General Thoughts on The Stormlight Archive

[Sharp of Wit and Blade he/him]

*This is my first forum topic, so if I am unfamiliar with the tools, bear with me please.

 

In all of the fantasy I've read in my life (and believe me, the list is long), no series has hit so close to home with its characters and their respective struggles as this one has. Well, with exception to the Lord of the Rings, but I'm sure we can all agree that that series is always the exception in regards to fantasy, seeing as it literally defined the genre as a whole. Anyways, one thing that has always drawn me to fantasy is the fact that many times it is an expression of what mankind as a whole desires and (should) respects: honor, family, strength, humility, etc. Now, that is certainly a blanket statement with exceptions (A Song of Ice and Fire a notable one), but much of Sanderson's works fit into this mold.

1. In TWoK, upon Kaladin's being made Bridgeleader, he immediately sets off to get his men to respect not him, but themselves. He cares for them, though nobody else does, and that inspires respect for him.

    

   Gaz- "You can't have authority without rank."

   Kaladin- "He's wrong... authority comes from the men who give it to you."

   In this context, "authority" can be interchanged with "respect". Hence, Sanderson is saying the same thing about our society as well. Those in powerful positions aren't always the ones with authority. Additionally, In the context of the plot, Sanderson is setting the stage for Kaladin to rise above his miserable circumstances, as "He who can be trusted with little can be trusted with much." Kaladin has shown that he can be trusted with command with his ability in Amaram's army. In TWoK, Kaladin really is not the one at fault when his men die, as he did everything in his power to protect them. That also is why he is so depressed, as he feels that he cannot rise to meet the challenge. I find it quite ironic that even though Kaladin says numerous times that "Honor is dead", he exemplifies honor throughout TWoK and the last parts of WoR.

2. Tying in with the idea of Kaladin's ability to command is another interesting parallel. Vorinism preaches that only the best in their fields will participate in the war to reclaim heaven. It also preaches about self-improvement and the like. I believe there to be a strong parallel to this in Kaladin. Before the events of the Battle of the Tower, Kaladin was basically on Roshar. The battle was when he "died", the old Kaladin died and the new one took his place. "Behold! For the old has gone, the new has come." Additionally, his life after the Tower was, comparatively, heaven. He was free and in command of a thousand men, a much higher expression of his ability.

Just some thoughts I found interesting.

[Airhawk360 he/him]

I loved TWoK and WoR, and Kaladin remains my favorite Cosmere character. His fight, his struggles... The way Sanderson writes depression is so real that I can relate, although my personal circumstances are nowhere near as bad as Kaladin's. I remember for like 500 pages at least racing through the book trying to see if Kaladin and Dalinar ever met up, because I knew they had two pieces of the puzzle. I agonized over that one for awhile xD. I freaking loved those two books, so excited for Oathbringer!

[Stormgate he/him]

Welcome! I think that a quote from Hoid:

The purpose of a storyteller is not to tell you how to think, but to give you questions to think upon. Too often, we forget that.

 

Sanderson loves putting questions like these in his books. His books, on one level, are meant to entertain. On another level, they are the stories that Hoid speaks of, giving us questions to think upon.