Szeth's motivations

[Havoc]

Here's another interesting quote, from interlude 1-6:

His way of life was all that remained to him. If he questioned Stone Shamanism, would he then question his nature as Truthless? Dangerous, dangerous. Though his murders and sins would damnation him, at least his soul would be given to the stones upon his death. He would continue to exist. Punished, in agony, but not exiled to nothingness. Better to exist in agony than to vanish entirely.

I read this as saying that he could choose to stop obeying the bearer of his Oathstone, but that would mean that he stops existing when he dies. Szeth seems to prefer eternal torment to oblivion.

Thoughts?

 

[Sarkimo]

It means he believes he stops existing when he dies. 

 

And I'm with him on the 'eternal torment over oblivion' thing. Eternal torment may turn out to not be so eternal, but oblivion sounds sort of permanent.

 

But it does seem to say that the Oathstone isn't a magical object, but a cultural or religious one.

Edited April 18, 2013 by Sarkimo

[Observer]

Yeah, in the Traravagnian chapter he contemplates ignoring his orders and just killing him, but then his "honor prevailed, for the moment".

He's basically motivated by religion and despair

Edited April 18, 2013 by Observer

[blackmagic3]

I think that somewhere in the book Szeth mentions a Valley of Truth in Shinovar. This may refer to a religious location and suggests that Szeth though some action represents the opposite of whatever the shin religion is.

[Observer]

Heck, maybe he told a lie or something like that. Probably a big lie, concerning windrunning or something big like that, making him a literal Truthless.

[Morsk]

I'm really interested in how Szeth's motivations might change. He's already questioning Stone Shamanism after just one book. What can keep him going as an antagonist, after he realizes this part of his religion is corrupted, and his murders were senseless? (We don't know it's corrupted, but I think it's sort of obvious.) Hoid's story about the Wandersail seems especially relevant to Szeth.

I like seeing Szeth as Odium's champion, so I think he'll get stuck taking the job. This has to come too soon, before he can realize the Truthless thing is no excuse for murder, otherwise he'd repent, turn himself in, and be executed. Then as Odium's champion, "I have no choice but to obey my master. Please why can't anyone kill me?" is actually true, since even Honor thought it was important someone get stuck doing it. And from there, Szeth goes on being a tortured, unwilling antagonist.

Any other ideas? Maybe Stone Shamanism is actually right about the permanent death thing, but that has so many theological and moral implications that I just don't see it happening.

[Sarkimo]

I'm thinking that his Oathstone will either turn out to be able to bind him to the holder's will, which would feed into his despair. I'm imagining a scene where Szeth would be ordered to do something he couldn't bring himself to do, or maybe just one murder too many, and he goes to either leave, or kill the person who holds his Oathstone.

 

This would either leave him with despair as his only motivation, as he abandoned his religion in ignoring the order.

 

Or, it could renew his faith in his religion, if the Oathstone is a religious item, which could lead to redemption (albeit through death. I don't see Szeth living happily ever after).