Inheritance - Realism, or Just Real Dissapointment

First off -- SPOILER ALERT -- If you haven't read Inheritance yet, as I know many of you are fans of the series, you might not want to read this yet, because I'm going to be giving away some major plot points and endings.

Now, about the book. I'll first start off by saying, that my anticipation probably almost matched that of Harry Potter (a hard thing to do) only because this has been the longest wait between books in a series like EVER. I'll say that I enjoyed reading the book, but to what end, I'm not sure. It was a good read, and it had thrilling moments, making me laugh and gasp, but I was still left feeling disappointed. I'm not sure if the enjoyment came from the excitement of finally having the book and finishing the series, or from the quality of the book I was reading. I know that I'm not the first to say this, and definitely not the last, but the ending was a huge let down.  In the series, it was foretold that the main character, Eragon, would have an epic romance before leaving the land forever. But at the end of the series, that romance was tallied up as a few moments alone, a sharing of names, and a hug. A HUG. Really?!? Disappointment. However, this brings me to my point of discussion. After reading the novel, I wanted to reflect on Paolini's purpose and message in the hole series, and whether he was trying to convey this message through utter realism.

Throughout the entire cycle, Paolini sets up his characters to their fates through a series of trials that every hero must go through. The call, the refusal of the call, the supernatural powers, etc etc. However, Eragon's journey was different in that by a few chapters into the first book, his entire future was foretold, and many of the events that would come to pass were given in the beginning. Being a fantasy novel, these aspects are obviously not involved in the Realistic nature of the novel. However, the fact that makes this a Realism novel is the fact that after all the characters go through, they get the fate that was rightfully deserved, even if it was not what the reader necessarily wanted. For example, Arya, after all her work to promote peace among all peoples, and working so closely to restore the dragons to a prospering species, rightfully deserved to become the next Dragon Rider. It also make sense because of all her close work with dragons, and her extreme want to keep peace and help her people. These are all valid reasons why it would choose her. The same goes for probably the biggest disappointment in the cycle, Eragon and Arya's relationship.

The couple have shared many intimate moments from their first contact to the most recent enthralling endeavor against King Galbatorix (who was FINALLY killed). However, not only their roles and duties separate them, but also their ages. No matter how one tries to justify their relationship (be it with Eragon's immortality or their ability to share thoughts), the two are simply to different in experience, maturity, and age to be able to hold a working relationship. They are each destined for different people, if any, ones who match or complete them. Their parting was just because each had their own responsibilities, that, in reality, they would have had to do in order for the world to remain at peace. Each had a duty greater than themselves, and had to overcome whatever they wanted to achieve the greater purpose. There lies Paolini's purpose, I believe. Throughout the whole series, he tests the characters, and sometimes they pass and sometimes they fail. However, they always earn their right to continue on through hard work, and they arrive at the right path, even if it was not the one they originally or still wanted. Paolini tells the reader that what one wants is not always what one needs, and that you must look beyond yourself to the needs of the whole, so that balance, order, and peace can be achieved.

As an aside, I do believe that each of the characters had Realistic endings, but I'm not sure Paolini gave them Realistic trials and solutions. For example, in Eragon's defeat of Galbatorix, I do not believe that in reality, Eragon would have won. I think that is one place that was compromised, because Galbatorix was written as such a powerful character, and Eragon such an underdog, that, even though one roots for the underdog, they do not win. Some other spots such as the Vault of Souls, Cuaroc, and the fact that so many dragon eggs escaped seemed a little outlandish, and almost written as if Paolini just wanted certain parts of the story to turn out for the best, instead of realistically. But, overall, Inheritance and the series was well written and is exciting, witty, and thought-provoking. I would rate the book individually as a 3 out of 5 and the series as a whole as a 4 out of 5.

Keep Calm and Blog On.