The very concept of the Banelings reminds me of the timeless question of man's worthiness. As in Lord of the Flies, almost every person in the Midlands is reduced to his/her basest, most depraved levels, preying on the lives of others to save themselves. The tale of Lot comes to mind, the man tasked by G-d, but who was unable to find righteous men in Sodom. Richard Cypher/Rahl is LoTS's Lot, or Anne Frank, believing in the good nature of mankind, despite concrete evidence to the opposite all about him. His naivete revealing that he alone is a righteous man? Throughout the series, we see that Zedd, Cara, and even Kahlan, are inspired by Richard's unflagging selfless righteousness, and that this is the reason they follow him. Even when prophecy conspires against him, they believe in Richard, for if he prevails, then so too do truth and justice. But just when our skeptical fears on man's true nature seem all but confirmed, two people who seem to lack morals altogether perform selfless acts of heroism. Leaving us with just a trickle of hope.
On a lighter note, I find the mapmaker and Thaddicus a most hilarious team, and hope they hit the road with a traveling freak show of sorts. If Zedd ever finished 'questing' he could join them and revive his puppet act!
On a lighter note, I find the mapmaker and Thaddicus a most hilarious team, and hope they hit the road with a traveling freak show of sorts. If Zedd ever finished 'questing' he could join them and revive his puppet act!