonburned fool, your quotes are indepth, but maybe a little too lengthy.

but i think the main two things u need to take into account would be, if Robert Jordan had intended this move by Tamra to either be a kind and aes'sedai-like permission to break the rules seems to be more of an offer of equality respect, and the subtle implication that Moiraine is at enough of an aes'sedai level that she doesnt see removing an ink spot as being illegal for an accepted, but rather a very soon to be aes'sedai, or if jordan inteded this to be a very coy, and deceptive indication that tamra will allow and encourage thweir search. i think althoough possible, the firast theory is alot more feasible, and even if the second was the case, it would have no consequences to any situation currently in the storyline.

3

Ruthie: 2005-06-27

I agree that this passage seems to have deeper implications than on the surface. The logic used to arrive at this is very interesting, however, later in new spring as all of Tamra's Searchers begin to be killed by the BA, Moiraine and Siuan aren't in danger because Tamra never mentioned them when she was being put to the question by the BA before her death. This could support your theory if Tamra protected the girls since she thought that the girls had a great chance of carrying on the search after her death, or they could have been inadvertently protected because Tamra never thought of them as searchers and therefore never thought to reveal their existence to the BA. Since Siuan seems to believe the later as she catches up with Moiraine in the end of the book (sorry I don't have the quotes-but it is the scene in the alley when she tells Moiriane about the BA) I have to say that perhaps Moiraine was simply being readied to test for the shawl in this scene and Tamra is simply letting her know that more freedom will be given to them as they become full sisters. But I really found this to be an interesting theory so let me know what you think about how the scene that I mentioned fits with this since its been a while since I've read it and I could be forgetting an important piece that supports your theory.

4

Frenzy: 2005-06-28

Tamra's use of Moiraine and Siuan is repeated, when Siuan uses Egwene and Nynaeve (and Elayne) to ferret out the Black Ajah. Siuan knows firsthand that the underdog can be very effective at achieving an almost-impossible goal. Siuan had to be more direct with Egwene and Nynaeve, because village girls don't know Daes Dae'mar. An Accepted raised in the Royal House of Cairhien, however, might know a thing or two about the Great Game.

5

a dragonburned fool: 2005-07-12

About the option that Tamra's permission would mean Moiraine and Siuan are closer to AS level and don't need permission, I doubt it. Because later Tamra made lot of things showing to the both Accepted rather where is their true place as Accepted. All the keepeing them away from "interesting" job before their test for the Shawl (and even after this test) manifests rather a special treatment by Tamra aimed to keep them in low profile. The supposed gesture of making Moiraine as if equal toan Aes Sedai would contradict this trend.

About the torturing of Tamra and her not saying the names of Moiraine and Siuan to Jarna, I omitted this scene here, because it would be too much ambivalent for this theory. I also think that keeping Moiraine and Siuan in a not official state gave Tamra the opportunity to not think about them as about full searchers and so not to say anything to Jarna. But eventual opponents of my theory could argue, that the fact that Tamra said nothing about Moiraine and Siuan would mean that Tamra actually hadn't the both girls in mind despite of all the special treatment of them. Additional complexness to the issue provides the fact that Tamra seems to hide from Jarna not only Moiraine's and Siuan's involvement, but also the Gitara's prophecy in it's details. I personnally suggest that Jarna had her own (wrong) guesses when she questioned Tamra and that made her questioning only seemingly effective. So Jarna could think that Tamra is searching for the Dragon because of a betrayal of some black sister while the Black Ajah could know about the Dragon from a Shadow source.... so Jarna would never ask Tamra about Gitara's prophecy, but only about her Aes Sedai sources.

Frenzy, thank you for the parallel with Siuan using Egwene and Nynaeve to ferret out the Blacks - now my suggestion is no more limited in it's validitiy only on a very small part of the plotline :)