Why hasn't Adolin been Executed or Banished yet?

[Trusk'our he/him]

Adolin killed Sadeas, a Highprince, and then even confessed to his father about it. Why hasn't Dalinar done anything about it? Isn't that kind of crime punishable by exile at the least, execution at worst, even if the one committing the crime was a highprince's son?

I love Adolin's character, but it feels that this hasn't really been resolved yet. It feels...weird, and frankly a little messed up in my opinion that all the characters who know of this just kind of ignore it. 

Am I missing something?

[Okdes he/him]

The fact Sadeas was a little rat bastard and they have more important issues to deal with probably 

[Frustration]

Dalinar isn't the king so it's Jasnah's decision.

[Anomander Rake he/him]

I think with the apocalypse actively occurring on Roshar, dad is probably willing to hold off on putting the kids in time out in lieu of greater problems

[Pathfinder]

Also keep in mind "legality" in Alethkar has to do a lot with military clout. The one with the army behind them makes the rules. Sadeas's princedom is in disgrace, and now Ialai is dead too. Jasnah can, and if I recall correctly, was considering after Ialai's death, of replacing her with a new highprince. Their nephew (or was it cousin?) could be a problem later when he gets older, but for now, Sadeas and Co got no ability to push back on it. 

[crème de la crèmling]

Well, Dalinar has killed his share of highprinces, too! Jasnah has a history, herself. I don't think either of them punish him because if Adolin had killed Sadeas in a more structured setting--say, on the battlefield or in a duel to the death--I don't think it would have raised any eyebrows at all. Still, I'm pretty sure it's the same reason that Dalinar's not going to face a trial for his war crimes. Alethi society just isn't going to go there yet, in a world-building way. Maybe later there will be scholars in-world looking back and asking those questions.

I would argue that this plotline actually does get picked up in RoW, somewhat obliquely. Sadeas's murder is at the forefront of his mind when he confronts the honorspren and accepts their trial. Adolin accepts being held accountable for the deaths of spren that he didn't cause, while invoking the brash feeling of "instinctive rightness" of the murder he did commit and for which he was never called to account. In both cases, it's because his opponents wouldn't give him a chance to defeat them in ordinary circumstances. Sadeas would never allow himself to be put into that position where Adolin could defeat him honorably; the honorspren deny him a chance to argue his case under ordinary diplomatic circumstances. He plays on Sadeas's expectations, he plays on the honorspren's righteousness, and gains ground for his side in unconventional ways. (Just like he does in his duels!) 

It's the thing I find most interesting about Adolin. He's way more instinctually cunning than any of the other characters give him credit for, to the point where Sadeas makes a note of it in WoR and then still falls for it. Adolin knows, in a heart-deep way, how to subtly nudge people into certain positions. His cajoling Kaladin into hanging out with friends or his encouraging of Shallan to embrace her strength is the flipside of that ability to socially manipulate people. This often reads, I think, like things just magically go his way, but I would argue that he simply knows what "weapon" he needs in any given situation. But he also has a tendency to act on impulse and in the moment, playing the short game extremely well and fumbling the long term. (See: every relationship he's ever had prior to Shallan.) He can get into the honorspren fortress but it's not Adolin who wins over the honorspren in the end. Sadeas is no longer a threat, but was it really right? 

I think of it like how Jasnah's alley is supposed to cause me to question Jasnah's methods. I believe it's supposed to make me question if Adolin is really the person he's made out to be by people like Dalinar, Shallan, Kaladin, etc., and what he would be like if he had power the way Dalinar or Jasnah have power. I read it as remaining unresolved (for now?) because it's something the reader should always be keeping mind while following his character. Right now it feels more character development than plot development.

 

[Andy92]

I usually chalk it up to Alethi culture not exactly being real life diplomacy. It’s part of why Dalinar is seen as such a hypocrite by a lot of the other nation’s leaders when he tries to make peace deals. 

[cometaryorbit]

Alethkar is basically a feudal society, not a rule of law one (though Jasnah has hopes to change that eventually). It is in Dalinar/Jasnah's best interest to keep it secret to avoid a blood feud with remaining Sadeas family members and/or rebellion by Sadeas troops.

[+Oltux72 he/him]

On 10.1.2022 at 7:10 PM, Trusk'our said:

I love Adolin's character, but it feels that this hasn't really been resolved yet. It feels...weird, and frankly a little messed up in my opinion that all the characters who know of this just kind of ignore it. 

Am I missing something?

In Alethkar you kill your enemies. If that case were handled in court, it is really uncertain whether there would be a guilty verdict.

And one more thing. Dalinar is a Bondsmith, not a Skybreaker or Truthwatcher. He must preserve unity among the coalition and the Alethi. Sweeping that affair under a rug is arguably his duty.

[Going_North_cal]

For me, I think it's a mix of several things.

One, like most of you said, the STORMING END OF DAYS IS HERE. They can't afford to pay attention to petty things like this.

Two, Sadeas deserved it. Period.

Three, Everyone hated him (reinforcing my point that he deserved it), so I'm half-expecting a pardon from Queen Jasnah about it lul

[cometaryorbit]

On 1/11/2022 at 7:28 PM, Doomslug The Destroyer said:

Three, Everyone hated him (reinforcing my point that he deserved it), so I'm half-expecting a pardon from Queen Jasnah

I dont think it's in the interest of anyone who knows the truth to make it public. So it probably won't become publicly known for a pardon to be an issue.

[Going_North_cal]

That's why I said half-expecting, because it could happen, or it couldn't. But yeah, it probably won't.