The patriarchal society in the first three books of Earthsea is clearly shown through the description of Roke, and its students. Roke is described as the most powerful, and as far as the reader can tell, only wizarding school where young people go to learn about magic, and harness their true powers. When Ogion is describing Roke, he says, “I will send you to Roke Island where all high arts are taught. Any craft you undertake to learn, you will learn” (A Wizard of Earthsea 32) Ged can go there to get all the magical training that he wants and can learn about his true powers. Even though Roke is great to teach aspiring magicians, Holly Littlefield in her literary criticism points out a small flaw at Roke. “All of the women are dead, or they are
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In the beginning of Tehanu, Roke realizes that it is without a leader because Ged lost his powers and can no longer be the Archmage. There is a prophecy that a woman will help Roke in their time without a leader, and all of the male mages agree that the women will help them in their time without a leader. Tenar shows up but the mages do not realize her immense power. They simply think she is there to help, and say, “Evidently this woman is to guide us, show us the way to our Archmage” (Tehanu 157), very skeptically. Le Guin specifically makes the prophecy vague, to show that males do not accept a woman with power at the time. At this point, Tenar realizes that the prophecy doesn’t mean that that a woman will help them find a Archmage, but a woman will be the leader. Le Guin completely changes the previous notion in the first three books, that only males can be in Roke, and subsequently only males can be the leader of the mages and Earthsea. None of the men can fathom that there will not be an Archmage, but instead a woman that will restore peace to Earthsea. Ged, who is now understanding the feminine ways says, “A woman on Gont can’t become archmage. No woman can be archmage. She’d unmake what she became in becoming it. The Mages of Roke are men-- their power is the power of men, their knowledge is the knowledge of men” (Tehanu
In the beginning of Tehanu, Roke realizes that it is without a leader because Ged lost his powers and can no longer be the Archmage. There is a prophecy that a woman will help Roke in their time without a leader, and all of the male mages agree that the women will help them in their time without a leader. Tenar shows up but the mages do not realize her immense power. They simply think she is there to help, and say, “Evidently this woman is to guide us, show us the way to our Archmage” (Tehanu 157), very skeptically. Le Guin specifically makes the prophecy vague, to show that males do not accept a woman with power at the time. At this point, Tenar realizes that the prophecy doesn’t mean that that a woman will help them find a Archmage, but a woman will be the leader. Le Guin completely changes the previous notion in the first three books, that only males can be in Roke, and subsequently only males can be the leader of the mages and Earthsea. None of the men can fathom that there will not be an Archmage, but instead a woman that will restore peace to Earthsea. Ged, who is now understanding the feminine ways says, “A woman on Gont can’t become archmage. No woman can be archmage. She’d unmake what she became in becoming it. The Mages of Roke are men-- their power is the power of men, their knowledge is the knowledge of men” (Tehanu