Wheel of Time

There's something to be said for a writer that can write 14 books, have over a thousand named characters, potentially an equal amount of plot lines both big and small, and then... To write in such a manner that you get to notice quite a few easter eggs a first time reader wouldn't look twice at.

-The island mentioned in the prologue created next to Dragonmount (now that I think about it more, it's so fitting to have the two next to each other serving as a deeper meaning).

-Ba'alzamon mentioning his presence during Lews Therin going mad and creating Dragonmount. First clue he is not the Dark One; but in fact Ishamael. During my last read, I didn't realize this until the Stone of Tear.

-The visions Min first sees when they're in Baerlon. "An eye balanced on a scale" for Mat. Which doesn't happen until the last few books. Brilliant.

Master Gill (Caemlyn/Thom's friend)

In chapter 16, Nynaeve arrives in Baerlon and confronts the group. While they're in the room, Egwene is going to great lengths to hide her unbound hair. Earlier in the book, Rand chides her for unbraiding her hair after having waited so long to be able to braid it. She essentially tells Rand Aes Sedai don't braid their hair and so she won't. My previous times through this, I didn't think much of this. I also didn't realize during those reads that Egwene is a character of color. Capitalized by the portrayal of Egwene in the TV series, my thoughts started churning... (Yes, the TV show isn't cannon, I know).

Now, I am a white person, so take what I'm saying with a grain of salt. Perhaps I am seeing things which are not there. Perhaps I am not. I'm fully willing to admit maybe I am wrong and to learn from this.

Right. So. This whole situation speaks to me of something in our own world. Cultural erasure and assimilation. Many marginalized communities have been forced to assimilate to white societal standards in order to gain acceptance. One of the more prominent standards being hair. Here we have Egwene, initially proud to sport her newly braided hair. Something she avidly waited for. She enters into a different culture and chooses to let her hair loose in an effort to belong.