RoW and Fallibility

[+ILuvHats]

Just finished RoW and I loved it. Were there faults? Yes, but after seeing some of the book tuber reviews, I was afraid it wouldn't resonate with me like the previous books have. Thankfully I was wrong. Storms knows I cried during Kaladin's POVs leading up to him swearing the 4th oath. Anyways, I wanted to discuss what I consider a major theme in the book. Everyone is fallible.

If there's one thing this book has shown, it's that even gods mess up in huge ways. No one is omnipotent; no one is perfect. In fact, those who should be the most powerful, those with all the experience and skill and knowledge to back them, are sometimes weaker because of their capabilities, because of the arrogance it invites. We see this time and time again in the book. Raboniel is set up as one of the most dangerous Fused. From her introduction, we see that Leshwi is terrified of what she is capable of. We learn she developed a biological weapon that wiped out a tenth of humanity. Then we see Raboniel outmaneuver everyone else, manipulating others to obtain her objective. Especially Navani, who fell right into Raboniel's traps multiple times. And yet, in the end, Raboniel herself is tricked with a relatively simple trap; a momentary distraction from Navani leading her to step on a pain fabrial. 

R-Odium's also set up to fail. This we expected since WoK when Honor suggested a duel between champions was the only way to beat him. However, Cultivation's mistake came out of left field. A lot of us sharder's have made her out to be brilliant and subtle strategist, using Fortune to find pathways to victory the enemy cannot foresee. And that she is, but I know I've over inflated her abilities in my head. I thought her machinations would be what proved the deciding factor in the war; I considered her the infallible wild card no one would see coming. This is what OB led us to believe, considering how deftly she outmaneuvered R-Odium with Dalinar. We expect her other machinations to similarly succeed. Instead, she doomed everything. Cultivation, for all her knowledge, bestowed the shard of Odium on a man she thought she knew, but she was oh so wrong. Instead of leading to a peaceable end to the conflict by ensuring Odium was controlled by someone of Honor, someone who shared her aspirations for peace, Cultivation put the Shard in the hands of a man who shares Rayse's desire for domination. And this man is so much more capable than Rayse.

And of course, who can forget the epilogue. I'm seeing a lot of theories here that Hoid came out on top somehow, that he merely pretend to have lost his memories the second time, and that Taravangian did not come out on top in that exchange. But considering the emphasis Brandon put on showing everyone is fallible, I think it likelier that Hoid was deceived by T-Odium in truth. I know all us consider Hoid someone that is always on top, will always be several steps ahead of everyone else. But what better way to establish this theme of fallibility than to show that even he makes mistakes and can be manipulated. To be fair, I believe Hoid will eventually realize his memories were tampered with, but I don't think it will be in time to interfere with Taravangian's plans for the duel. 

[Kingsdaughter613]

What mistake? I think Cultivation is the big bad of the series.

[the_archduke]

I agree, Cultivation knew what she was doing.  You make the mistake of assuming that she wants an end to the war on Team Radiant's terms.  Why would she give Odium to someone of Honor?  That would be doomed to failure, even if it was possible.  Odium can only be held by someone attuned to its intent.  

We have no idea what her end goals are, but we should have a very good guess.  She Cultivates. She prunes.  She wants to see growth. She probably had a personal grudge against Rayse, as he killed Tanavast, but nothing that she has done gives us any evidence that she is on Team Radiant.  

My personal theory is that she sees the Cosmere as having stagnated.  The Shards have all gone their separate ways and this needs to be shaken up.  Releasing Odium to the greater Cosmere would be one heck of a way to prune it.  

Perhaps this is going into tinfoil hat territory, but hear me out.  There is a WoB that prior to the shattering, something was opposing Adonalsium.  Opposition to Adonalsium  That something is still out there.  That something is what Odium was preparing to fight.  Cultivation would know about it too.  The Cosmere needs to be ready to face it, and must be Cultivated into preparation.  

Edited November 24, 2020 by the_archduke

[Karger]

18 hours ago, ILuvHats said:

Cultivation, for all her knowledge, bestowed the shard of Odium on a man she thought she knew, but she was oh so wrong. Instead of leading to a peaceable end to the conflict by ensuring Odium was controlled by someone of Honor, someone who shared her aspirations for peace, Cultivation put the Shard in the hands of a man who shares Rayse's desire for domination. And this man is so much more capable than Rayse.

While I agree that Cultivation made a mistake I do not necessarily agree that she wanted peace.