Bronze pulls or pushes

[ajotatxe he/him]

I'm re-reading The Final Empire, chapter 7, and noted something.

Kelsier says Vin that pure metals pull and alloys push. Some paragraphs later, he says that bronze pulls. I immediately consulted Ars Arcanum in the same book, and it says that bronze is internal mental pushing metal. 

So, was Sanderson (or Kelsier) wrong? I have searched this topic in internet and noticeably I found nothing.

Edited October 13, 2025 by ajotatxe

[Treamayne]

2 hours ago, ajotatxe said:

I'm re-reading The Final Empire, chapter 7, and noted something.

Kelsier says Vin that pure metals pull and alloys push. Some paragraphs later, he says that bronze pulls. I immediately consulted Ars Arcanum in the same book, and it says that bronze is internal mental pushing metal. 

So, was Sanderson (or Kelsier) wrong? I have searched this topic in internet and noticeably I found nothing.

This scene? - TFE Ch 7:

Spoiler

“That’s probably bronze,” Kelsier said. “The internal mental Pulling metal. It lets you sense when someone is using Allomancy nearby. Seekers, like my brother, use it. Generally it’s not that useful—unless you happen to be a Steel Inquisitor searching for skaa Mistings.”

It is Kelsier's mistake, and foreshadowing exactly what Marsh says about him in TFE Ch 20:

Spoiler

“Very well,” Marsh said, sitting beside her, resting one arm on the balcony railing. His voice sounded a little less annoyed when he continued. “Kelsier says that you have spent very little time training with the internal mental abilities. Correct?”

Vin nodded again.

“I suspect that many full Mistborn neglect these powers,” Marsh said. “And that is a mistake. Bronze and copper may not be as flashy as other metals, but they can be very powerful in the hands of someone properly trained. The Inquisitors work through their manipulation of bronze, and the Misting underground survives because of its reliance upon copper.

“Of the two powers, bronze is by far the more subtle. I can teach you how to use it properly—if you practice what I show you, then you will have an advantage that many Mistborn dismiss.”

“But, don’t other Mistborn know to burn copper?” Vin asked. “What is the use of learning bronze if everyone you fight is immune to its powers?”

“I see that you already think like one of them,” Marsh said. “Not everyone is Mistborn, girl—in fact, very, very few people are. And, despite what your kind likes to think, normal Mistings can kill people too. Knowing that the man attacking you is a Thug rather than a Coinshot could very easily save your life.”

Unreliable narrator has always been a part of the Cosmere, and people (even the Ars Arcanum) can simply be wrong in what they think they understand (which is how the Arcanum changing in each of the three books shows the earlier version were not quite correct as they learn more about the Metallic Arts). That was simply showing/foreshadowing that Kelsier doesn't think much about those metals and, (in case the reader has forgotten) is still quite new to being a Mistborn himself (as per The Eleventh Metal story). 

Hope that helps.