After hearing all the praise for Sanderson’s world building, I’ve finally taken the first step in the Cosmere with Mistborn. It may be a problem with my reading, but I have a lot of confusion about how society in this world works.
Here’s what I’ve got after finishing The Final Empire: society is bifurcated into extremes: skaa and nobility. Skaa make up the majority of society, but are a slave class treated like livestock. The Lord Ruler owns them all, officially, and lends them to nobles who treat them brutally with no regard for their humanity. Nobility are the upper crust, a collective of families loyal to the lord ruler who spend their time scrabbling for scraps of power and wealth under the domination of the Lord Ruler. There is not in between, no middle class.
Societies always have middle classes, but whatever, this is fantasy! It doesn’t have to be hyper-realistic. But Sanderson has been pitched as a master world builder and even he seems to consistently grapple with the hole in his society. It’s left me confused. For example, Ham talks about how pewter arms are well paid mercenaries. His wife can afford to live outside of ska tenements and she only keeps a job to “keep up appearances.” But if they’re skaa, why are they being paid at all? Are skaa mistings the middle class, where some are paid and have the autonomy to live and work where they want while the rest are slaves? Can’t be, because we are also told skaa mistings and their families are hunted down and slaughtered by Obligators…unless they are paid by the garrison or noble houses, then it’s not a big deal.
Everyone in the crew are skaa, but they live in relative comfort without being nobility. Like Vin says, they are nobles without titles. Then, at one of the balls, Elend and his friends talk about how all the servants at the party are vetted from minor noble houses. Are minor houses so low that they work for other houses and, essentially, are equal to to thieving crews or misting skaa?
I’m not sure any of this makes sense, but for a book so concerned about establishing how things work I cannot figure out the rules of the society.
Edit: And then Kelsier sees skaa soldier who work for noble houses as traitors. but traitors to what, exactly? Ostensibly, thy are guarding keeps against other noble houses. And if the choice is between slavery and freedom with employment, it’s not much of a choice. But, again, why are nobles paying them? Do Skaa have freedom of choice?