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- #61
I think Mark Lawrence is a victim of our evolving definition of "14 year old." He's writing a story that mimics the middle ages' ethics and morals. Fourteen year olds were young men. Most readers associate that age with the term "teenagers." This is where most of the "dark" is derived from. They see a boy doing what Jorge does, not a man. They see a "child soldier."
This speaks volumes of who we've become. We are now labeling 23 year old men leaving college as "kids." Kids! What the...?
That's another thread for another day.
Ankari, this is a very interesting point. I do think in today's society there is more of a protectiveness over youth that didn't exist back then. Fourteen year olds fought in wars and got married. It was pretty common. I guess sometimes my own pre-conceived notions of fourteen year olds I've met or when what I was like back then factored into my reading of the story at first. However, as I went on, I had to keep reminding myself this was a guy who matured very quickly due to the deaths of his mother and brother and spent several years on the road "growing up" as well. It's kind of strange that he seems more like a kid at court than he did on the road. I guess that reflects his own discomfort with court life.