u/heewonist143

So, I'm rereading The Final Empire and got to the part where Vin realizes that Rashek is the Lord Ruler, and she says:

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Now, to preface this, I just wanna clarify that I know that Rashek did a lot of terrible and cruel things that can never be reasonably justified. However, doesn't Vin's summary (albeit crude and simplistic) of the colonizer/colonized situation between Rashek and Alendi warrant a closer scrutiny of the power dynamics here?

Again, I'm not saying Rashek's feelings on the matter served to justify the oppression he enacted afterwards (i.e. eugenics, genocide, etc.), but it does make me wonder: why did Sanderson make the relationship between Rashek and the Alendi explicitly one of oppression in the first place? How integral is it history to the overarching plot — like, couldn't the conflict have worked without that particular colonial dynamic? And, most importantly, why did he write Vin to say it like that?

Like yes, Rashek was a genuine terror and all, and yes, he may have felt inferior compared to Alendi, but I can't help but feel like his personal grievances over the situation is being used as a shield to avoid addressing the elephant in the room. Like, if we're gonna focus on the whole "outsider/oppressor is actually the prophesized hero of the oppressed" part... it's weird, right? Or am I being too sensitive, and instead this is just an "it's not that deep" situation? (Which is kind of ironic, given that we're talking about a Brandon Sanderson novel here).

From what I understand, Sanderson generally likes avoiding completely clear-cut political/moral situations because real life isn't that simple. But given the current political climate and that the cosmere books are likely going to be much more mainstream in the future, I wonder how this particular scene would be interpreted by a modern mainstream audience.

Am I missing some important context from the books that makes this dynamic more nuanced, or is this just one of those parts of the lore that isn't really explored?

So, I’m rereading The Final Empire and got to the part where Vin realizes that Rashek is the Lord Ruler, and she says:

“You hated him,” Vin said. “You thought that a Terrisman should have been the hero. You couldn’t stand the fact that he—a man from the country that had oppressed yours—was fulfilling your own legends.” (emphasis my own)

Now, to preface this, I just wanna clarify that I know that Rashek did a lot of terrible and cruel things that can never be reasonably justified. However, doesn't Vin's summary (albeit crude and simplistic) of the colonizer/colonized situation between Rashek and Alendi warrant a closer scrutiny of the power dynamics here?

Again, I’m not saying Rashek's feelings on the matter served to justify the oppression he enacted afterwards ( li.e. eugenics, genocide, etc.) but it does make me wonder: why did Sanderson make the relationship between Rashek and the Alendi explicitly one of oppression in the first place? How integral is it history to the overarching plot/Cosmereverse - like, couldn't the conflict have worked without that particular colonial dynamic? And, most importantly, why did he write Vin to say it like that?

Like yes, Rashek was a genuine terror and and all and yes he may have felt inferior compared to Alendi, but I can't help but feel like his personal grievances over the situations is being used as a shield to avoid addressing the elephant in the room. Like, if we're gonna focus on the whole "outsider/ opressor is actually the prophesized hero of the opressed" part... it's weird, right? Or am I being too sensitive and instead this is just an "it's not that deep" situation? (Which, is kind of ironic, given that we're talking about a Brandon Sanderson novel, here).

From what I understand, Sanderson generally likes avoiding completely clear-cut political/moral situations because real life isn’t that simple. But given the current political climate - and especially with a Mistborn movie adaptation in the works - I wonder how this particular scene would be interpreted by a modern mainstream audience.

Am I missing some important context from the books that makes this dynamic more nuanced, or is this just one of those parts of the lore that isn’t really explored?