Major Themes
The recurring theme of Javan's life is his struggle to overcome extremely difficult obstacles, the first of which is his clubbed foot. From an early age, Javan is forced to deal with not only the physical limitations of his foot, but also the negative opinions of those at court who believe that his deformed foot makes him unworthy to be king. While Javan does not agree with that particular opinion, he does believe that his foot is a sign of divine displeasure, a curse that God inflicted upon him for his father's sins. Nonetheless, Javan refuses to allow the opinions of others (or himself) to deter him from his goals. Despite the pain of his foot, he doggedly takes part in the same martial training as his brothers, determined to become a capable warrior in his own right. In the end, he is ultimately successful, achieving much greater martial prowess than many had believed possible.
Javan's second major obstacle is his battle against the lords of state, and it is another struggle filled with difficult obstacles. When the Regents first come to power, Javan is the underage brother of an underage king, a position which provides him with virtually no authority or power to fight the Regents' avarice. By the time Javan reaches his legal majority, he is a lay brother under religious vows of obedience. Even when Javan eventually becomes king in his own right, the former Regents have had several years to secure their positions of power in the realm. Nonetheless, Javan continues to fight against them at every stage, refusing to back down and allow them to retain control of his family's throne. He uses every available resource and weapon at his command to continue the battle, often forced to fight alone against a group of men much older and much more experienced than him. Although Javan wins several individual battles, he is ultimately unable to win the war, as the Regents are simply too powerful and too numerous for the young king to defeat. Despite his tragic ending, Javan is a heroic figure, often portrayed as fighting for a righteous cause with bravery and courage.
Read more about this topic: Javan Haldane
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