So, I admit that saying that my favourite scenes of my favourite character are when she’s at her lowest definitely sounds really bizarre, but I have my reasons! For starters, I think these scenes of Elain after she came out of the Cauldron, but before she’s revealed as a Seer are so beautifully well-written: Elain’s sudden, and vague words paired with her tiny movements effectively give the impression that she’s so incredibly lost at this moment in her life, unable to even discern her “dreams” from her reality.
Beyond the beautiful, and tragic writing, though, I also love these scenes because they’re incredibly telling of both Elain’s character, and how others view her. Everyone assumes that there’s not more to Elain than what meets the eye: she’s as beautiful within as she is without, yet completely helpless, and oblivious. While being well-liked, no one really bothers to see past their beliefs of who Elain is to actually see her for who she truly is. Everyone sees Elain’s inherent gentle, kind, and hopeful nature as weakness, vulnerability, and naivety when that couldn’t be further from the truth. After losing so much, Elain could’ve lashed out in anger, but she chooses to just quietly grieve her losses instead. Despite being haunted by her mysterious visions, she still chooses to use them to aid the people around her. And, when she’s drowning in her sorrow, she chooses to seek out any sliver of light she can to help her find the light within herself again. No matter what life throws her way, Elain’s innate light is persevering―and that is true strength.