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A'dam and WoT's most despicable concept
Posted by jameson (ST),
02 November 2011
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WoT WoT Cycle Re-read
So with the Seanchan come the a'dam, and WoT most despicable subject.
The a'dam are silvery items that consist of a bracelet and a collar connected by a leash. They are used to subjugate and control women who can channel, by women who can channel (although that little tidbit doesn't get revealed for some time yet). The way that the Seanchan employ them, and the degradation that the damane (those who wear the collar) are put through is pretty despicable. It's not just slavery, but slavery by the reduction of the damane's self. These women are treated as pets a best, and often "trained" via punishment & reward as one would an animal. Many regress to a childlike state, eager to please the sul'dam who controls them in order to avoid punishment and win reward via "good behavior".
Of all the concepts in the WoT cycle this one is easily the most despicable and reprehensible, and I can't help but wonder what was going through RJ's mind when he came up with this and brought it into the series in such a major way. At this point in The Great Hunt, Egwene has been taken as a damane, and in a few short pages the extent of the a'dam's evil has been demonstrated utterly to the reader. The Seanchan have been utterly vilified by this, and, at least at this point, there is little I can think of that would redeem them to the reader.
The a'dam are silvery items that consist of a bracelet and a collar connected by a leash. They are used to subjugate and control women who can channel, by women who can channel (although that little tidbit doesn't get revealed for some time yet). The way that the Seanchan employ them, and the degradation that the damane (those who wear the collar) are put through is pretty despicable. It's not just slavery, but slavery by the reduction of the damane's self. These women are treated as pets a best, and often "trained" via punishment & reward as one would an animal. Many regress to a childlike state, eager to please the sul'dam who controls them in order to avoid punishment and win reward via "good behavior".
Of all the concepts in the WoT cycle this one is easily the most despicable and reprehensible, and I can't help but wonder what was going through RJ's mind when he came up with this and brought it into the series in such a major way. At this point in The Great Hunt, Egwene has been taken as a damane, and in a few short pages the extent of the a'dam's evil has been demonstrated utterly to the reader. The Seanchan have been utterly vilified by this, and, at least at this point, there is little I can think of that would redeem them to the reader.
As to why, well...I think it brings up that there are those that fear the unknown and what they can't control. Combine this with a slavery aspect and I think its a very logical progression for a certain culture.
To me, the Seanchan seem like a archaic 'Asian' society knockoff, and I could easily see this kind of situation coming up. Could you imagine people with the One Power coming to light in China today? There might not be physical collars, but they'd more than likely have them brainwashed to a T to do what the goverment told them.
Also, to write something so absolutely terrible, it makes you cheer all the more when it breaks down.