Tehanu
The eponymous final chapter begins with a break in narrative voice, leaving Tenar perhaps dreaming in the evil lord’s tower.
Is chapter 14 a dream? The abused child turns into a dragon, the dragon turns into a god, evil is vanquished, good is set free. But, even in the dream, Tenar lives a domestic life with money from her dead husband, in a house left by a father figure, protected by her new husband - all safe and possible because of the King. The little tree dies in response to Tenar’s unanswered questions that comprise the bulk of the novel.
Or have I misunderstood?
Is it different, then, for men and for women?
Like The Left Hand of Darkness, this is a simple to read novel that is actually very complex. The depth and precision of the observation and emotion is amazing. I came to this novel directly from A Wizard of Earthsea, seeking an antidote to that novel’s Platonism - and also found age, the graceful reflection of the former book’s youth.