Juhani Posted August 10, 2016 Report Share Posted August 10, 2016 Hi guys. I'm new here. Made an account just so I could hear your thoughts on this. Contains spoilers for Mistborn 2 and 3. I'm rereading the first 3 Mistborn books. At Hero of Ages now. What really bothered me the first time and bothers me again this time, is that Breeze seems fine in HoA. After his comatose state in WoA I expected a lasting effect. He saw his friend being ripped apart in front of him - and worse, the friend died saving him. He's a sensitive character. Why does he not suffer from some sort of PTSD? I see he overcompensates a bit in HoA, he laughs a little too hard and so on. But I expected more. Maybe trembling, or overeating, or jumping at loud noises, or becoming sullen when Koloss are around. Maybe he could be quiter than usual, but return to his old self when his girlfriend is around. Something like that. I loved Sazed's crisis and related to it on a very personal level. I wish Breeze had a similar change, not as bad, but a bit clearer. Anyone else feel this way? Do you suppose Mr. Sanderson had enough to focus on with everything else going on, that another character couldn't go through a crisis? Thanks PS. As I'm working through the series again I'm just amazed by the level of detail, all the little hints and foreshadowing. Sanderson's a genius. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BeskarKomrk Posted August 10, 2016 Report Share Posted August 10, 2016 I think it would have been great to see that in the text. I can think of a big reason why it isn't there, however. Breeze is present in many of the chapters of the book but almost none of them (maybe none at all?) are from his viewpoint. Most of the time he's in a scene, it's from the point of view of either Sazed or Spook. So we don't get to see what's going on in his head very much, and both Sazed and Spook are too wrapped up in their own troubles to care much about Breeze. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kingsdaughter613 Posted August 10, 2016 Report Share Posted August 10, 2016 It should be added that not everyone who goes through trauma gets PTSD. PTSD, like most psychological conditions, is caused by a combination of biological and environmental factors. Breeze's reaction at the end of WoA always seemed to be a form of shock to me. He essentially shut down because his mind couldn't handle what was happening. With Alrianne's help he was able to recover. We meet him in HoA at the end of his recovery, not the beginning. Having someone to help you through a crisis is a big factor in recovery and an effective Rioter likely understands the human psyche well enough to help someone through a crisis. Lack of support for veterans in society is one reason so many struggle. As a future therapist Breeze's recovery did not surprise me. More people recover, or are able to live healthy lives, after viewing horrors than people realize. And it has been a year. In contrast, Sazed has been drawing away from support, and doesn't really have anyone he feels comfortable turning to. He may also not want to heal; doing so means letting Tindwyl go and he isn't really ready to do that. 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Juhani Posted August 14, 2016 Author Report Share Posted August 14, 2016 Thanks for the feedback, guys. Kingsdaughter, you make valid points. I agree that it depends on the person. Also, great point about the support he got from Alrianne. I'm still not convinced that Breeze would not have changed. It need not have been a disorder, but some change of character could be expected. Almost done with book 3. All I can think now is that the author needed Breeze to have his life together so that he could support Sazed. It still feels thin... Ham (side character) is quieter, Spook feels regret for leaving his uncle; basically everyone has changed except Breeze who is one of the most sensitive characters. Awesome book. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jondesu Posted August 18, 2016 Report Share Posted August 18, 2016 Don't forget, Breeze is and always was an expert at hiding his feelings, while seemingly freely talking about himself. I see the reversion back to his original self as an intentional front, hiding deep scars, just like it was before. No doubt Allriane was helping too, but I don't think he was himself again; I think we never saw him being himself. jW Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The One Who Connects Posted August 18, 2016 Report Share Posted August 18, 2016 Does emotional allomancy work on yourself? If so, none were more skilled at soothing emotions than Breeze was. Soothe depression, sadness and maybe regret/remorse and he could bounce back a fair bit faster. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oversleep Posted August 18, 2016 Report Share Posted August 18, 2016 I recall reading about that issue in HoA annotations. I suggest looking for it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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