Explaining Arya

A depiction of Ellesméra, Arya's home town in Eragon's Guide to Alagaësia

In my last post, I had defended the Inheritance Cycle by explaining how the views about it were skewed. I did that piece after having read the 3 released books of the Inheritance Cycle over and over for many times and while painstakingly waiting for the fourth book to be released. But that which made me write it were the various Anti-Eragon articles floating around the web in the form of blogs, bulletin boards, etc. Usually I don't read reviews of books that I read. I judge them by myself. But in the case of the Inheritance Cycle, I had to wait a lot for the fourth book and I was impatient. So I went ahead and read many fan-fictions and reviews about the series. That brought me into light about the harsh treatment meted out to the series. I had to questions the things that I took for granted (because I felt them to be right) against the questions asked about the series in the various anti-Eragon articles. It was (really) quite helpful for such an outlook brought the reasons for my feeling of rightness from the back of my mind to its fore. I made a summary of those reasons in the previous post.

  You may also have noticed that I said that Arya was my most favourite character of the series. How she became my favourite is actually a very amusing story: 'Arya' is a Sanskrit word meaning 'The Noble One'. I, being an Indian was obviously more familiar with the name and hence found an immediate attachment to that character. But that was not all: I, myself, am a very polite person and her character resembled mine in many ways. The last statement may seem a common one. But in this case, it takes prominence for people berate Arya's character to be impractical. I know that such a statement cannot nullify the claims made by so many people. But at least try to understand that there are people on this earth who don't feel like opening up to people as soon as they become acquaintances or even friends. Yes!! I don't tell much about me to even my friends. I take my time and I confide only in a handful of people. I don't see the need to lay bare my affections to people always. But I do have love for my friends as deep as they have for me. It is in this respect that I see myself in Arya.

  Now let me explain Arya's behaviour from the story's perspective:

• Let me make guesses at how she was in her younger days from the vague descriptions given in the book. Arya would have been a keen and strong student of Oromis, being the princess and would have got a fair idea about the crimes of Galbatorix from him.  Also the death of her father(Evandar) at the hands of the Forsworn would have kindled her to oppose Galbatorix directly. But her mother would have opposed her decision to join the Varden as the Elven Ambassador feeling protective of her only daughter. But Arya was resolved and rebelled against her mother for which the queen would have banished her from her presence in desperation. This act by the queen would have hurt Arya so much and made her lonely and she would have dealt with her loneliness by her own, thus getting adept at hiding her feelings quite well although it was a trait that all elves had. Being alone among the "mortal" races for 50 years(70, actually. 20 of which she spent with Faolin and Glenwing) would have further hardened her not to mention facing so many deaths and trying situations with the Varden. That would have made her secretive just like Brom. Also most people among the Varden must have looked upon her with awe and thus kept away from her which would  have bothered her, but she coped with all those situations quite well by becoming a woman of solitary disposition. Through all these she would have had one friend in Fäolin who understood her(Brisingr-Chapter: Shadows of the past - "Once, I had someone to talk to, someone who understood what I was and where I came from."). Keep in mind that all these were mere speculations by me from the facts given the book. But I think they are most likely true.
• At the start of the Series, she is ambushed by Durza where she loses Faolin to an Urgal arrow and didn't even get time to mourn him for she was tortured in the most despicable way for no less than 5 months. She lost all her hope and will of survival (Brisingr-Chapter: Shadows of the past: I thought, ‘Now I must surely die as well.’) but was kept alive just to be tortured for information that she would never have given away and that which she never gave away. She went to brink of insanity in her own words.
• Even after she was rescued and revived from the poison that nearly killed her, she didn't have time to recuperate from her losses for she had matters of politics and war to see to. So she bottled up her sorrows and dark thoughts in her mind which rendered her aloof and cold. Not everybody can do this. Arya did because she was strong and not because she was devoid of emotions(as many people take it)-it was only her will to control such strong emotions, that made her fight in the Battle of Farthen Dur and hence help Eragon kill Durza. Her feelings for Eragon during this time was just gratefulness(for rescuing her) and protectiveness(for being Saphira's rider) whereas Eragon has a crush toward her.
• In Eldest, she gets angry(a big blow to people who keep on telling that she doesn't get angry over anything)at Eragon when she thinks that he accepts the council of elder's proposal that he should swear fealty to the Varden. Then while returning to Ellesmera, she gets nervous and afraid, an obvious reaction for she goes home to show that she isn't dead with the one who would change everything about the raging war. Because of that she speaks harshly to Eragon. Not that she wished to slap him whenever he tried to talk to her as many people have been telling. But after she sees the true concern that he shows, she relents and even admits to him that she was afraid: this act shows that she is more friendly to Eragon for she would never accept that she was afraid to anybody else, not even to her mother.
• After reaching Ellesméra, Arya relaxes a bit(Eldest-Chapter: Under the Menoa Tree: the brittle tension that had permeated her demeanor ever since Eragon first met her was now gone.) and seeks out Eragon and wanders through Ellesméra with him. She enjoys his friendship. But still she doesn't confide in him(Eldest-Chapter: Queen Islanzadi: Why should she— who was a diplomat, a princess, an elf, and older than both his father and grandfather, whoever they were—confide in him, a sixteen-year-old human?). That was because she was used to her privacy and solitude.(Eldest-Chapter: Queen Islanzadi: My thoughts are my own, Eragon.) Even then, surely but slowly she was warming up to Eragon's company.(Eldest-Chapter: Under the Menoa Tree:“Ask Saphira. She can tell you.” “I want to hear it from you,” she said quietly.) That was until Eragon goes and professes his feelings for her. At first, she tries to ignore his advances but when she sees the depth of his fascination she is frightened of the consequences(Eldest-Chapter: Image of perfection: Even if you were a fit match, Arya would refrain from encouraging you so that you could devote all of your energy to the task at hand. She would sacrifice her happiness for the greater good.) and avoids him. But once he apologizes she doesn't send him away just by accepting the apology, she is concerned about his health and ensures that their friendship shall endure.They meet again as they did before his displays of love and share details of their life to one another. But only after he so openly proposes her does she reprimand his action and says that their friendship must cease until he gets his feelings under control (Eragon-chapter: In a starry Glade: "My feelings for you are those of a friend and nothing more. I am grateful to you for rescuing me from Gil’ead, and I find your company pleasant. That is all… Relinquish this quest of yours"). She rejects him ,yes, but not in a cold or uncaring way that people tend to put it. She clearly says that she likes his company. Then after he says he was sorry for the way he acted, she accepts his apology and reconciles with him and stands by him in his distress(It was Arya who first comforts Ergon over his parentage even though Nasuada & even Roran were there). Thus Arya's feelings toward Eragon have become those of a friend rather than the cold rejecter that people tend to take. She doesn't reject him for lack of emotions on her part but because of reluctance and fear to accept the affections of a young man on whom so much depends. The image of coldness that people associate with Arya come from the intense scenes where she rejects Eragon's advances. She did the best she could in those circumstances. In the whole of Eldest, Arya was subject to intense feelings that she couldn't relax at all hence the image of coldness.
• In Brisingr, when she finds out that Eragon is in danger's way, she goes to him. Some people took it as a character shift that wasn't natural. But I don't see any shift in Arya's character here. She had been protective of Eragon since they had met and she now considered him a friend: would you allow a friend to die just because he/she sees you as a little more than a friend? Once they meet, they have a discussion about morality and finally she accepts his view of the situation against her former beliefs(Brisingr-chapter: Mercy, Dragon Rider: “It ought to be, but it isn’t. . . . I am ashamed to be instructed in morality by one with so much less experience. Perhaps I have been too certain, too confident of my own choices.”). Here she sees his maturity. Perhaps, that and the fact that they were alone and free of troubles made her open up herself to him. But even then she doesn't lay bare her life before him; she is defensive and reluctant to speak at first, but after he points out that she had been distant from everybody(Brisingr-chapter:Shadows of the past: "but you do not seem that close to anyone. Where you walk, you walk alone, even among your own people."), she contemplates for a long while before she speaks of her past injuries to him. And he never tried to press his suit and that would have made her more comfortable for she had already said that she found his company "pleasing". The occasional awkward moments that she has are due to her indecision about the way she has to behave around him. She obviously, likes Eragon and now it seems that she fears that there maybe more to her own feelings toward him than friendship. And she fully trusts Eragon now, seen from her allowing herself to fall into his arms during miserable times.

  I wrote this only  after I saw truly despicable comments about Arya's character like:

• Arya never showed (or even had) a personality.
• Arya's emotions are shallow and pathetically done. They only exist to emphasise her beauty and facilitate the Eragon/Arya ship. Again if the best she can manage after all she's been through is a few "tears of silvered glass" being added to her stone face, than a Vulcan she is. No question. She's never been angry. She's been cold, but never angry. She's never been anything but calm, even when tear shedding. (That ain't crying, that's Mary Sue tear shedding, like how a snake sheds their nasty skin).

  I want to emphasise  that Arya's character is nothing like the above points say. Hers is a complex and truly amazing character. She is being mysterious and beautiful because she is those in Eragon's eyes. I actually became indignant by reading such things but it can't be helped; people have their own opinions. Her character may seem to people as being badly made because of her rejections of Eragon's advances and mainly because of the badly made Eragon movie that greatly skewed up Arya's character.

  Let me explain the main reasons for Arya to act/seem the way she does:

• We see her from Eragon's POV: hence she is always the most beautiful: I mean, come on, will any adorer see his lady love to be a lowly beauty?
• We see her from Eragon's POV: hence she is always perfect
• We see her from Eragon's POV: hence her real emotions are hidden-for she is mysterious to him.
• She has gone through so much trying times around the happenings of the series, hence her cold demeanor.
• She is an Elf and elves always are polite and impassive.(But not devoid of emotions; they hide it)
• We would have known much if the chapters were from her perspective, but Christopher wanted Arya to be mysterious. So we can't complain.

In her own words:
“You say I walk alone. Elves do not incline toward the open displays of friendship humans and dwarves favor, and I have ever been of a solitary disposition. But if you had known me before Gil’ead, if you had known me as I was, you would not have considered me so aloof. Then I could sing and dance and not feel threatened by a sense of impending doom.” 

The chapter "Shadows of the past" in Brisingr explains her earlier behaviour quite clearly. But if the person who wrote:"Arya's emotions are shallow and pathetically done. They only exist to emp..." wants to see a person with  emotions as shallow and pathetic as Arya's, you can come see me and I am proud to have such kinds of emotions.