Vetch's Themes In 'A Wizard Of Earthsea'

“Vetch alone ran forward to his friend. So only he saw the lump of shadow that clung to Ged, tearing at his flesh” (85) Perhaps for most people this would be seen as an act of brutality, violence, or even a savage scene where a shapeless form, or so-called “Shadow,” was trying to rip Ged’s flesh apart and maybe kill him. Or perhaps, for some other people, this scene can reflect a marvelous act of love, kindness, and friendship as Vetch was risking his own life in order to save his friend’s. In A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula K. Le Guin, there are some concepts such as; humility, love, kindness, depression, and gratefulness that are well developed all along the story. and they are somehow explainable in Ogion’s personality, Vetch’s Kindly and

Ogion’s profound ability to seek for solutions to any problem in a clever way results of big help when Ged is fighting his shadow. In fact, Ogion was the only one who told Ged to stop being hunted and be the hunter instead. Ogion certainly knew that Ged possessed a power that nobody else had before he went to Roke, and it was Ogion who first witnessed it as Ged invoked the shadow for the first time. As Ogion explained to the Archmage Nemmerle, “I send you one who will be greatest of the wizards of Gont, if the wind blow true” (48) Hence, this statement can also lead us to the conclusion that Ogion knew that something bad would happened if the arts of magic were taught wrongly and unconsciously to the young fellow. Ogion wanted to teach Ged the ability to be patient and to understand the importance of magic as well as the responsibilities that come with it. Sadly, Ged was a very impatient boy and the tedious process of being learning how to be patient was a very boring and not joyful process in which Ogion was teaching him. As a consequence, Ged’s eagerness of learning and making enchantments made him choose to go to Roke, where he would understand the importance of using magic if and only if it was required in a harsh