Raoden finally confronts Taan here in this chapter. In a way, the three gangs that Raoden has to defeat represent three things that the Elantrians themselves need to overcome. The first is their solitude, represented by Karata’s exclusionary attitude. The second is self-pity, represented by Taan’s indulgent madness. The final is their pain, represented by the wildmen of Shaor.
The way, therefore, to defeat Taan was to turn his attention outside of himself. Self-pity melts when confronted with larger issues, such as the beauty and wonder of Elantris itself. I worry that this scene itself was a bit too melodramatic—however, I’ve always said that the difference between drama and melodrama is how engaged the reader is by the story. If everything is working like it should, this section should seem powerful, rather than over-the-top.
I do think, however, that Raoden’s arguments are a bit too philosophical for his audience. I did that intentionally. Raoden is a child of privilege, and he is something of a thinker. His philosophical arguments are probably the first things he himself would consider, because of how curious and interesting they are. However, he doesn’t achieve success with this crowd until he turns to more practical observations. In reality, his strongest ally in this scene was the way he broke the tension and the passion of the moment. Once Dashe’s momentum was gone, he couldn’t convince himself to continue.
You’ll note in later chapters that Raoden’s victory here wasn’t as complete as it was with Karata’s band. This is mostly due to the fact that Taan’s followers weren’t as committed to him as Karata’s were to her. Though I still see this as a victory for Raoden, the fact that many of Taan’s followers find their way in to Shaor’s camp implies that his efforts had some serious side-effects.
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