Gavilar's allegiance

[Fifth of Daybreak]

Gavilar seems to be a hot topic of discussion, and what I see most often is people placing him into an organization, and the quick retort that we don't know who he supports, so it is high time we have a thread on the matter.

 

Personally, I do think he is part of the Sons of Honor, despite their proclivity to do nasty things to achieve their goal. 

First, there are the statements that Amaram makes about Gavilar being proud and blah blah blah is Amaram done talking yet? I don't trust much of what that guy has to say, but it's probably the most direct lines we have on the subject.

 

I think that it's important to note on this line of thought, that Gavilar did seem to have a huge respect for Amaram. They're caught in conference in Jasnah's prologue, and it's even mentioned that Gavilar favored Amaram to be wed to Jasnah. That seems like a large step to take if you're only pretending to be someone's ally.

 

I also want to point out that Gavilar is friends with Sadeas. This might not seem like it relates, but I think it does. Amaram says that he and Sadeas are similar in that the ends justify the means (paraphrased.) While Gavilar could be fooled by Amaram's reputation, it doesn't seem likely, considering he's also such good friends with Sadeas, (I will also concede that it's hinted Sadeas and Gavilar are good friends as well before.)

There's also the speculation from the Parshendi that Gavilar was trying to bring back their Gods. (I will admit we don't know what he specifically said to get this reaction from them, but it does seem to weigh in more on the Sons of Honor side.)

 

All that being said, there's still the nagging suspicion in the back of my head that keeps whispering there's too much damning evidence against him for him to be bad. I suspect we'll have to wait for Book 10 and his epilogue to finally close the book on Gavilar Kholin. (Maybe that's why Jasnah was so concerned with having Shallan look through his histories, did she want to figure out his allegiances as well?)

 

[kaellok]

I don't think that Gavilar gave his true allegiance to any of the various secret societies he was involved in.  From what we know of him (which is, admittedly, little) I think that he is using them all for a specific end.  I would guess that this end is a united world, to stand against the Everstorm.

 

This assumes, of course, that his visions were the same as Dalinar's.  We know that Mr T is working to ensure humanities survival against this threat, and had a close association with Gavilar.  Amaram's group may have been wanting the return of the Heralds and a Desolation for their own reason (a return to Vorinism holding central authority), but that would also result in a unified world.  And, keep in mind, Sadeas and Restares were the people Gavilar felt likely to have him assassinated, behind only the Ghostbloods.

 

Whether he is good or bad depends on your viewpoint of morality.  From mine, even should Mr T be 100% successful, his methods are such that he is evil.  The same is with Amaram: bringing about a Desolation, even if the eventual greater good is a paradise that lasts 10,000 years, is evil.  If Gavilar was actually working with either organization, then to me, he was doing the work of evil.  Others will likely disagree, especially if either plan ends with success or lasting victory. 

 

Remember, though, the First Ideal: Journey before Destination.  By working with either of these secret societies, Gavilar seems to have not been too keen on that, even with his obsession over Nohadon's The Way of Kings.