This powerful theme of the intertwined nature of reality is scattered throughout every aspect of the plot, from the power system to the stunning overarching message. Firstly, the power system – certain key characters from Jordan’s world are called channelers, and are able to draw from a well of power called the True Source. This True Source displays the central theme in its two distinct sections, saidin and saidar, which are separated between men and women respectively. This concept is concisely explained when Moiraine says, "saidin, the male half of the True Source, and saidar, the female half, work against each other, and at the same time together" (Jordan, p.169). They are also said to work in fundamentally different ways; saidin is a struggle
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When the Dark One is originally locked away, his prison is bound to seven indestructible seals. These seals are decorated with two teardrop shapes, one black and one white, that resemble a yin yang. They’re described as “half white and half black… mated teardrops” (Jordan, p.67). The fact that they are described as “mated” only adds to their dual nature, giving the impression that light and dark are really just two parts of one whole. The second of the symbols is the ruined city of Shadar Logoth, originally named Aridhol. During the War of the Shadow, thousands of years before the events of ‘The Wheel of Time,’ the city was a prosperous place devoted to doing good. However, a man named Mordeth appeared in the city and soon became the King’s most trusted advisor. Through careful manipulation, Mordeth was able to convince the city that they needed to fight the shadow to the exclusion of all else. This soon became their downfall, as evidenced when Jordan writes “the victory of the light is all. That is the battlecry Mordeth gave them, and the men of Aridhol shouted it while their deeds abandoned the light” (Jordan, p.289). Although their intentions were good, “the darkness of Shadar Logoth” (Jordan, p.780) became something to rival the Dark One himself, indicating that the line between good and evil can be very blurred at times. The symbols of Shadar Logoth and the design of the seals effectively portray the theme of with duality, and elegantly show, again, that good and evil are simply two parts of one
When the Dark One is originally locked away, his prison is bound to seven indestructible seals. These seals are decorated with two teardrop shapes, one black and one white, that resemble a yin yang. They’re described as “half white and half black… mated teardrops” (Jordan, p.67). The fact that they are described as “mated” only adds to their dual nature, giving the impression that light and dark are really just two parts of one whole. The second of the symbols is the ruined city of Shadar Logoth, originally named Aridhol. During the War of the Shadow, thousands of years before the events of ‘The Wheel of Time,’ the city was a prosperous place devoted to doing good. However, a man named Mordeth appeared in the city and soon became the King’s most trusted advisor. Through careful manipulation, Mordeth was able to convince the city that they needed to fight the shadow to the exclusion of all else. This soon became their downfall, as evidenced when Jordan writes “the victory of the light is all. That is the battlecry Mordeth gave them, and the men of Aridhol shouted it while their deeds abandoned the light” (Jordan, p.289). Although their intentions were good, “the darkness of Shadar Logoth” (Jordan, p.780) became something to rival the Dark One himself, indicating that the line between good and evil can be very blurred at times. The symbols of Shadar Logoth and the design of the seals effectively portray the theme of with duality, and elegantly show, again, that good and evil are simply two parts of one