The Dena Effect

[Marie 73]

I admit I am a cynic and a glass is half empty person, so it's possible I'm just being miss negitive. Even so.

 

I have always midly, and occasionally strongly, wondered what effect Thom's relationship with Dena would have with his alleged relationship with Moiraine. Now I suppose one could argue it would be a positive one, that he wouldn't take her for granted, etc.

 

However, she's dead. By being dead Thom is able to idealize her and make her and their relationship more than it actually was, in his mind at least. I think he already has. He did care for her a lot, and there was love there, but I don't believe he was in love with her. But, again, she's dead so there's no way for him to see the truth of it (without soul searching, but who does that willing?). If she had lived he could have saw that they weren't soulmates who were going to live happily ever after. But since she died he'll never know and can do the whole "what if" thing in his head.

 

What does that have to do with Moiraine? Well, as much as we might try and deny, we compare current lovers to ones past. Yet how in the world can you compete with a dead woman? Especially one who could juggle and throw knives.

 

I will say I hate Dena. I also hate how it took Thom nine freggin books to get over the little wench, and he only recently has been "oh wait, maybe I like Moiraine haha".

[Vertex 23]

Don't worry Marie! WoT men have the strange ability to survive relationships with multiple women... so Thom can be inlove with both at once. He doesn't have to pick between them at all :-D

[Marie 73]

That is not acceptable! Thom should not be in love with Dena while with Moiraine.

[Vertex 23]

Owwie! owwie!

 

Well, I don't think RJ is writing Thom more honorable then Rand... besides, Rand is not made out to be un-honorable at all. So we have to assume that in the WoT world there is nothing too odd about one boy having three lady friends.

 

So Moiraine might just accept it and think "Oh gosh, I am lucky to have him at all. I must let him be inlove with other girls or I might lose him completely"

[Marie 73]

Nynaeve sure thought Rand was a leper for saying he loved all three! And we all know Nynaeve is never wrong except when she isn't right.

 

And Thom seems to think...well...Thom is a womanizer. He will compare Moiraine to Dena and break Momo's heart.

[Vertex 23]

Nah,... Thom is a good talker, he'll just explain it to her and she'll be all "Oh Thom, you really do love me just as much as Dena? *kisskisskiss""

[Marie 73]

And exactly what would he say to her that would make her understand why he is still in love with a dead woman?

[Vertex 23]

Well, Thom performs clever tricks all the time... but I imagine he'd go something like "I'm so inlove with you that I only need another woman to love as well."

 

And then Moiraine will think, "Yes, Rand loves three women,... I'm so lucky to only have to share Thom's love with one other woman."

 

And then they'll make sweet love half the night and after that Thom makes sweet love to the memory of Dena, while Moiraine sleeps on the couch.

[Marie 73]

There must be some sort of intelligent response to that...alas, I can think of none.

[jan 14]

But but but... Dena is dead, right? Even if he did love her, he has to move on if he wants a relationship with Moiraine, and if he can't be mature enough for that, he doesn't deserve Mo.

[Marie 73]

It's not so much he would still be in love with Dena (not that I believe he ever was!) but that he would compare Moiraine to her.

 

I just wonder how things will be when TG is over (assuming both live). The Dragon Reborn has been Moiraine's life for, well, the majority of lifetime. She didn't seem too interesting in music back in the day, whereas Dena obviously was very interested.

[Vertex 23]

People doesn't die in WoT and if they do they sneak back one way or another *nodnod*

[Sivart Reborn 7]

Well... Moiraine seemed fairly amused at least with Thom's stories/jokes/music, if I remember the Shadow's Rising correctly.

[FortyFiveAuto 1]

Dena is dead. Too bad.

 

She would have made a superior wife to Moiraine. She would have been submissive and attentive to the needs of a man like Thom. Moiraine would probably just piss and moan all day or else knock a brother around with the Power.

[Ishmael Moridin 0]

I think he will deal with it all right. He has seen enough life and he is too much of a realist. His relationship with dena was not affected by his past with morgase. So, I don't think there would be any problems there.