2E Sunday, December 9, 2018
The Times, Gainesville, Georgia | gainesvilletimes.com
LIFE
Lessons for a
lifetime found in
‘Earthsea novels
BY CHARLES ROZIER
I was an awkward and still-
too-trusting nerd in middle
school when I discovered
magic really is hidden among
library books, and there I
found my first real hero:
Ged the Archmage. You too
can find him in “A Wizard of
Earthsea,” first published in
1968 and considered a classic
of fantasy literature.
In his story, a young,
magical Ged attends the
premier school for learning
the wizarding arts — the
school on Roke Island, and
not that other one. There he
shows remarkable talents
and brash cockiness, but a
schoolboy attempt to prove
himself more powerful than
a peer cracks reality itself,
and something dark from the
other side slips into his world.
This dark shadow follows
Ged for the rest of the story
into his early adulthood,
chasing him as his fear drives
him onward from the safety
of Roke Island. On the run, he
faces down a dragon, outwits
a manipulative ancient evil,
and recovers part of a ring of
power that will give the next
king of all the lands legiti
macy to rule them.
Ged learns more and more
about himself with each
mistake he makes, and so he
eventually becomes Arch
mage through the power such
lessons provide. He overtakes
the shadow, of course.
In my story, I am still
learning from mistakes —
still not an archmage, still
pretty awkward, still happily
discovering magic in librar
ies. Ged was always more
proud than I ever was, and
rightfully so if you rate our
achievements. Yet I feel I’ve
made similar kinds of horri
fying mistakes and ran from
consequences, too.
In what was supposed to be
his last appearance in “The
Farthest Shore,” a middle-
aged Ged helps young prince
Arren solve a worldwide
mystery, but in the end must
give up all the power within
himself to correct a terrible
crime.
All over the world people
started forgetting the things
that used to bring them joy,
from their songs to their
crafts to their dreams, even
the hopeful future they felt
when admiring their own
children. Dark times.
Try to imagine each of
your joyful holidays losing
its meaning, one by one, as
the people around you turn
instead to sit and stare into
their own dull imaginations,
stare away at nothing rather
than sing another song with
you in celebration of time
less, shared truths.
What this book showed me
scared me. It turns out there’s
a hole in the wall between
the dead and the living. The
hole drains life from the liv
ing, and someone made that
hole for a reason. Our heroes
correct this crime and close
that hole — it requires Ged
to empty himself of all his
power — but not before he
spends a lot of time during
their adventure showing
and telling the prince, who
is just hitting his stride as a
competent, though insecure,
teenager, that life and death
form a balance that cannot
be broken.
He tells Arren:
“Life rises out of death,
death rises out of life; in
being opposite they yearn to
each other, they give birth to
each other and are forever
The‘Earthsea’
novels, by Ursula Le
Guin from 1968 to
2001, including
■ ‘A Wizard of Earthsea’
(1968)
■ ‘The Tombs of Atuan’
(1971)
■ ‘The Farthest Shore’
(1972)
■ ‘Tehanu’ (1990)
■ ‘The Other Wind’
(2001)
reborn. And with them all
is reborn, the flower of the
apple tree, the light of the
stars. In life is death. In death
is rebirth. What then is life
without death? Life unchang
ing, everlasting, eternal?
What is it but death — death
without rebirth?”
Arren can’t make any
sense out of it. How could
he as just a teenager? The
older I get, the more sense it
makes. I too am still learning
to understand what scared
me so long ago.
Over the years I followed
the “Earthsea” novels, I
watched Ged age before I got
there myself. Ged continues
to live on in Tehanu, but suf
fering in a petulant depression
because of his trauma from
closing the hole and dealing
with his sudden impotence
and weaknesses — even as
an older man he’s still learn
ing new lessons from new
mistakes.
He ages into a quiet and lov
ing family man, ending up in
“The Other Wind” as a patient
grandfather of a reborn
dragon. But he is not the hero
in this last story, and there are
interesting reasons to explore
how that’s the case. To put it
simply, though, you learn that
each of us, when pursuing the
earnest and authentic expres
sion of our core and center,
will become hero at the right
moment. We do it together.
One of those heroes is the
woman who wrote Ged’s
story: Ursula Le Guin.
Le Guin died in January of
this year, leaving behind a lot
of literature, ideas and heroes.
Le Guin helped me to under
stand parts of myself that I
would come to know only
through age and experience.
She helped me embrace
my awkwardness. She wrote
about races and classes and
sexes and religions in chal
lenging, refreshing ways that
were neither traditional nor
feminist nor revolutionary
nor liberal nor conservative,
but reveal our humanity in
each of these states.
I return to her writings,
return to my roots, where
early lessons sprout up from
the rich, dark soil of her
words and mature into a
towering, old forest above.
Sheltering underneath such
a canopy, I enjoy finding
wisdom in the patterns all
around us and accept the
humbling responsibility to
mold myself into those pat
terns rather than bend them
to fit me.
Can’t remember the
words? That’s okay! Let me
help out by suggesting what
worked for me. Find them
for yourself by discover
ing what’s inside your local
libraries. Spending your time
in the forests inside each new
book, you’ll find magic still
hides among the dappled
lights and susurrus shadows
playing among the leaves.
Charles Rozier works at
Blackshear Place Library
and occasionally teaches
philosophy in the local area.
LOS ANGELES TIMES SUNDAY CROSSWORD
“CULINARY
SCHOOL”By PAUL
COULTER
ACROSS
1 8 for O, e.g.
5 Quibbles
10 “M*A*S*H” actor
14 Like bachelor
parties
18 Excel
20 Autumn color
21 Tea party host
23 Pie company
exec?
25 Bad brunch
review?
26 Find new
quarters for
27 Winter fall
29 Film units
30 Michelangelo
masterpiece
31 MSN competitor
32 Cooking fat
34 Guadalajara
girls
37 Neighborhood
with meat
purveyors?
43 Air freshener
scent
46 Performed, in
Shakespeare
48 How surprise
party guests
should arrive
49 Blanched
50 Yours, in Tours
51 Doc bloc
52 Keisters
54 “Momo” author
Michael
55 ATM code you
rotate regularly?
59 FICA benefit
60 Unit in Ohm’s
Law
62 Costa del
63 Female
antelope
64 Mellow
66 Looked
lecherously
67 Suffix meaning
“living
substance’’
69 Not yet on the
sched.
70 Coast
72 Like many
churches
75 Light
78 Adaptable truck,
for short
79 “Bravo!”
82 Barbershop
parts
83 Batman and the
Boy Wonder,
e.g.
84 Thief at a fertility
clinic?
87 AA and AAA,
e.g.
88
Takes from a
124 Firm employees:
15
Bind, in a way
58
Words indicating
88
Easy paces
deck
Abbr.
16
Asian sea
a delay
89
Misers
90
“Do Ya” rock gp.
125 Bone on a menu
17
Mil. bigwigs
60
Thomas
93
Saddle-holding
91
“I see”
126 Some NCOs
19
Arousing
associate
bands
92
Starry-eyed
127 Time at the inn
22
As a result of
61
Euripides
94
Tiny messenger
agreement,
this
tragedy
96
Keats, in a
often
DOWN
24
Chinese
65
“Criminal Minds”
Shelley title
93
Area below the
1 Cleopatra killer
currency
agcy.
97
Economizes
abdomen
2 Choreographer
28
-rock
67
Some
99
AT&T and
95
Leslie of “Gigi”
Twyla
33
Modern address
Olympians,
Verizon
97
Holders of
3 Japanese-
35
Commonly used
nowadays
100
Dept, of Justice
roasts
American
saws
68
Leaf’s central
bigwigs
98
Nasty group of
4 Without delay,
36
Gullible sort
vein
102
Opp. of legato,
directors?
as payment
38
Cut out
71
Two-time Tony
in music
101
Like Dennis the
5 Intimidates
39
“You lose a
winner Patti
106
Still
Menace
6 Advil target
lot of time,
72
Zeno, notably
107
Baffled
103
Part of Q.E.D.
7 MLB scoreboard
people”: Marian
73
Concealed
108
Humane org.
104
Bit of baby talk
abbr.
Anderson
74
Bullion unit
109
On the disabled
105
Leg bone
8 Homes built
40
Dog tag datum
76
Natural fertilizer
list, say
108
Old will?
indoors
41
Close-knit group
77
Hungarian wine
110
Without :
111
Work (out)
9 Traitors
42
Injured, in a way
region
riskily
114
Inflexible
10 Crazily
43
Drummer Ulrich
79
“I wasn’t
112
Farm females
116
Stadium for a
11 Like a flimsy
44
“Am late?”
expecting you”
113
“Not to mention
boxing match?
excuse
45
Hang loosely
80
“ we forget”
...”
118
Journalists
12 Backstage
47
Place for an
81
God with a
114
Came down
covering a spicy
theater workers
honoree
quiver
115
“Vaya con ”
story?
13 An MRI may
53
Collection of
85
Hardly haute
117
Bit of heckling
121
Wood
reveal a torn
heir pieces?
cuisine
119
“Andy Capp”
preservatives
one
54
Blunt blade
86
Large South
cartoonist
122
Farm refrain
14 “Fiddler on the
56
Do-nothing
American
Smythe
123
Spock’s father
Roof” setting
57
Wikipedia policy
rodents
120
blue
12/9/18 xwordeditor@aol.com ©2018 Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
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Establishing holiday traditions with your new family
Question: About a year ago
I married a man with a lovely
little four-year-old girl. Since his
ex and he share equal custody, I
am with this child for a week at
a time every other week. It has
worked out well and we adore
each other.
My husband and I wanted to
take her to take pictures with
Santa, and told her we would go
this Saturday when she is with
us. When her mother heard
about it, she hit the ceiling. She
said I had no right to take the
child anywhere, and called my
husband and really laid into
him.
Both of us are taking the child!
What am I not seeing? What’s
good ex-etiquette?
Answer: First, asking, “What
am I not seeing?” is another way
of asking if you’re contributing
DR. JANN BLACKSTONE
dr.jann@exetiquette.com
to the communication break
down — and good for you for
stepping away and trying to see
things from her perspective.
(Ex-etiquette for parents rule
No. 7, “Use empathy when prob
lem solving.”)
Truth is, there’s not much she
can do if the child is scheduled
to be with dad, but her anger is
an indicator that she doesn’t like
it one little bit that you’re devel
oping a close relationship with
her daughter.
Plus, doing things that they
may have done in the past as
a family really hurts and she’s
probably reacting on pure
emotion.
Here’s a little more empathy
... the every-other-week custody
agreement is especially difficult
for a parent who is used to being
the primary care giver. In this
case, mom gets divorced, her ex
remarries, all of a sudden, she
doesn’t see her child for a week
at a time and another woman is
taking care of her baby.
It would not be surprising
if mom feels guilty for being
divorced and worries that she
can’t be the mother that she
wants to be. She has no control
over the situation or what her
child does when she’s not in her
care.
Add that her daughter loves
you and you have one really
scared mom. Rarely do we put
our best foot forward when feel
ing vulnerable and insecure.
By the same token, you and
your husband are probably
rejoicing in finding each other.
It’s your first Christmas
together and possibly the hap
piest time of your life. You’re
probably looking to establish
holiday traditions with your new
family and taking Santa pictures
seems like a logical choice.
As you add children to the
mix, it will probably become a
ritual each year — a ritual that
must include your bonus daugh
ter because she is an active
member of your family as well
as an active member of mom’s
family.
The thing both homes must
remember is life after a break
up does not have to be a tug of
war. You can both be on the
same side — the child’s side.
Although mom may feel
neglected and you may feel mis
understood, if you both use the
child’s best interest as the crite
ria for decision making, it won’t
matter with whom she takes
Santa pictures — only that she
gets to do it — possibly twice —
and, that’s good ex-etiquette.
Dr. Jann Blackstone is the author
of “Ex-etiquette for Parents:
Good Behavior After Divorce or
Separation.” She can be contacted
at dr.jann@exetiquette.com.
