Three Character Arcs in Words of Radiance by Brandon Sanderson
My thoughts as I re-read the Stormlight Archive
I recently finished re-reading the second book of the Stormlight Archive series, Words of Radiance by Brandon Sanderson.
When I wrote about the first book, The Way of Kings, I avoided spoilers. This time, be forewarned: I’m including spoilers!
In this article, I describe the core character arcs of the three main characters: Shallan, Kaladin, and Dalinar.
Looking at the structural elements of a finished book can help us understand why it works (or why it doesn’t work). In this case, it can teach us something about how to pull off intertwining multiple major POV characters in one story, something that is difficult to do without the reader getting confused and losing interest.
I find story deconstructions like this fascinating, and I’m not the only one to do this. I was inspired by these articles in particular:
Also, I’m a huge fan of this series, and I want to dwell on this story and share what I like about it.
Shallan
What she wants and why
Shallan wants to find the ancient lost city of Urithiru. She believes it’s the key to protect the world from an enormous threat, and the only other person who knew about the coming danger (Jasnah) was just murdered. On an emotional level, she wants to honor Jasnah by completing her work, and she wants to become capable and confident like Jasnah.
Obstacles
Shallan faces many challenges in her pursuit of her goal. She starts off alone, shipwrecked in the wilderness with no survival knowledge, resources, allies, or influence. And she doesn’t know how to use her lightweaving and soulcasting powers. Internally, she’s troubled by her traumatic childhood. Her coping mechanism has been to ignore it, but she must confront the truth to develop her powers. She also frequently faces self-doubt.
Resolution
In the end, Shallan overcomes these challenges using her wit and her growing understanding of her lightweaving ability to create illusions. She confronts the truths of her past to advance as a Knight Radiant and claim her power. She finds and opens a portal to Urithiru during the climax, which saves thousands of people from an epic clash of storms.
Shallan’s arc is about accepting the truth about herself. Because she does that, she is able to summon her Shardblade and open the portal to Urithiru in time to save everyone.
What I loved
Shallan’s failed attempt to change a stick into fire is such a fun scene
Just about everything Shallan’s spren Pattern says and does
Shallan’s sweet romance with Adolin
Learning about Shallan’s tortured past, which answers so many questions from the first book
Shallan’s sense of wonder at the natural world
Kaladin
What he wants and why
Kaladin wants to protect Dalinar because he believes this is the best way to ensure safety for his men. Ever since he failed to protect his younger brother, Kaladin has been driven to protect the people closest to him or who are placed in his care. He also wants to get better at using his powers so that he can use them to protect.
Obstacles
Protecting Dalinar is difficult because Dalinar’s political enemies scheme against him and the Assassin in White returns to kill him. The Assassin has superior mastery of his powers and no one can stand against him. Additionally, Kaladin exhausts himself with his over-active sense of responsibility. On top of that, Kaladin’s hatred for the ruling class because of the injustice they cause, and his desire for vengeance, drive Kaladin to betray his oath to protect and instead join a plot to assassinate the king, Dalinar’s nephew. Breaking his oath causes him to lose his powers.
Resolution
In the end, Kaladin speaks the oath that he will protect even those he hates, saves the king from assassins, and thus restores his powers. With this, Kaladin is able to save Dalinar from the Assassin in White and finally defeat him.
Kaladin’s arc is about resolving his desire for vengeance, and growing to be able to speak that oath, that he will protect even those he hates. He is only able to defeat the Assassin in White and save Dalinar because he spoke the oath to regain and advance in his power as a Knight Radiant.
What I loved
Kaladin learning and mastering his Windrunner abilities
Kaladin’s conversations with Wit
When Kaladin jumps in to save Adolin in his disadvantaged duel
When Kaladin says his next Words and Syl comes back to him
Kaladin vs. Szeth in the colliding Highstorm and Everstorm
Dalinar
What he wants and why
Dalinar wants to win the war against the Parshendi and refound the Knights Radiant as steps to prepare for an unprecedented threat that his visions tell him is coming. On a deeper level, this is important to him to honor his brother the late king’s legacy, especially because he feels guilty that he failed to protect his brother from the Assassin in White five years ago.
Obstacles
Dalinar faces resistance and outright hostility from the other highprinces, with some of them actively plotting to undermine his plans and get him killed. Additionally, Dalinar’s reputation has been damaged by rumors that he has gone crazy because of the visions he experiences. He has no idea how to refound the Knights Radiant. Shallan and Kaladin keep their powers a secret, so he doesn’t know that the Radiant powers have returned. Finally, a mysterious countdown appears, signaling that they don’t have much time before a crisis arrives. His main internal obstacle seems to be his need to control everything.
Resolution
In the end, Dalinar convinces three of the kingdom’s highprinces to march with him for a final battle against the Parshendi, which culminates at the countdown’s end. They defeat the Parshendi in battle, but fail to prevent them from summoning the deadly Everstorm. When the Assassin in White arrives in the midst of this to kill Dalinar, Dalinar faces him and finally accepts that he would not have been able to save his brother, which resolves his guilt. Instead of saving the day himself, Dalinar relies on his commanding officers to fight the battle, Kaladin to take care of the Assassin, and Shallan to open the Oathgate and save them all from the Everstorm. As a result, Dalinar reforms the Knights Radiant with Shallan and Kaladin.
Dalinar’s arc is not as strong or obvious as the other two, but it is there. It seems to me that by overcoming his guilt and need for direct control, Dalinar is able to successfully lead everyone else. In this book, Dalinar drives the overall external plot that unites all three characters’ stories.
What I loved
The way Dalinar leads
Dalinar’s conversations with the Stormfather
Dalinar bonding the Stormfather at the end to become a Bondsmith
Overall Notes
Weaving together multiple stories is difficult, and I think this book pulls it off. Each major character has a specific goal and a deeper reason for wanting to achieve it. There are both external and internal obstacles standing in their way. At the end of the book, they have each grown and changed in some way. And each individual arc of change is related to the main thread of the external plot, which is about the conflict with the Parshendi, the coming threat, and the Knights Radiant.
I hope this was interesting and/or helpful! Share your thoughts on this book or on multiple POV stories below.
Thank you for reading! If you’re new here, I’m Katelin Cummins, a Catholic writer, book coach, gamer, and fantasy fan. If you would like to know more about what I write, check out this post. If you want help planning, writing, or revising your novel or nonfiction book, check out my services on my website.
I've never read Stormlight Archive but this was an interesting and helpful dive into the art of constructing compelling character arcs. Thanks!