Reviews of The Soulforge (Dragonlance: The Raistlin Chronicles, Book 1)

This book is truly a treat to read. The Soulforge is the epic story of Raistlin and Caramon's childhood to the meeting of the fabled Companions, but most notably Raistlin's initiation and inclusion to the ranks of mages.
In this book, the reader gets an in-depth look at what made Raistlin become the character we first got to know in the Chronicles and the Legends trilogy.

However, contrary to typical and usual book reviews, in this I will attempt to dissect Raistlin's character in a more psychological way.
The archmage was not born evil, nor is anyone for that matter. No person is automatically evil; situations, circumstances and choices are what render any attributes onto someone, making them who they are.  Therefore, this review and explanation is from my own point of view, psycho-analysis, research, and even experience - as it is for those that have read the books can sometimes relates to the archmage, even to the point of cheering him on at times. Though we may find ourselves loving him, and hating him - this is my attempt at clarifying the whys and hows of what made Raistlin Majere. Subsequently, I hold no claim of being a psychologist! Included is merely my own opinion, observation, deductive logic; I surmise what might be.


To start off with, there is one piece in the book that I found a bit too much - Raistlin's "extra" wisdom and knowledge when he first meets Antimodes. I found the description Margaret gave Raistlin at that point in the book to be excessive.
The paragraph reads:

"These blue eyes gave nothing, expected nothing. They held too much knowledge. They had seen too much in their six years - too much sorrow, too much pain. They had looked beneath the bed and discovered that there really were monsters lurking in the shadows."

At this point in the book, Raistlin is only six years old. Psychologically, a child's memory at that age probably goes back only a few years due to mental development, to say the least, and minimal circumstances (wars hadn't broken out, plague had not ravaged Solace, thieves/murders had not ravaged the town, he wasn’t abused by his parents, siblings, etc).At the most, Raistlin would remember events of when he was very young, but had no mental abilities to define them, analyze them and work them out to come to any conclusion that would have a negative effect on him such as the description above portrays him. No child could gain such wisdom as such, either.

One of Raistlin's most prominent characteristic is to be extremely introverted. He rarely shares details of himself or his interests, to say the least. An example of this is found in The Soulforge when Margaret paints a truly accurate picture of both Caramon and Raistlin and how different they are:

"Raistlin's views toward people had changed over the years. Once he had sought to be loved and admired, much as his brother was loved and admired. Now, as Raistlin had come to understand himself, he faced the fact that he would never win the type of regard given his twin. In the house of Caramon's soul, the door stood always wide open, the window shutters were flung wide, the sun shone daily, anyone was welcome. There was not much furniture in Caramon's house. Visitors could see into every corner.
The house of Raistlin's soul was far different. The door was kept barred, opened only a crack to visitors, and then only a very few were permitted to cross the threshold. Once there, they were not allowed to come much farther. His windows were shut and shuttered. Here and there a candle gleamed, a warm spot in the darkness. His house was filled with furniture and objects strange and wonderful, but it was not messy or cluttered. He could instantly lay his hand on whatever was needed. Visitors could not find his corners, much less pry into them. Small wonder they never liked to stay long, were reluctant to return."

Here, we see how Raistlin is constantly aware of the differences between himself and Caramon. It pains him that Caramon doesn't realize the differences, how he isn't even visibly aware of them, if at least to not take them for granted. This is part of Raistlin's love/hate relationship with Caramon - lack of appreciation by comparison. To be constantly surrounded by that which you want and need, yet repeatedly denied is cause of one's transformation to bitterness, if at least to some extent.


Onto page 46, we see Raistlin faking illness after the boys pranked him that resulted in Raistlin falling off his stool and Master Theobald has hit him. Raistlin is discovering that he enjoys the attention, their fears and discomfort. These are basic reactions to Raistlin because he has no physical advantages over anyone at this point. He is too small, frail and underdeveloped; thus begins, or greatly extends, his mental development, his manipulation skills because they are his only suitable means of defense.
In his mind, how he justifies this length of defensive measure is by comparing physical aspects as well as additional factors. These factors can be extra people, for example Gordo has Devon and "minions" to back the bully up; Raistlin has only himself. It's a classic "get them at all cost to avoid further altercations in the future". Defensive measures are rarely, if ever, by choice. This is the fundamental step Raistlin has had to take in order to simply "be", or be himself - at least when outside his comfort zone.


However, when we reach page 53, where Antimodes talks with Raistlin in Master Theobald's room, we see how Raistlin views the other boys by saying, in response to Antimodes's apology, "They can't rise to my level, and so they want to drag me down to theirs. Sometimes, they hurt me".
This is the direct result of being introverted and forcibly isolated. Raistlin has been spending time with himself, forced to face, without much guidance, darker sides of himself and/or of other people. It is by mischance and misfortune that he has been left to wander this step of his journey alone. Had someone Raistlin appreciates, respects and/or admires, such Antimodes even, Raistlin would have deviated from this course, or at least alter it in some way that could have change his perception. However, as we learn later on, the perception he develops only increases as he continues further down his solitary journey.
We see this "switch" in Raistlin (from bitterness, cynicism and defense) when he talks with Antimodes. We read about Raistlin with a "mischievous" grin, a smile and descriptions by Margaret such as "...Then suddenly, the boy was a boy again. 'I may have told Caramon the spellbook was real'..."
This foreshadows the Raistlin we get to know in Dragons Of Autumn Twilight. For example, when he meets Bupu and is unfailingly gentle with her: his defense is lowered. Or later on in The Soulforge when he spends time with Lemuel, he is less sarcastic. Raistlin himself ponders this - why he is sarcastic and bitter with Caramon, who is incessantly gentle with Raistlin, compared to Raistlin being amiable with Lemuel, or even with Master Horkin in Brothers In Arms who clearly tells Raistlin he doesn't care about him, yet treats him as an equal for which Raistlin appreciates.
This is the result of a core behaviour in Raistlin - his hatred for being pitied. Antimodes doesn't openly pity Raistlin, doesn't smile with him because he has to, but smiles because he enjoys time spent with the boy, which is acceptable by Raistlin's standards, therefore the reason for his actions at this point in the book - although that changes very quickly when Antimodes asks Raistlin about Caramon and his possible talent for magic.
Raistlin feels utter betrayal at this point. The reason is simple: a combination of defense and regret. These feelings makes him mad, not entirely at the question Antimodes asked Raistlin, but at being (or feeling) a fool to have lowered his defenses, to have opened himself up regardless of past negative experiences that resound a loud "I should have known!" in Raistlin's mind and heart. His need to have people like him for him, not for anything, or ANYONE, is vital to Raistlin, but not apparent. However, at this point, he realizes that Antimodes, albeit very innocently, wants to bring Caramon into the picture, and Raistlin knows, or thinks he knows but feels very strongly, that if Caramon were present in the current situation, Caramon would get all the attention - leaving Raistlin hurt and alone, left to ponder why people can't simply take the time see things in him, to have a genuine interest in him the way others have with Caramon. Raistlin would be left alone, and forced to see, once again, how different he is compared to others, especially Caramon, whom everybody immediately loves. Thus the continuation down his bitter road and continuation of darker developments, increasing his cynicism and his self-defense, reducing his will and chances at letting others get close to him. This also starts a catch-22 in Raistlin: in order to like him, you must get close to him. He wants you to like him, but he will not, out of past negative and hurtful experiences, let you get close to him right away. You walk away because he appears unlikeable. He sees you walk away and it increases his bitterness, cynicism, sarcasm, etc., when all along, all that's needed is time. Caramon doesn't require this time of people to like him due to his natural positive charisma. Raistlin knows this and this is part of his jealousy towards Caramon.
Raistlin doesn't want to be automatically and naturally defensive. He wishes he could be like Caramon, and even that feeling fuels his bitterness. Raistlin despises feeling pity, above all for himself. He despises the possibility, and reality, of being weak - physically or mentally. He despises being dependent on others, most notably Caramon, to be indebted to someone, for anything.
 

Page 61 - We find Raistlin having given up hope long ago of eventually looking like his twin. He could have been the better looking, but for his eyes. They held the gaze too long, stared too deeply, saw too much, and there was always the faint hint of scorn in them, for he saw clearly the shams and artifices and absurdities of people and was both amused and disgusted with them.
This is a result of lost of innocence and a desire to have it back, if at least in part. The fact of knowing there is no turning back contributes greatly, therefore an addition to the love/hate with Caramon and why Raistlin repeatedly mocks him for being slow, dimwitted, stupid, etc. It's an action to temporarily sooth the pain. As Raistlin himself says in Brothers In Arms, it's like medicine from his tea: bad going down, but a warm feeling pervades after.
Raistlin is instead angry at himself, in a very subtle way, for being weak to want to be innocent again.

Page 64 shows Raistlin incapable of believing Judith doing her deed for free and question why until even Caramon snaps. Raistlin has every reason NOT to trust and believe this because he has very little experience in the opposite side of the situation. However, this does, strangely to an extent, help Raistlin develop an increase in intelligence by constantly trying to figure out angles despite any situation - good or bad. It's written that he cannot accept anyone being so gracious, but this is also because of his desire of wanting these exact things for himself (people doing good deeds, but onto him) and constantly not getting it.

Page 68 – Before the last paragraph: "triumphant gaze", when he looks at the class before he starts his presentation, and after Jon Farnish gets hurt, is crucial as part of the sentence because this is exactly how Raistlin feels on so many levels - physical and emotional. Physical because he has defeated them all by slipping the plant unaware, by inflicting immense pain on Jon Farnish, as a punishment and hope to have Jon Farnish realize what they are doing to Raistlin. Intellectually, because his intelligence in class is superior to all of them and they know it. Emotional, because now they know what he can do, they tell him that by lowering their eyes, averting their faces; realizing to what length he can go. He is also pleased with himself for not feeling bad. The last thing he would want is to regret defending himself and ensure the continuation of such pain.

Page 72 describes us how Raistlin is feeling towards Gilon and Rosamun's rekindling in their relationship and also how Judith is friendly with everyone, albeit very reserved and watchful around Raistlin for reasons unknown yet. However, Raistlin has noticed that they (Caramon, Judith, Gilon and Rosamun) are a family, spending time together and he doesn't feel a part of it. He has been invited, but chose to remain outside the family circle. This is based on a disappointment felt inside Raistlin for losing, in a way, his mother - the only person he truly cares for and can relate to. He feels disappointment because, as a family by themselves, they don't take an interest in him and his own interests. Raistlin feels he has invested, and keeps doing so, in his studies. He would love to share and talk about it to such an extent that it create the opposite effect resulting in withdrawing himself from them, and reinforces that withdrawal because of their lack of interest. He sees that they are not willing to spend time with him, and so he, in return, will not take time away from his studies - at this point, his studies are the only thing that give him pleasure and reward; he will not risk losing it, as a resonating feature of his self-defense and fuel for his passion about magic.

At this point in the book, Raistlin has developed his major characteristics we have come to know in all the other books, but yet still in part. However, on page 102, Margaret describes a side of Raistlin that is his true nature, a clear and precise definition of the real Raistlin Majere. As stated at the beginning of this review, Raistlin was never born evil or willfully became evil. Forced choices, unchancy circumstances, the incapability of others to accept his interests, his point of views, opinions, lack of time taken to get to know him the way a person gets to know a "friendlier" person has made Raistlin what he is at this point in the book. He is unlikeable to most because of his constant guarding ways, his ever-self-defensive actions. However, when Rosamun has fallen very deeply into a trance following Gilon's death, we see Raistlin taking care of his mother with unfailing gentleness and patience. He talks to her constantly, telling her funny stories about the pranks the boys played at school, telling her about his own hopes and dreams, telling her about his herb garden and the plants he grew there. All things Raistlin does NOT do with anyone else, at any of the times and books we can read about him. Raistlin is extremely close to his mother for so many reasons, and as aforementioned, she is the only one he would ever open up to. His ties to his mother are both a blessing and an eventual partial downfall. However, suffice to say that Raistlin is, very clearly, "human", and feels a lot, regardless of him not showing it to anyone else. The fact that Raistlin even mentions the pranks played by the boys at school is showing us that, even though he tries hard to suppress and wants to be above it, he does care and is aware of even those he is hurt by. By talking to his mother, he is releasing those emotions, handling them and facing them. Just because he doesn't do that with anyone else, for aforementioned reasons described throughout this review, shouldn't make him less than any other person.

We also see a very accurate portrait of Caramon. Even though we come to learn that, throughout their lives, Caramon has taken care of Raistlin and suffered a lot for it, he had done so because it made him feel good. As Tas pointed out in the Legends trilogy: "Caramon only cares for Caramon", and Raistlin knew that. But, this wasn't entirely faulty, nor was it reason to take away what and how he felt for his brother. Caramon really is the only one who knows Raistlin, precisely the way he says it:

"Caramon stood in the doorway, watching the two of them. Raistlin sat beside his mother's bed, brushing out her long hair and reciting to her stories of her own girlhood in Palanthas.
You think you know my brother, Caramon said, talking silently to a line of faces. You, Master Theobald, and you, Jon Farnish, and you, Sturm Brightblade, and all the rest of you. You call him 'Sly' and 'Sneak'. You say he's cold and calculating and unfeeling. You think you know him. I know him. Caramon's eyes filled with tears. I know him. I'm the only one."

I really love the poignant way Margaret wrote that. We see the brothers in such a different light. We see them far differently than in the other books because of their shared, traumatizing experience - their first, in fact. And even though Raistlin has told Caramon so many times "you never understood me" (i.e.: Dragons Of Autumn Twilight, War Of The Twins), Caramon does understand Raistlin. It's just that Caramon doesn't want to admit to everything he understands about Raistlin. This doesn't change what he understands about the mage, merely how he reacts to it and handles it in his own life.

More things that made Raistlin the eventual dark archmage that we got to know in the Chronicles and the Legends trilogies is how he was faced with the death of his parents combined with how he had to adapt at that point in his life (leading up to the death of his parents) that developed his sarcastic, defensive and cynical characteristics. Raistlin has developed an inquisitive mind that is not bordered and limited - a classic attribute rendered onto introvert personalities. Margaret shows us this side of him throughout questions Raistlin is asking himself:

"He could not feel the bedclothes under him. He could not feel the blanket that covered him. He had no weight or substance. Was this what it was like in that coffin? In that grave? To feel nothing, ever again? To know nothing? Life, the world, the people in the world go on, and you know nothing, forever surrounded by a cold and empty, silent darkness?"

This is truly not a typical set of questions that goes through an extroverted type mind, or a casual, easy-going type mind. Raistlin is forced and set on facing what most would consider dark thoughts directly and invariably. This constant action manifests within Raistlin a sub-behaviour, an automatic process, we see outwardly by his arrogance. None of the other Companions exhibit this kind of behaviour, or any inclination on this type of questioning, and the reason being simply that they fear it too much, and have no need to face such questions and answers because they are surrounded by others to alleviate and give different, and/or lesser, meaning to such questions. However, in Raistlin's case, and again as an additional explanation about his arrogance, sarcasm, defensive nature, he has no one to share these feelings and questions with comfortably. And, more so, the loss of his beloved mother, the only person he was remotely close, only unleashes a barrage of dark questions in his mind. He is faced to answer them alone, and answer them without any confirmation of it being the right or wrong answer. This can only be a small wonder why Raistlin grew more distant and bitter.

But sidestepping a bit from analyzing Raistlin, there's a paragraph in the book that writes about Raistlin detailing the story of Magius and Huma to Caramon when they talk about Lady Anna Brightblade having considered taking the brothers in, but only if Raistlin doesn't continue with his studies because of old Solamnic slurs against magic-users. And, I must point out; it's something that recurs in other Dragonlance books, even though I don't list them here. At any rate, the issue is how the story about Magius and Huma contains the part of how Huma permitted/ordered from then on that magic-users can use weapons. How the hell can anyone outside the Conclave of High Sorcery decree this and that? It's hard to imagine wizards simply saying, after grand-old Huma generously given them permission, "Finally! We can wear a concealed knife!"  Besides, what would have happened if a mage wielded a weapon? They had a Knights Of Solmania Police-Against-Wizards-Wielding-Weapons specific squad? Wizards would pay fines? At any rate, it’s merely another one of my very few beefs with the entire Dragonlance story from Margaret and Tracy.

Further along, we get to see how Raistlin has, according to Flint's point of view, provoked a fight between Sturm and Caramon, when they visit Flint and Raistlin engages the dwarf in a theological discussion. Margaret wrote that Raistlin's smile was not one of pleasure, when Sturm and Caramon are fighting, but one of disdain and derisive. Explaining this reaction of Raistlin is quite simple: Sturm has always, and will continue to do so, mock Raistlin, if at least in a silent and arrogant way. In fact, the two are quite similar characteristically when it comes to this - both are arrogant in their views. However, Raistlin is the smarter of the two, and Sturm, against everything inside him, knows this but refuses throughout all of his life to acknowledge it - except maybe once in Dragons Of Winter Night when he says he misses even Raistlin (when the Companions are separated and times are very dark and gloomy), and that he could explain this (the situation, the dragonorb, etc). At any rate, back at the comment at hand: Raistlin's disdain and derisive smile is brought upon by realization of triumphant control and manipulation. He realizes what his control and intelligence can bring him and how he can use it. In this case, he uses it to make Caramon and Sturm, best friends, fight, regardless of where they are and about what. He controls Caramon as his well-trained dog, as well as he controls Sturm, by having him lose his temper and rages against Caramon. In this, I personally believe, Raistlin has done well. Part of what made Raistlin how we know him is by people's uneducated reactions towards him, and Sturm is probably the worst of them all. This is not a personal comment against Sturm, but rather how they were both intended to be written as such characters. Sturm was initially written as an unlikable character in Dragons Of Autumn Twilight to an admirable character in Dragons Of Winter Night to show his progression in both the knighthood and around other people (by accepting elves, dwarves, kender, etc). Raistlin, too, is written in a progressive way, albeit in a different direction we don't notice directly. His character is too complex to be analyzed the way we can with Sturm Brightblade, or even Tanis Half-Elven. But that complexity doesn't remove his progression and reasons.

On page 154, we read about the famous first meeting of all the Companions. Kitiara and Tanis arrive together and meet Flint who is teaching Caramon and Sturm how to fight, and using Tasslehoff as a goblin to demonstrate some techniques while Raistlin watches on. But, during that meeting, we see a reaction of Raistlin's about Tanis that isn't pleasant. It seems like an irrational reaction to most, I'm sure, but here's the reason behind it: Tanis is surprised that there's a connection between all of them; Kitiara knew Sturm before, Raistlin and Caramon are half-brothers, while Tanis, Tas and Flint are already friends. Therein Tanis utters the words "Kit and I meet by chance on the road. We become friends, and then I arrive home to find her brothers and my best friends have become friends! This meeting was fated, that's all there is to it." To which Raistlin, in his naturally quick-thinking, analytical and intelligent mind replies with an innocent question: "For a meeting to be fated implies that something significant must come of it in the future. Do you foresee such an occurrence, sir?"  It's a natural question, for one with such a mind. And it's, as stated before, in all innocence. It's also very polite; the way Raistlin includes the "sir" in his question, displaying respect for Tanis immediately. Raistlin is acting quite well at this point. However, because the rest of the Companions aren't up to par with Raistlin's high level way of thinking, they are (mostly Tanis) taken aback. That’s fine, up to this point. There's no harm in that. But Kitiara makes the big mistake of interrupting and taking Tanis's "side", when Tanis replies to Raistlin that he's not sure, he merely meant it as a light joke. Kitiara takes the half-elf's side by "shoving" Raistlin aside with the words "Don't mind Raistlin, Tanis. He's a deep thinker. The only one in the family, by the way. Stop being so serious, will you? I like this man and I don't want you scaring him off". Raistlin has an immediately combination of thoughts that trigger reactions : betrayal by his sister, abandoned by his sister, ridicule from his sister and an order from his sister for having done something "bad", such as speaking his mind, respectively, and getting punished for it. Additionally, Raistlin realizes that Kit and Tanis are more than friends; they are lovers. He feels "uncomfortable and embarrassed", as Margaret writes. Which is perfectly logical considering he unintentionally laid himself bare and open and receives this from Kitiara out of something so innocent. Then he suddenly "disliked the half-elf intensely". Why? Because of a few things. Tanis didn't stop Kitiara from what she said and did. Tanis could have returned the kindness Raistlin showed and still answer the question, albeit it possibly being lame. But also, Raistlin is shown once again what he cannot have - a relationship, especially a friendship with someone (Tanis) from whom he could learn a lot (such as we see how Tanis and Raistlin are alike in subsequent books).

Next up, we have the part about Raistlin and Miranda. Truly a defining moment in Raistlin's life and is character development. It starts off when Caramon tells Raistlin he needs a girl, to which Raistlin rebuffs his twin immediately. Yet, we read about how Raistlin can't understand girls, how he compares their unfathomable ways to unreadable tomes of the highest mages, whereas Caramon, who is in some many ways as dense as a fallen log, can talk to them and dance with them. This alone is a reflection of Raistlin's complete defensive nature compared to the easy-going Caramon. Caramon has never felt around girls the way Raistlin feels: even though they listen to him politely enough, he secretly wonders if behind those sparkling eyes, they're not laughing at him. To define why Raistlin thinks this way is purely defensive, but more so in a way that he shields himself from any (or tries to, as much as possible) harm. In this case, the harm would be in disappointment should the girl be not interested in him and therefore having Raistlin open up and feeling vulnerable for nothing. Instinctively, he raises his defense and attributes onto others faults and negative characteristics so that, in the case of such failures, Raistlin has reasons why and they are not related to himself. It's far easier to blame someone else than oneself in this case, and this is a recurring action in Raistlin's behaviour - the ability to point out every flaw, albeit totally accurately most of the time, in order to give failures reasons and merit to shift the blame. This, in turn, in this situation, causes Raistlin to examine himself compared to Caramon and the analogy that Margaret provides is great:

Raistlin recalls a story Tasslehoff had told them about a dwarf coming upon a slumbering red dragon. The dwarf attacked the sleeping dragon with ax and sword, hammered at it for hours until he was exhausted. The dragon never even woke up. Yawning, the dragon rolled over in its sleep and squashed the dwarf flat.
Raistlin empathized with that dwarf. He felt as if he were constantly battling his twin, only to have Caramon roll over on him and crush him. Caramon was the better looking, the better liked, the better trusted. Raistlin was "deep," as Kit described him, or "subtle," as Tanis had once said of him, or "sly," as his classmates termed him. Most people tolerated his presence only because they liked his brother.

Raistlin is constantly having this inner battle, this comparison that only serves to drive his bitterness towards other people, and himself. Subsequently, it adds to his cynicism and sarcasm behaviour and his continuous misconstrued desire to remain isolated from other people. We get to read about this inner struggle shortly after when Raistlin realizes that he's at least gaining a small reputation as a healer. But then quickly tells himself bitterly that it might be the only thing he is - a minor mage, a weed-chopping healer - while Caramon does great deeds, wins great reward, and covers himself in glory. In part, this is "somehow" a part of Raistlin that is beneficial: by constantly demeaning himself, especially when it comes to comparing himself to others, most notably Caramon, Raistlin develops that drive to excel further. He develops that strive to be better than those he envies, yet would not admit so.

To continue, we see a completely different side to Raistlin we will never come to see again. And, by that, I will attempt to reason out the whys and hows, because the following situation is what ultimately drives him into an isolated mode in which he will never recover. Raistlin and Miranda bump into each other. Margaret lays out the details very nicely and accurately for us to help understand the downfall that will occur. Raistlin admits to himself that Miranda is very beautiful. We read about that beauty and how she is popular because of that. But more so, we read about Raistlin's inner thoughts, both good and defensive, about Miranda. "He sometimes fancied that Miranda would occasionally glance his way and that her look was inviting. But he always told himself that this was just wishful thinking. How could she possibly care about him?" An accurate depiction of Raistlin's feelings and it resounds exactly with portions of this review about how Raistlin actually desires people loving and caring for him. We see how affected he is by her when "he saw her, his heart raced, nearly suffocating him. His blood burned, his skin grew cold and clammy. His tongue, normally so glib, could speak only inanities, his brain turned to oatmeal. He could not even look her in the face. Whenever he came close to her, he had difficulty keeping his hand from reaching out to caress one of those flame-colored curls." Clearly, Raistlin feels desire, and simultaneously is vulnerable and is aware of it. And what happens next is crucial to this vulnerability and how he reacts to it.

Miranda and Raistlin almost kiss. That alone would have been a monumental event that could have changed Raistlin's entire life. However, they are forced to part, but with Miranda's whispered invitation to Raistlin to come see her sometime. Raistlin is purely amazed and ecstatic. He feels, for the first and only time in his life, "happiness, pure and untainted pour over him. He basked in it, as in a hot summer sun, and felt himself grow like the newly planted seeds. He built castles in the air so rapidly that within seconds they were ready for him to take up residence. He saw himself her acknowledged favourite. Caramon would envy him for a change. Not that what Caramon thought mattered, because Miranda loved him, and she was everything good and sweet and wonderful. She would bring out what was good in Raistlin; drive away those perverse demons - jealousy, ambition, pride - that were always plaguing him. For her sake, he would even give up his magic, if she asked him."

As we can see, Raistlin is well aware of his faults and lesser qualities. But we also see that Raistlin yearns for the love of someone. He is willing to lower his defense, as well as willing to change who he has become because he is aware that most of his traits aren't positive ones. He changes willingly and positively in ways that is even reflected in the classroom by accepting a scolding meekly and with an affectionate smile; he doesn't even study his spellcasting, for the first time since he started school. This is truly monumental for Raistlin, and will result in an equal opposite monumental behaviour because of the situation's consequences – having found Caramon and Miranda together, in the height of their passion. Henceforth, we begin to see the downward path Raistlin has chosen to take, albeit it not being much of a choice for him.

Onto page 189, we see that Raistlin has always had compassion for others the way he looks at Tanis when the half-elf asks Kitiara how she felt about his life span compared to hers for which she shrugs and dismisses. Tanis is clearly unhappy and dives furthermore into denial (another topic of analysis for later reviews).  But Raistlin sees this, realizes it and understands it fully. His reaction being that it's a cruel joke played on by the gods. This reaction is significantly mirrored in how he sees his relationship with Caramon - one with a mind and no body, the other with a body and no mind.
It's a subsequent cruel joke when Par-Salian curses Raistlin with the hourglass eyes in order to teach him compassion when he has it all along; it is simply masked by his arrogance and defensive nature. Therefore, all of this will add to his bitterness and cynicism later on in life - further punished by those that lack understanding of him because they cannot see beyond the surface of his actions. In this, Raistlin is like Caramon when the warrior's intelligence is described by Margaret as being slow, but not stupid and that he invariably arrives at the right answer - it just goes unnoticed by most people. Raistlin's compassion is always unnoticed by most people, although it is always present.

Page 210 shows us a big reason why Raistlin doesn't tolerate failure, as well as how he does excel at what he does: arrogance. We see Raistlin how he deals with his frustration for not being able to read the spellbook of Lemuel's father by comparing himself in a proud way to what the archmage is assumed could not do at Raistlin's age. This enables Raistlin to not tolerate any results lower than where he currently is. Raistlin cannot bear pity; therefore as a subsequent action to his arrogance, he will not stop until he gains what he is missing. This can be, in a way, mistakenly viewed as obsession, and often maligns Raistlin. There is a difference between obsession and determination, obsession and confidence.
This conflict is again shown when he forms the plan to bring down the priest of Belzor. He is plagued with self-doubt and on the verge of backing out because if he fails, they would all laugh at him and pity him. On the other hand, he tells himself, and this reflects his arrogance, "Think of the rewards if I succeed". His arrogance drives him to succeed and better himself, regardless of the situation. Again, this is portrayed throughout Raistlin's entire life.

Page 250. Raistlin has wrought the riot inside the temple of Belzor by exposing the Window Judith and the priests for charlatans and thieves. At first, he feels appalled, then thrilled. He realizes instantly that he can use people's flaws against them. He revels in the knowledge and in the power. This is a critical time and point in Raistlin's life. He has made the initial and permanent choice to surrender to his defensive mentality. Why he revels is because he now knows, or thinks he does, that all he has thought before in self-defense (people's worst traits, see through the shams, etc.) is true and in full display before him. As Margaret details "He stood on his marble seat, where he had took refuge". Raistlin is written in a way that he is "above" them in this scene, in safety and he got there on his own.

Page 263. Raistlin discovers the same crowds of people that laughed and jeered at the priests now help them build the pyre. This only adds to his mistrust of people and raises his defenses. Despite his motives, the majority of them, his reasons for bringing down the priests of Belzor were to help the people of Haven, especially the young woman who had lost her baby, such as we get to read how he tells her so gently, and Lemuel. But the sudden switch of the crowd, a switch brought upon a desperate need to believe in something, even if it is false, hits Raistlin hard inside. He does believe he was freeing the Haven people from fraud, yet here they are building the instrument that will be his death. There is only one course of action Raistlin can follow, if at least from now on, there is only one question that will forever be in his mind: "Why help people? They will only abandon me. And abandon me for what?  For something so ludicrous, unnecessary, something against me!"

Page 307. Raistlin has been invited to the Tower Of High Sorcery to take his Test. He feels very confident, very proud. At this point in his life, it is a dangerous combination to have. He is too defensive, too suspicious of others, and because of that, his pride and confidence will turn into great arrogance and will partly blind him from what he needs to know, and needs to do. However, while he's waiting in the Hall Of Mages, Margaret describes him as feeling very comfortable in facing his Test. And about the inner workings of the Test, he thinks that while being introspective from birth, he knows all there is about himself. Although, the majority of this is true: Raistlin is very well aware of his psychological side and physical side. But there are parts that he fears and doesn't understand yet. His arrogance has prevented him from doing so all these years. Such things are his love/hate relationship with Caramon and how it is crucially related to his passion for magic. But, in depth, it relates to feelings he thought he had accepted and banished when he was younger - the feeling of hope that someday, he would look like Caramon, to win people's regard and friendship, etc. He's always been jealous of Caramon and that is clearly defined in previous paragraph such as the analogy of the dwarf and the dragon - the one-sided battle. But it will be a battle that Raistlin will lose in his Test when he confronts the illusion of his twin having gained the magic effortlessly. The burning jealousy, as written by Margaret, surfaces and takes hold of him. Him, Raistlin, the one who had resolved so strictly to guard against such feelings, to exercise complete self-control over his emotions. But, at that point during his Test, we see that he hasn't totally mastered his feelings, he has merely suppressed them. It is a valuable lesson he will learn in order to exert self-control in the future, however.
But, in order to explain Raistlin's action about Caramon (the illusion of him, that is) having gained the magic, can only be summed up with the feeling of total loss. Raistlin is directly faced with the reality (or so it seems to him at that moment) that Caramon has everything (including Raistlin’s most precious magic), and he has it without sacrifice, without hardship, without all the things that Raistlin had to give up, had to pay for in so many hurtful ways. The magic was, and is, everything to Raistlin because it compensates for the loss of all the other things he had yearned for in his life. Facing the fact of losing that, and to lose it to Caramon, is a blow beyond imagining to those who haven't lost something more dearly to them than anything else.
 

And so, as a conclusion, I will add the following; a simplified summary, in less detailed terms and definition, to maybe answer what most people ask, or don't understand, about Raistlin. It encompasses not only the Soulforge's content.

Details of Raistlin's behaviours :

Most people will categorize Raistlin with the following:

1. Raistlin's thirst for power is not a defense mechanism, but an obsession.
2. Raistlin lusted for power.
3. Caramon loved Raistlin more than anyone else in the world.
4. It is Raistlin's fault for being cold and mean that others dislike him and they might like him if he were more warm and cheerful, and others are distant because Raistlin hides himself and his knowledge.

But let's consider this:

• 1, 2 & 4 - I have two reasons for not saying Raistlin was power hungry: A. it is a stereotyped character image, and I think Margaret Weis developed Raistlin far beyond stereotypes. And B: No one, even the worst "bad guys", is just power hungry, or simply evil; there are always motives, reactions to actions, purpose, and reason. Raistlin is tired of having everyone make fun of him and he would like them to look up to him. To feel like they were idiots for making fun of him in the first place, to realize and hurt the same way he did so that they know how it feels to not do it again, but to instead turn it around in a positive way. I think Raistlin could be characterized as obsessed with magic - the one love he allows himself. If readers are referring to magical power, then I would agree that he hungers for it - but so do Par-Salian, Ladonna, Palin and Dalamar for example. Raistlin is no more obsessed with magic than they are, and any other mage who at least takes the Test.

• 3 - Tas made a valuable point in the first book of Legends when he said that "Caramon cares only for Caramon"- Caramon was attached to Raistlin because he needed him to feel special, to feel useful, wanted, and needed. Raistlin knew that, and that was part of the reason he acted coldly towards him. Caramon did love Raistlin, and I think that they both felt a bond as twins, but Caramon also reminded Raistlin of everything he's not.

• 4 - Have you ever read Shakespeare's "Taming of the Shrew"? You might say of Katherina: "If she was warmer and cheerful with her companions they would have better relations". If you read the play carefully, however, you realize that she doesn't have a chance to be nice: as soon as she walks in a room people start insulting her. She is reacting to what they say to her in a mean way, because she knows acting nice will get her nowhere. I wouldn't call Raistlin completely guiltless, he could have chosen to react differently, but I would say that his reactions are not surprising.
  And if Raistlin is not completely guiltless, then surely Sturm isn't either for constantly disliking him based solely on his choice of magic over weaponry, or Flint merely because dwarves naturally distrust magic unreasonably and without clear definition. In truth, the only one of the companions who showed Raistlin nothing but friendship was Tas, who showed him the same friendship as everyone else.
  We might question why Tas and Raistlin did not become friends, but that's easily answer because of the fact that Tas showed everyone friendship and interest, and Raistlin didn't take it as a friendship directed at him. Raistlin had largely given up on the idea of friendship by that point, and so he saw Tas only as a distraction to the thing he'd used to replace friendship: his magic.

Most readers take surface situations without looking at the underlying causes. "The Soulforge" and "Brothers in Arms" both give a deeper character study, and are useful to see beyond Raistlin's caustic remarks. I think everyone might also benefit from applying this to their everyday lives: chances are that everyone knows someone who is like Raistlin, and if we are saying to ourselves "if that person were nicer everyone would like them", we're probably missing what's really behind their actions. Look deep.

This review is hopefully a better way to articulate a message that I really wanted to express about Raistlin's character. There are a lot of people who just want to see Raistlin as the one-sided bad guy, and you can't do that with him, or with anyone else. The question "Why?" is always an important one when examining a character: Why did they say that? Why did they do that?
When you ask for reasons and look for answers, without reservations, judgment and preferences, you learn things about characters.   One must take out the variables of preferences and current agreements out of the equation of the question at hand to come to the right and constant answer.  Put aside what you agree with and what you think is right and wrong in order to understand something for what it truly is by itself, without variation.