Devo Posted February 12, 2014 Report Share Posted February 12, 2014 Dalinar cannot remember his late wife. We know that this is an effect of the Old Magic and most people seem to think it was his curse from the Old Magic. Is it possible that it was his boon, that he was specifically seeking to forget her (for reasons he can no longer remember)? If it's confirmed to be the curse, is there any solid info of theory of what his boon was? I suppose his visions could be either his boon or curse (depending on which the forgetting is). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Torian'Omil Stonespark Posted February 12, 2014 Report Share Posted February 12, 2014 I had assumed it was his request to take away the pain of the loss, and the curse was total erasure from his memory, where it took away the pain of the loss as well as the good times. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grahamfactor Posted February 12, 2014 Report Share Posted February 12, 2014 I always thought his boon could have been to take away his desire for booze. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
11thorderknight Posted February 12, 2014 Report Share Posted February 12, 2014 I could be completely hallucinating this, but I could SWEAR that I remember a direct statement in Way of Kings that forgetting his wife is actually the boon, and that we don't know what the curse is. Haven't had time to go through a full re-read, and thus don't have a quote. Does anyone else remember such a statement? Or am I losing it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baine he/him Posted February 12, 2014 Report Share Posted February 12, 2014 It could be both the boon and the curse. As in, Dalinar forgetting his wife was both his request and his curse. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moogle Posted February 12, 2014 Report Share Posted February 12, 2014 The Nightwatcher's curses seem to be neurological (Cognitive) in nature. Off the top of my head, the two examples of curses we know of are: numb hands, and seeing the world upside down. The only boon we know of is a guy receiving a roll of cloth. Not enough to form a pattern, but if you include Dalinar's forgetting of his wife, I think it fits.in more as a curse. I give it a 75% chance of Dalinar's memories being lost as being the curse. I suspect that Cultivation likes balance. You sacrifice something Cognitive (feeling in your hands, the ability to see properly, memories of your wife) and get something Physical. I think Voidbinding will involved sacrifice like that. That's just a suspicion, though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Radda she/her Posted February 12, 2014 Report Share Posted February 12, 2014 Richard Fife in his TWoK review on tor.com mentions that it's actually a boon: http://www.tor.com/blogs/2010/08/in-a-kingly-way-brandon-sandersons-the-way-of-kings and I also wondered what made him think so. Although he did say that his was an Arc, so maybe it was edited out in the final version. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aminar Posted February 13, 2014 Report Share Posted February 13, 2014 I've had that suspicion since my first readthrough, but his curse must be minimal, unless it altered him to give him the visions... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Asha'man Logain Posted February 13, 2014 Report Share Posted February 13, 2014 I believe I mentioned this in another Nightwatcher thread. Here is my theory: The boon was to have his son live, as he was a sickly child. The curse was losing all memory of his wife. To save the life of one loved one, he lost another completely and irrevocably. But since he cannot remember his wife, but does remember how he felt about Navani, he assumes he loved his wife more, and that Renarin was sick as his curse. I think he believes that his curse was Renarin's weakness and his boon was forgetting, but that somehow he also forgot it was the other way around. He seems very guilty on a personal level for Renarin's condition, and similarly guilty about seeking out the Nightwatcher. That's my idea anyway, I'm sure we'll find out soon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aminar Posted February 13, 2014 Report Share Posted February 13, 2014 I think the guilt over Renarin's condition is more parental. Most parent's with disabled children of any stripe have some level of guilt over the issue, blaming themselves for messing something up. That said, it's an interesting theory, it just conflicts the readthrough declaring that forgetting his wife was the boon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marianmi Posted February 13, 2014 Report Share Posted February 13, 2014 I'm on the camp where losing his wife's memory is the boon, and Renarin's sickness is the curse. Of course, that would mean that Renarin's sickness is cognitive, and he can fixed it himself when he goes Shadesmar Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AerionBFII he/him Posted February 14, 2014 Report Share Posted February 14, 2014 i think this was his boon and curse..deep Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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