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Marsh on the Mind


Zephrun’s Imperium

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So, I’ve been thinking about Marsh a lot lately and I just felt a really strong need to talk about it. That man has been through five times his share and it’s not fair at all. I’ve written several rants about him and spoilered below (for length and general spoilers) is one I wrote a few months ago. Please, share your Thoughts and rants with me!

 

Spoiler

I. Love. Marsh. So much. He’s my second favorite character in Mistborn and I think it’s about time I rant about him properly. Yes, I’ve ranted about him before, but then it was based on a, “Yeah, I guess I’ll do it” mindset, and they were generally like, “Marsh deserves better!” which he does, but I needed a specific reason to be ranting. Now I have it.


Yesterday, I don’t know why, but I got to wondering what Marsh’s smile looked like, ‘cause the only super memorable parts where Marsh is smiling or laughing are then he’s in the middle of a blood frenzy, Ruin having taken full control. That’s not exactly what I want to see when I think of my Marshy’s face. However, I did remember that there is one time in The Final Empire when Marsh does smile. It’s towards the end when his transformation is revealed. He shoots Vin a nice big grin. "Marsh smiled, the expression looking eerily like one of Kelsier's smirks ” (640). Now, when I first read that over a year ago I didn’t really care that Marsh was back. I mean, I did and I teared up real fast, but I was more stung by the fact that they had to mention Kelsier. My heart was still pretty raw at that point since he had died that day. I mean, yay Marsh (my heart has always called to him) but KELSIER! Anyway, now I read it and I’m kinda mad that the only real smile Marsh gets in the entire trilogy has to be compared to one of Kell’s.


Kell’s smile… oh, holy Survivor, that’s a whole ‘nother topic. All I’m gonna say right now, though is that it’s really symbolic for him. It’s like his scars are his, well, his scars, and his smile is his redemption. It took a lot of effort for him to make that natural, as shown in The Eleventh Metal. “How could he smile in a world without her?” But then in The Final Empire, it represents his persistence. “He forced himself to smile - not out of pleasure, and not out of satisfaction. He smiled despite the grief he felt at the deaths of his men; he smiled because that was what he did. That was how he proved to the Lord Ruler - and to himself - that he wasn’t beaten” (439). However, I think it also kind of represents his insanity. Which is, despite his joking, something he takes somewhat seriously. There’s the part in Secret History when Kelsier has to admit to himself that the Pits really did break him. And in The Final Empire, “‘You took Vin into Kredik Shaw? Are you bloody insane?’ ‘Yes,’ Kelsier snapped. ‘You’ve been right all along. I’m a madman. A lunatic. Perhaps I should have just died in the Pits and never come back to bother any of you!’” (272). That really shuts Dox up, by the way. Kell knows how to get under people’s skin. You see it when he first interacts with Marsh and when he meets Fuzz. Kell tries to steer conversations his way. Marsh is actually really good at maneuvering around Kell’s jabs, however subtle they may be, but whether that is because the two are related, or because Marsh has just been in proximity to Kell for longer than most people, I couldn’t say. Perhaps a combination of both. But I’m not talking about Kelsier. I’m talking about Marsh and his lovely smile.


As things in the books progress, Kell’s smile takes on different meanings, morphing from frivolity to persistence to redemption to a symbol of hope. And I am honestly really annoyed that it was used in comparison to Marsh’s smile. Because it’s degrading him. It’s degrading Marsh and that is not okay! Marsh’s smile represents something completely different, custom to his person. To have it be compared to Kelsier’s is just insulting. And yeah, I get that the reason why Brandon wrote it that way is because he wanted to get a nice little reminder in that Kelsier is gone. Which is totally mean. He’s the best author ever. But I would really, really appreciate if Marsh got a bit of happiness for himself instead of having to share this moment with Kell. Kelsier steals everything from him! His dream, his girl, his happiness, his fame. And now, this little moment of joy. Not cool, bro. Not cool.


So, what does that smile represent? Why smilein that moment? He’s literally running at the Lord Ruler. Practically running toward his death, or so he thinks! Why smile? Well, because he’s doing it. He’s pulled apart the Final Empire in his own little way, killing no less than eight Inquisitors. And now he’s going at Rashek himself. Facing what Kell couldn’t. I honestly think that Kell represents a kind of failure to Marsh. He blames him, doesn’t he, in The Hero of Ages? But I’m not talking about that. (I really need to get better at staying on track.)


So. What does Marsh’s smile represent? Like, actually. And I think the answer is, broken dreams. Marsh is a lot of things. But one of those things is a dreamer. Honestly. Maybe not in the way of Kell or Mare but he is. Or, was. A whole lot of things grouped together and pulled down his aspirations. Well, it worked. Mostly. That’s another thing that Marsh is. Strong. Now, as I've mentioned before, strong is a hard word to define, but Marsh makes it a bit easier. He has a supreme will, as described by Harmony himself. Marsh is certainly unconventional. He’s not perfect (and who is?) and his views are different. But he ultimately wants good things. Really good things, actually. He was helping the skaa before Kelsier was, and he was more than willing to make the ultimate sacrifice to help Scadrial. And “Not out of despair,” remember? Marsh’s smile is rare and made more precious because of it. Brandon literally said, “Marsh has never been a happy person,” and because of that, Marsh’s smiles are just hard to evoke. Which isn’t a bad thing. Not everyone has to have Kelsier’s extreme positivity. So, at the end of the day, I’m mad because Mash’s smile has nothing to do with Kelsier. Kelsier’s smile is a kind of triumph and statement, while Marsh’s is simply an expression of deep, precious joy. And something so rare deserves its own elaboration, not a metaphor.

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