IRA

Something i have noted in this book, as well as many others. You begin to notice that many things that were long-running issues in the previous books are being resolved. It's understandable, as the series is nearing its conclusion. For example, Mat has finally killed the golem, Perrin has finally accepted that he is the leader of the Two Rivers, as well as accepting his connection to the wolves. I find it interesting to see the change in these characters in the book. They have all changed drastically since the series started. Things they once struggled against, they now accept, whether its death, marriage, the ability to channel, or leadership (just to name a few). This is also anothger example of the coming of age nature of these stories. You could also say that they've gained the wisdom to realize that there are things you can change and things you can't.

I've also noted a similarity between Oedipus and the Wheel of Time series in general: prophecy. They both have prophecies in them. In Oedipus, all the prophecies have come true no matter how they tried to avoid them. There are alot of prophecies in the Wheel of Time series, so its hard to say if all of them have come true or will, but many of them have. This raises the question of whether or not prophecy is immutable or if it can be changed. Its a question of free will vs. predestiny (this is also something of a theme in the WoT series).