Everyone has their own
story of the past and Ged, one of the greatest sorcerers in Earthsea’s history,
is not an exception. The Wizard of
Earthsea, the first book of The Tales
from Earthsea series, is about Ged’s early years, when he was still an
obscure young wizard.
On the island of Gont,
one boy was found to be unprecedentedly talented in magic. His name is Ged. He
is taught under Ogion, the Mage of Re Albi, but he is unsatisfied and decides
to go to the school of Roke. Ged’s gift in magic excels even at the school of
wizards, but because his desire to learn he fails to notice the most important rule
for wizards to keep in mind. One day, Ged,
highly offended by his rival, and uses the forbidden curse to summon the dead
spirit. However, the spell had
an unexpected side effect. In compensation for breaking the rule of magic, Ged
is chased down by a ferocious “shadow”.
“The world is balance,
in Equilibrium. A wizard’s power of Changing and of Summoning can shake the
balance of the world. It is most perilous.” (p. 48)
For Ged whom ignored
the Equilibrium of the world, are there no other ways but to continue fleeing
from the “shadow”?
Graduating from the
school of Roke, Ged enlarges his experience. After carrying out his task to
negotiate with a dragon to leave from a human island, Ged finally makes up his
mind to face the “shadow”. Through his journey, Ged finds his own answer of
what he must do.
This is a story of one
young wizard trying to right the wrong he had done, and reinstate the balance
of the dead and alive.
Before I read this
book, I was expecting this to be similar to other fantasy stories such as Harry
Potter series. However as I went on reading this book, I noticed that in Ged’s
world, magic should not be used casually, and is not at all akin to any other
books I have read so far. The world of Earthsea is constructed carefully to the
details. The aspect of this world, that sacrifice would occur if you act
impetuously, can be the same in our world. Everything you do, everything that
exists that may seem beneficial for you, might not truly be so. Consider
carefully before you act, is what I think the lesson this book is trying to express.
Le Guin has also
created elaborate settings of the characters, which took part in making the
story more enjoyable. In The Wizard of
Earthsea, Ged’s mental conflict is described in detailed, and you can see
how Ged has mentally grown up throughout the book.
I hope you find delight
in reading The Wizard of Earthsea as I
did.
