A Collection of Ranger's Apprentice Theories

Crowley v. Writing (Mini Theory)

Crowley comes from a lower class family than Halt—he successfully convinces a messenger that he can't read, though Halt thinks the performance was playing too much the idiot ('The Tournament at Gorlan'). The people who are servants and farmers are often portrayed as uneducated masses, incapable of proper grammar, looked down upon as early as 'The Ruins of Gorlan.'

If Crowley came from a family where he didn't get the chance to learn the alphabet as a kid, he would have had to learn to read in addition to his Ranger skills once becoming an apprentice. Will had access to schooling in the Ward, but schools below the apprenticeship level do not seem to exist for the village people—and often the apprenticeship is based on the parents' occupations, passing down knowledge. The higher class would have private tutors and a direct connection to places like the local Battleschool through their parents. Meanwhile, the village below Castle Seacliff has a symbol noting the trade found within each building, like a tankard for the inn, for the average person to understand ('The Sorcerer of the North').

When reading the reports found on the messenger, Crowley moves his lips while reading, like he might be sounding words out in his head. Other characters exhibit this trait, one of them a slow reader. Crowley also temporarily gets a clerk during 'The Battle of Hackham Heath' with excellent reading and writing skills. 16 years in the future, Crowley is used to paperwork and can scan his documents quickly ('The Inkwell and the Dagger'). Still, Halt mentions to Will he "can't stand to hear Crowley grumbling and groaning as he tries to write reports," ('The Siege of Macindaw'), so Crowley continues to struggle getting words down on paper.

In a universe where main character syndrome means the main cast perfect their skills with ease, it would be nice to have some representation, at least in areas less crucial to surviving physical altercations, of less than perfect skills. The Rangers are set apart by how great they are at certain Ranger-related activities like archery or unseen movement. Why can't they also be a little bit bad at something, for the real people who can't pick up everything first try or with practice?