Rhythm of War (9781429952040)
95. What She Truly Was
by Sanderson, BrandonThe chapter opens with Venli navigating a chaotic battlefield where listeners and humans clash under a darkened sky. The Everstorm, summoned by the listeners’ collective song, looms ominously, but the scene is far from the organized triumph Venli had envisioned. Instead, she witnesses disarray and death, with many listeners consumed by their new stormform, their eyes glowing red as they sing. Venli, resisting the form’s overwhelming pull, flees through the rain-soaked terrain, desperate to escape the violence and questioning the promises of glory she had been given.
As Venli seeks refuge, she encounters listeners who are unresponsive to her warnings, lost in their transformed state. She reflects on her inability to control stormform’s power, which had left her weakened and ineffective in battle. Nearby, humans slaughter listeners, their screams punctuating the relentless rain. Venli hides, trembling, as she grapples with the reality of her situation—far from the safety and leadership she expected. A human soldier spares her life after she pleads for mercy, leaving her conflicted between derision for his foolishness and a fleeting sense of gratitude.
The chapter delves into Venli’s internal struggle as she questions her choices and the person she has become. The Rhythm of Appreciation briefly surfaces, reminding her of her past vulnerability and contrasting it with the hollow “strength” of her current form. Despite her doubts, she forces herself to embrace Conceit, a rhythm of pride and determination, to justify her role in the conflict. She moves across the battlefield, witnessing the carnage and the prowess of stormform-wielding listeners, including her sister Eshonai, now a terrifying Shardbearer.
The chapter culminates in Venli observing Eshonai’s duel with a human Shardbearer near a chasm. Initially, Venli convinces herself that Eshonai doesn’t need her help, but her resolve wavers as Eshonai is pushed to the brink. The scene underscores Venli’s moral ambiguity and the fractured relationship between the sisters, set against the backdrop of a war that has spiraled beyond their control. The Everstorm’s approach symbolizes both salvation and destruction, leaving Venli to confront the consequences of her ambitions.
FAQs
1. How does Venli’s reaction to being spared by the human soldier reflect her internal conflict?
Answer:
Venli’s initial reaction to being spared is attuning Derision, mocking the soldier for not recognizing her importance—a reflection of her inflated self-image cultivated under Ulim’s influence. However, this quickly fades as she questions whether this is the proper rhythm to feel after being saved, showing a moment of self-awareness. She briefly attunes Appreciation, longing for her former, simpler self. This duality highlights her internal struggle between the ruthless ambition fostered by stormform and remnants of her original identity that valued gratitude and connection. The chapter underscores this tension through her shifting rhythms and self-questioning (“What had happened to her these last few years?”).2. Analyze the significance of the Everstorm’s impending arrival in this chapter. How does it function both literally and symbolically?
Answer:
Literally, the Everstorm represents the listeners’ summoned weapon—a cataclysmic force meant to exterminate humans and elevate surviving listeners, as Venli notes. Its building crescendo (“joined by thousands of voices”) drives the battle’s chaos. Symbolically, it mirrors Venli’s psychological turmoil: an unstoppable transformation she helped create but now fears. The storm’s “blackened sky” and “red lightning” reflect the destructive consequences of her choices, while its inevitability parallels her inability to revert to her old self. The storm also symbolizes the listeners’ collective loss of control, as even their Shardbearer Eshonai becomes a “terrible warlord” unrecognizable from her former thoughtful self.3. How does the chapter portray the consequences of stormform on listener society and individuality?
Answer:
The chapter depicts stormform as eroding both societal cohesion and individual agency. Listeners like Faridai are “consumed” by the form, ignoring Venli’s warnings to flee, their individuality subsumed by the collective song. Venli, though resistant, struggles with impulses to join them, suggesting the form overrides free will. The battlefield’s chaos—contrasting Venli’s vision of an “organized effort”—reveals how stormform has shattered listener unity, reducing them to isolated, frenzied combatants. Eshonai’s transformation into a “terrible warlord” further illustrates the loss of identity. Even Venli’s momentary clarity (“What had she let happen to her?”) is drowned out by Conceit, showing how the form perpetuates self-deception.4. Evaluate Venli’s claim that this battle is her “victory celebration.” What irony does this reveal?
Answer:
Venli’s assertion is deeply ironic. She frames the battle as a triumphant culmination of her efforts (“she’d crafted this”), yet the scene is one of horror: “screams more often than commands,” “chaos, war, and death.” Her forced attunement to Conceit masks her earlier panic and disillusionment (“It was all wrong”). The “victory” she celebrates involves her people being slaughtered mid-song and her own near-death experience—hardly a glorious outcome. The irony underscores her delusion; she clings to Ulim’s promises of a throne while crawling through mud, spared only by a human’s mercy. The disconnect between her grand narrative and the grim reality critiques the destructive allure of power.5. How does the chapter use physical descriptions of the environment to mirror Venli’s emotional state?
Answer:
The environment’s bleakness reflects Venli’s turmoil. The “blackened sky” and “pitch-black clouds” mirror her moral ambiguity, while “Weeping rains” evoke her suppressed grief. The “deep puddles” she splashes through symbolize her floundering agency, and the “broken spire of rock” where she hides parallels her fractured identity. Lightning—wild and uncontrolled—mirrors her erratic emotions, from Panic to Derision to fleeting Appreciation. Even the chasm’s edge, where Eshonai fights, serves as a metaphor for Venli’s precarious position between past and present selves. These descriptions externalize her inner conflict, immersing the reader in her psychological landscape.
Quotes
1. “She’d imagined this day as an organized effort by the listeners—led by her. Instead there was chaos, war, and death.”
This quote captures Venli’s shattered expectations and the brutal reality of the listener rebellion. It highlights the stark contrast between her ambitions for leadership and the uncontrolled violence that ensued, setting the tone for her crisis of conscience throughout the chapter.
2. “Derision seemed to fade though, as she considered. Was … was that the proper rhythm, the proper feeling, she should feel upon being saved? What had happened to her these last few years?”
This moment marks a pivotal introspection for Venli, questioning her corrupted values and the person she’s become. The rhythm metaphor powerfully conveys her internal conflict between her transformed stormform identity and lingering traces of her former self.
3. “Conceit was a proud, strong rhythm with a surging fanfare of quick, complex, and bold beats. That was how she needed to feel. This was her battlefield.”
This quote exemplifies Venli’s attempt to psych herself up with false bravado. The detailed description of the rhythm reveals how listeners use musicality to access emotional states, while showing Venli’s desperate attempt to convince herself she’s in control.
4. “It was hard to associate the terrible warlord Eshonai had become with the thoughtful femalen who had tried so hard to find a way out of the war.”
This poignant reflection shows Venli recognizing the tragic transformation in her sister, mirroring her own internal struggle. It underscores the theme of lost identity and the costs of their rebellion against the humans.