Sometimes money is power, but sometimes power is money—especially in Brandon Sanderson’s Cosmere. When we look at the various currency systems within Sanderson’s worlds, we find that he often inextricably fuses each economy to its local magic system. It makes sense, of course, from a magical perspective: if Apple makes money off of iPhones and other devices, why shouldn’t Garrick Ollivander profit from his abilities as the greatest wandmaker in the wizarding world? If a pawnshop or a bank in Southern Illinois uses the American legal system to gouge poor families with high-interest loans, why shouldn’t Devi do the same to Kvothe to gain access to arcane knowledge?
But Sanderson takes it a step further: starting with the assumption that money is power, he retroactively anticipates the corollary: that power is money. Anyone remotely familiar with American politics expects this. We seldom expect it, however, with magic.
On Roshar, they trade in a representative currency named “spheres” that hold stormlight. Each sphere is basically a glass marble encompassing a gemstone (often flat on the side so when you pull out money to pay at the checkout counter, it keeps you from losing your marbles). The gemstones themselves are valued by type (in appreciating order: diamond, garnet, ruby, sapphire, emerald) and by karat (in depreciating order: broams, marks, and the little bitty chips). That makes an emerald broam worth the most and a diamond chip worth the least.
They’re worth the same with or without the light, but the light determines authenticity, therefore if you don’t want to leave your dragon hoard out in the middle of a thunderstorm in order for the light of heaven to go back into them, them you’re going to have to pay a fee to exchange your “dun” spheres for “infused” spheres. Therefore there’s an implied value to the ones with power.
Power that surgebinders draw on in order to do great and terrible magics.
And therefore some of the wealthiest people in the story (the Kholins) are also the most powerful.
Then on Scadrial, the number one thing Mistings and Mistborn need is precious metals to ingest and burn in their bodies and, if they can shoot or pull a metal, coins to shoot. Some of the most powerful people on that planet literally burn money while others kill people with money. Money is literally power: the power of life or death. Money is ammo.
On Nalthis, everyone’s born with one breath which can be willingly transferred or given away. The breath is basically the soul of the person that endows them with a sort of sixth sense to see things other than color on the wave spectrum including the harmonics of color. Some people have thousands of breaths which is, essentially, thousands of souls. People hoard them, blackmail for them, and offer up human sacrifices so that the most powerful can have the souls of the poor.
The funny thing is that bad things tend to happen to magic hoarders. The Lord Ruler. Several foes of Waxillium. Vahr (although his aims were more sympathetic). It didn’t end well for them because it never ends well for hoarders and that includes the most notorious hoarders of all—the most magical creatures imaginable—dragons. We all, like the boy who almost deserved being called Eustace Scrub, have slept on the hoard of our power and our money with greedy, dragonish thoughts in our hearts until we become dragons ourselves.
But Tolkien taught us as snow comes after fire, so dragons have their endings.
Sure, power is money in Sanderson and every character has this inclination to hoard both magic and money like the European dragons of old. But what’s interesting is that Sanderson never stops at the power is money idea. In every story you have people giving up color, giving up metal, extinguishing their powers, gifting stormlight to heal. Over and over and over again, the most powerful people in the stories are the ones who give away their magic. They empty themselves of power in order that others might live and thrive, which as a consequence makes them not only often blind or sick or exposed or dead, but it actually makes them poor. Economically poor in worlds that thrive off of this consistent power-is-money dynamic.
It’s the Highprince who, knowing that the value of a human life is beyond measure, trades his priceless Shardblade for the freedom of bridgemen who fought for them (and calls it a bargain), recognizing the value, honor, and loyalty of men who had been treated as slaves
It’s the smiling man who dedicates all of his energy, wealth, and even his life to show that tyrants must be challenged and Steel Inquisitors can be killed, giving up everything, but sparking a revolution for the poor and oppressed.
It’s the Returned god who gives up thousands and thousands of Biochromatic breaths to heal another, higher god’s impotence, healing him and preventing a war. Becoming weak, and giving up his life to save thousands of others’ lives.
It’s the girl-turned-god who literally empties her entire being, taking on (and giving up) the awesome power of Preservation in order to destroy Ruin and sacrificing her life in the process to save the world and its people.
Again and again. I would love to see your examples in the comments—where else does this trope show up in Sanderson’s writing?
But here’s my larger point for us, today, here and now: I’ve been working on a documentary about wealth distribution IRL—it’s still in the early stages, but my colleague and I have interviewed several Alaska Natives and Native Americans who keep teaching us more and more about the native idea of potlatch: of two chiefs challenging one another to a duel to the gift. That is to say, the chief who gives away the most and encourages the most generosity in his tribe wins the duel. Not the guy who brags about his billions. Not the guy who buys his fourth yacht. The guy who gives the highest percentage of his wealth. And mind you, this is before people leveraged their power in foundations and tax-deductible gifts—they literally just gave it all away to the poor. It’s curious. And it seems very much in keeping with this idea that we encounter again and again in Sanderson’s work—that when we empty ourselves to the point of vulnerability, so that we can truly sympathize and stand in solidarity with the poor and the least of these, then we are strong.
It’s a particularly fitting message to consider this time of year, with the holidays and a brand new year almost upon us –perhaps this year we should all consider giving just enough that it hurts a little, enough that it stretches you beyond your comfort and status quo, because the status quo of many of our global neighbors is going to bed hungry and sick. There’s nothing more magical than giving away a stampede of money in one giant nerd herd (not to be confused with a nerf herd). Because in our world, as in Sanderson’s cosmere, ‘tis more magical to give than receive.
Lancelot Schaubert has written hundreds of stories, articles, and poems for markets like The New Haven Review, McSweeney’s, The Poet’s Market, Writer’s Digest, and The World Series Edition of Poker Pro. The Missouri Tourism Board also commissioned him to reinvent the photonovel through The Joplin Undercurrent with Mark Neuenschwander. You can go to his website to get a free ebook on how mythology gave his life bliss and meaning, to read his offensively verbose Kingkiller reread, to sit at the feet of nonconformists who changed their sector of society, or to have him read you a bedtime story. If you’d like to ask him about the time the world’s largest hippo shat all over his grandma, email [email protected]
THE KINGKILLER REFERENCE YEEEEEE
Really interesting post. As a fan of Brandon Sanderson’s writing, it was interesting to see the frequent occurrence of this trope.
You reversed the values of the types of gems. Emerald is worth the most Diamond is the least.
http://stormlightarchive.wikia.com/wiki/Currency
Diamond chips are what the bridge men are paid with in Way of Kings.
#2 is correct. The gem values are reversed. Emeralds are the most valuable as they can be used to make food. Diamond is the least valuable.
Adding to what #2 and #3 said,
The order of value of the gems actually reinforces the idea of power = monetary value. Emeralds being worth the most is symbolic of them being of the most practical value (most powerful) because their stormlight can be used to make food. Most useful, most valuable.
Interesting point, though it wasn’t actually the focus of this piece and was just said in passing, that in our world power leads to money. How many members of congress or presidents enter as middle-class or upper-middle-class and leave as multi-millionaires while supposedly “earning” far less than that? Answer: almost all.
I don’t know, fleeching Kvothe seems like a bad idea. Doesn’t mean Devi shouldn’t try to get value out of him, but the kind of bullshit that the payday loan lenders pull would just be asking for trouble.
Hmm, what’s the difference between a Diamond Broam and an Emerald Chip? 2 and a Half according to the chart?
@2,3,4: Thanks–the order has been corrected!
@6 – The text still says that a diamond broam is worth most, emerald chip worth least. Emerald Broam is worth most, diamond chip is worth the least.
@@@@@ 7 — fixed it. Sorry for the delay, was washing the dog in the doggie car wash place.
(and thanks for the quickie fix, Mod.)
@@@@@ 2, 3, 4, 7 — Thanks for the catch. Funny story: I actually had the order right in the first draft. Then I second guessed myself because ten years ago my job was selling diamonds in this diamond store and I started thinking about birthstones and where the stones were placed in the store. I switched it to the wrong order because of the appreciating / depreciating thing IRL, forgetting to double-check the coppermind chart.
Mea culpa.
@@@@@ 1 — Curious to see how this plays out in Kingkiller: there’s a currency system I’d love to sink my teeth into.
@@@@@ 4
Excellent point. Which makes me think it may well be literally because the color holds the most light. A diamond works more like a prism and lets the light pass right on through, whereas — and correct me if I’m wrong on this — but I think that an perfect Emerald would hold all light but green? And isn’t green the most narrow beam in the rainbow? Speculation, of course, but then again that’s what we’re here for.
Ted Stevens comes to mind.
I remember reading about the epic of Beowulf and how gift giving was an essential part of the culture. A good king gave away gold to his followers. By doing that, he reinforced the ties between them. It wasn’t just that they got paid for serving him. It was part of a system where the king looked out for them and they looked out for the king. Gold represented real wealth but it also represented that mutual support.
In that system, it makes sense that the most evil being would be a dragon who exists only to hoard gold. For the dragon, gold isn’t used to create and sustain a community. It is purely selfish, existing only to serve the dragon’s greed.
In that context, it also makes sense that the person who brings disaster on Beowulf’s people is a thief, a man who takes gold without regard to how it effects the community or its bonds. It’s another form of selfishness and greed. It leads to the dragon being enraged and an attack on the community.
Beowulf, at this point, is the king. Under the mutual obligations that the gold only represents, it’s his job to do whatever it takes to protect his people. But, because of the selfishness of both the thief and the dragon, the community loses the only hero who could do what Beowulf did, since he dies without a child to carry on after him.
@@@@@ 5
Yes it does. And yes it would.
And she does anyways. Maybe because she actually holds some power over him. *checks brand new 10th anniversary edition* ::
Jeez that gives me flashbacks to rough patches in my childhood. Man… I suppose power is money in Kingkiller too. Think of The Fishery: the connection between patents and magic.
Actually, he gave up one huge, super-charged Divine breath (that could be equated to thousands of breaths). But technically it was only one breath.
@@@@@ 12 —
Good call. There’s the whole patron / client system which is another power-is-money thing. I remember my first Greco-Roman history teacher in college saying, “Which would you rather be? A nameless billionaire with a house out in the American wilderness? Or an impoverished Hatian King?”
Everyone chose billionaire.
But he pointed out Greco Romans (and, honestly, most people in modern honor/shame societies) would choose the poor king. Because honor and clients can get you money, but money can’t get you a kingdom. It’s the Francis Underwood quote all over again: “Money is the Mc-mansion in Sarasota that starts falling apart after ten years. Power is the old stone building that stands for centuries. I cannot respect someone who doesn’t see the difference.”
Great point again. That the idea of “do not steal” is connected to “do not covet” precisely because it has an eye for the poor and the commons. A theif can actually gut an entire resource out from under a community and therefore end up — over the long haul — being as bad or worse as a mass murderer. It’s that old Lake Wobegon quote: “Wives in Minnesota aren’t violent, unless you consider how many husbands they’ve killed slowly through coronaries. There’s no worse way to go than a life of fried chicken and apple pie.” Same sort of thing at play, only through a gutting of the commons.
Yes. This.
Good man are easy to kill, but hard to find (as Flannery O’Connor would say).
@@@@@ 14 — That’s a very interesting point. Of course, that nuance opens up huge philosophical points about the difference between a quantitative jump (simply having magnitudes of order more) and a qualitative jump (godhood). Which is proper: it’s not just that he gave up a quantity of breaths, but a certain quality of godhood : one god to another rather than merely one quantity of breaths added upon another quantity of breaths.
Of course the moment we point that out, we need to notice the nuance as well between the gods (those beings frequently killed off but never all-powerful in fantasy literature) and God (the centrifugal force within all higher philosophy as the grounds of reality that donates its being to every contingent thing). You may have a quantitative difference between, for instance, The Lord Ruler and Odium. But that’s not the same as the qualitative difference of Being, per se, which is donated even to Odium himself. This of course being hinted at by Dalinar in Oathbringer.
Which if that spoiled anything for anyone, rather than bicker over it, I’ll point you to A Defense of Spoilers.
13, Oh, it’s not that she isn’t holding him to the most she can get(and he is resourceful enough to deliver), but she’s honest enough with him. That’s a lot better than a payday loan lender, who’d try to betray him and….face the consequences. Might be an noisy relationship between Kvothe and Devi, they’re very argumentative people, but that’s interaction, not intent.
Payday lenders, well, they had to dig two new circles of hell for them.
@@@@@ 17
I’m tracking now. And I totally agree.
Imagine Kvothe on Pawn Stars….
Well, technically energy is money. Power is a rate, energy is a quantity. That is, if energy is money, power is how fast you spend it. Each sphere holds a fixed quantity of stormlight, not a fixed rate at which it can be drawn.
@19 — hey thanks for the comment, Bill.
Were we talking about electronics — or even physics — I would totally agree. The key to the nuance here is that the powers of physics (such as gravity, friction, and axial motion) defer to the supernatural and natural political powers of the Cosmere (such as with the surges and the political realities of those surges). So we’re pulling from the political-philosophical grammar when we say “power” : the influence one person has over another. Capacity, ability, influence, right, authority, military strength, or sheer supernatural force all work well as synonyms
That combined with the other magic systems — particularly Feruchamy, Hemalurgy, Biochroma — it’s again not so much about the rate drawn, but about the quantity/quality of the power that makes one wealthy. The richest people in Nalthis are the gods. They don’t have a set rate at which they can spend it (as said above in another comment, many of the demiurges in that court only technically have one breath, so the rate is either spend that one or don’t — it’s quite literally binary). They have a quantity or quality of power, but both can’t be true if we simply use the word “energy” because we’re limiting it only to the passive force required to do a given supernatural act or leverage that supernatural economy for political power. We’re including the agency of the actor as well as their final cause — the spiritual realm — that their agency moves them and others towards. Or said in another way, we’re affirming Sanderson’s stated tripartite existence of folk in the Cosmere. That makes energy an insufficient term, I reckon, since it’s merely a physical term (literally and figuratively alike).
Said differently, the people who have the largest capacity, ability, influence, right, authority, military strength (small “p” power) have it because of the sheer supernatural force they possess (capital “p” power), which is also used as currency (both for small “m” money and for capital “m” money, depending on what they’re trading — favors, goods, services, blows in battle, etc).
Were we simply talking about the quantity of power, I’d totally agree — that’s a different sort of conversation, though, one involving the sort of math tables we might find in DnD 3.5 or the sort of thing we might find in Rothfuss’ sympathetic magic schools of thought.
Hope that clarifies the distinction. Sorry if I was unclear.
snow comes after fire
Funny, how this made me imagine Jon Snow following Daenerys …
Great article and good comments. I have never thought of it like that, but examples collected like that, yes, it is a running theme. As for additional examples, didn’t Hrathen in Elantris do about the same, giving up his life to save Raoden and Sarene and consequently everybody else?
I’d awfully like to bring an example of Kaladin as well, for he is like the epitome of giving everything for the good of the others, but the only thing that comes to my mind right this moment is his bribes to Amaram’s surgeons and other squadleaders and Gaz, giving up his spheres to get the new and young ones and give them a chance to survive, to make sure his men are healed first, and to make sure Gaz lets him carry on with Bridge Four.
I had never heard of potlatch. What a wonderful concept!
@@@@@ 21 —
I’m realizing more and more these days how many off-handed Tolkien quotes inspired other authors to do other things. Or at very least ring true in other works. There’s a ton of that kind of stuff in Kingkiller.
Thanks so much. And you’re right! He did!
And come to think of it, so did Szeth, in his own way. And so did Eshonai.
Ohhhh nice call. Really cool.
Do some digging if you get a chance. It’s a beautiful ceremony.
@Lancelot
Re: Which makes me think it may well be literally because the color holds the most light. A diamond works more like a prism and lets the light pass right on through, whereas — and correct me if I’m wrong on this — but I think that an perfect Emerald would hold all light but green?
Now that is an interesting question. First, if I remember correctly, while green may be the smallest band in the spectrum, it actually has the greatest intensity, our eyes respond most reactively to it, and we can perceive the most shades of green. But as for the actual question, I’m not sure. It now makes me wonder how the gems hold light at all and what color they may hold. Because while you’re right in thinking it would only let green out, it should also only let green in as it filters the other colors as they pass through. Hmm… must be magic.
Fascinating! I hadn’t made this particular connection, so thank you for it! Love the Kvothe/Devi drop, too.
I may be nitpicking, but I would have appreciated a tiny spoiler warning at the head of this article. I’ve read all but one of those stories through, but you did give away some pretty critical climax moments, even if they were as vague as you could manage. The one I haven’t read (Warbreaker) was maybe significantly spoiled for me. My fault in part, absolutely! I should have caught on and navigated away before the spoiling happened, but, well, some of us hope for warning labels to keep us safe.
Otherwise, this was an especially delightful read, particularly at this time of year. Thank you!
@23 —
Oh wow. I had always heard that green was the most relaxing color because most of the cones in our eyes are green receptors, but that might be bad information.
See the real trick to this is that most of the powers — light, color, wave forces such as with Seekers (bronze mistings) — exist on the wave spectrum. So there may be some correlation with communication/perception and the power it has as a bridge between the cognitive realm (mind/soul) and the physical realm. Real implications here for neoplatonism to speak into this if this is the case.
Must be magic. I’ll be damned….
@24 —
Thanks!
Sorry about that if, upon reading Warbreaker, it legitimately reduces rather than enhances the story. I think you might find that it adds more than it takes away, as I said in A Defense of Spoilers. But if it really does diminish more than it amplifies and enlarges the experience, my sincere apologies.
My pleasure, thanks for the comment!
I’m sorry, but I completely disagree with you.
All of the main characters and their stories culminate with them learning to use their power responsibly. Often, *taking up power* that they didn’t want, but were the best ones to use it. Susebron, Sazed, Dalinar, Raoden.
On Scardial, metal is really not worth that much, except for atium due to its rareness. Boxings are made of metal, clips are barely worth as much as a nail. And the metal burned is usually not particularly valuable either, because it’s so common (Scadrial is a metal-rich world). Pewter, brass, copper, steel, iron. So cheap that even the lowest tier of society can afford it. Gold, gemstones, and so forth, are worth far more than most of those metals.
Also, the REASON emeralds are worth the most is because they can be used to soulcast FOOD, not because of the amount of Stormlight they hold. Diamonds are worth the least because all they can soulcast is QUARTZ. The amount of stormlight is determined by the cut and size of the gem, not the type.
Which, btw (Stormlight) is a renewable resource. So giving it away really means very little when it can be renewed in the next storm.
@@@@@ 23
Oh, I didn’t mean that green wasn’t relaxing by my statements. By most intense I was just referring to the fact that although the sun produces all wavelengths of light, it doesn’t produce them all in equal amounts. And the sun’s output peaks in the green part of the spectrum. From the internet:
“The effective temperature of the Sun is 5778 K. Using Wien’s law, one finds a peak emission per nanometer (of wavelength) at a wavelength of about 500 nm in the green portion of the spectrum near the peak sensitivity of the human eye.“
Also note the last phrase which is what I meant by green being the most “reactive” to our eyes. I phrased that poorly I think, but I just meant that we see green best. From the same article you linked to:
“Remembering that the human eye’s peak spectral sensitivity lies at 550 nm (green), the human retina is deliberately placed such that it is in between the dispersion of white light, i.e., between red and blue. This optimizes the best level of focus specifically for its peak spectral sensitivity.”
And that ‘optimized focus’ is part of what makes green relaxing – our eyes are literally most relaxed when looking at green objects.
Now I need to go look up Neoplatonism… :)
18, wait, what side of the counter would Kvothe be on?
@27 There are a number of rare or difficult to refine allomantic/feruchemical metals on Scadrial other than the various god metals.
Gold, Cadmium and Aluminium all come to mind either as pure metals or alloys (Silver also shows as part of Electrum). Limitations due to the cost of all three show up in Alloy of Law for example.
I saw how you inserted Southern Illinois into your essay. In reality, as you are aware, pawn companies do the same (and perhaps worse) to the urban poor in Northern Illinois (and probably EVERYWHERE else). Why? Because they can. I guess that’s what you were saying, albeit more eloquently than I.
I would LOVE for your to visit my class sometime, if you can just revert to being an adolescent high school kid again. Then I would comment with amazement about what adolescent high school kids who visit a college course that at least 0.0000003% of college students in the world care anything about.
¡un abrazo fuerte!
I am such a poor writer.
I want to edit that last comment: Then I would comment with amazement about what adolescent high school kids who visit a college course that at least 0.0000003% of college students in the world care anything about.
To make it a complete sentence: Then I would comment with amazement about what adolescent high school kids who visit a college course that at least 0.0000003% of college students in the world care anything about can grow up to become!
( edited due to formatting issues. See comment 34 \/ )
@27
No apologies needed! Arguments are great: they lead towards the truth, communally. So let’s hash this one out and figure out the truth of things together.
As counterpoints, I would say that Vin, Marsh, Wax, Wayne, and many, many others are quite irresponsible with their usage of power. That said, others are both. The ones you mentioned — Sazed and Dalinar particularly — are sometimes responsible and sometimes irresponsible. What do you do with Dalinar giving up a shardblade?
Further, what do you mean by responsible? If you mean the oldest meaning — something offered in return — then the most responsible thing one person could do is sacrifice for another.
Sorry, but that’s objectively false. The most stark example is aluminum, which is very expensive there and relatively inexpensive here. Aluminum’s main usefulness is presicely due to the magic system.
Again, that’s not true because the metals are rare. MOST of the metals are rare: Duralumin, Aluminum, Gold, Electrum, Nicrosil, Chromium, Cadmium, Bendalloy
And why are shardblades considered priceless? Why are gems worth more with stormlight?
Then how did Sebarial make so much money during the Stormlight shortage?
And what of the massive gift of breath — which is literally called life and magic and wealth — given in the climax of Warbreaker?
And what of the negative implications of magic hoarders?
What of Vin in the climax of the Mistborn trilogy?
@28 —
Ahhhhhh okay. I’m tracking now.
That… actually makes a whole lot of sense. Green is our factory default.
You definitely should. Neoplatonic and tripartite thought are huge for Sanderson, I think, though I haven’t looked in depth and am, frankly, no expert. Even if he’s not a very good neoplatonist, it’s refreshing to have anyone in that school of thought who isn’t Rowling to be writing for this many folks.
@29 —
Seen here selling a red shaed.
@30 — good point. Any folk unfamiliar with Alloy may not be as familiar with the cost problems there.
@31 / 32 —
Thanks Dave. Yeah, they definitely do it everywhere — that’s what makes the story relatable. That the hoarding of power and subsequent self-abnegation of power in these particular fantasy worlds simply subs a magic system for an economic system.
Drop me a line. I might be in your neck of the woods sometime and love meeting young minds for molding and riling them up.
36, It looks inauthentic to me. Probably a fake. I wonder what the beard of knowledge has to say.
@36 — If there’s anyone that can break the power of the Ctheah, it’s Michael Scott.
Probably because we’re just coming from Christmas and so I’ve been reading about this sort of thing in my personal time, but my immediate thought upon reading your thesis regarding the taking up and divesting of power is the idea of the Incarnation which is basically about God emptying himself into a human vessel. I am not sure if this would be an influence as I don’t know how much Mormonism values that particular part of Christian theology or if they have their own ideas on that!
From an economics point of view, I have to admit I’ve always found the Nalthis system to be very uncomfortable, morally, for me.
@41 —
I can certainly see why you’d go that way in your thinking, that sort of emptying of power plays out exactly that way in Christian theology. And it’s my understanding of Mormonism that they seem to borrow a lot from orthodoxy Christianity — indeed they call themselves Christians, inside the household of their own faith. Then again, so do a lot of secular humanists I know, so I don’t know how much that accounts for overlap in the theology/philosophy. From what I’ve seen in Sanderson, though, I would say your gut is right.
Yeah, Nalthis is quite disturbing. And I think it’s meant to be disturbing — the sword is more than an artifact. It’s a metaphor for insatiable bloodlust and greed, even greed and bloodlust propped up by “the greater good.” As Chesterton said:
And that, combined with your comment and my original post — the idea of emptying being power and clinging to power being a sort of self-annihilation — reminds me also of his poem Gloria in Profundis:
Whether Sanderson intends to evoke those sorts of images and ideas, I cannot say because I do not know him. That his works invoke those sorts of images and ideas for Christians such as yourself, however, is both unquestionable and obvious. And, if I might add, beautiful. The mark of great art is that it recalls to us the art we consider greatest and achieves a sort of resonant frequency where they echo one another. That his work through this lens reminded you of your high feast day is the best kind response in a reader any writer could ever hope to achieve.
Thank you for your thoughtful comment :)
For me, the disturbing part of Nalthis power/economy is the whole market around selling breaths, especially the market around young children surrendering their breath to sustain the gods before they really have a chance to intelligently consent to such a thing and its consequences (which include reduced vitality/mood). I know it’s set up as a sacrifice they are proud to make, but it usually comes along with economic pressure given the value of Breath. But again, I don’t think the reader is supposed to be fully comfortable with it (Lightsong isn’t) either.
@43 —
My pleasure.
Oh sure. But that’s essentially what child sacrifice as well as poverty is. As Mother Theresa said, “It’s poverty that a child must die so that I can live as I please.”
There are, of course, good and noble sacrifices and things called “sacrifice” which are really oppression. ROTC piggybacking on midwestern football highschool and the apotheosis of veterans is certainly one of those in our culture. As is the glorfication of the “free market” which leaves “white trash” children permanently caught in the cycle of poverty perpetuated in trailer parks across the country. Not to mention the slums of the world.
It’s certainly a contrast of that sort of sacrifice: willing sacrifice verses slavery. Of the children, Frank Ocean might say, “If it brings me to my knees, it’s a bad religion.” Then again, it brought Lightsong to his knees and raised up those who had been forced to bow.
So there’s an inherent irony and paradox there.