Chapter 115: Hypocrite – Summary and Analysis
Spoiler Warning: This summary and analysis contains major spoilers for Oathbringer, including events leading up to Chapter 115. Do not read if you haven’t reached this point.
Summary
The chapter opens with an epigraph from Hessi’s Mythica, asserting that the Death Rattles are not divine but the roving influence of the Unmade Moelach. Dalinar startles awake on a stone floor, hungover and disoriented, realizing he is in a familiar vision: the one where he once met a young Nohadon. This time the vision plays out differently. Instead of a morose king contemplating war, an elderly, sprightly Nohadon sits writing—what he claims is a shopping list, not The Way of Kings. The old king exuberantly drags Dalinar to a colorful market, discussing the simple joy of crossing tasks off a list. As they shop for grains, Nohadon tells a melancholy story about a village cook who taught him to bake Shin bread before meeting an unfair end, paralleling Dalinar’s own weight of guilt.
Dalinar’s inner torment manifests as a thunderclast—a stone monster stalking the city. Nohadon calmly identifies it as a nightmare created by Dalinar’s pain and burdens. As more thunderclasts converge, Dalinar calls himself a hypocrite. Nohadon counters, “Sometimes, a hypocrite is nothing more than a man who is in the process of changing.” He then outlines the three Realms—Physical, Cognitive, Spiritual—and stresses that understanding the journey requires one essential thing: “What is the most important step a man can take?” The monsters strike, and Dalinar wakes in his bed in Urithiru, no highstorm in sight; it was not a vision. A sharp memory of Gavilar’s funeral night suddenly surfaces, crisp and long-suppressed.
Key Events
- Dalinar wakes in an altered version of the Nohadon vision, finding the king old and whimsical.
- Nohadon takes Dalinar shopping, highlighting simplicity and the satisfaction of small accomplishments.
- The story of the Shin border cook who made bread—and her unfair fate—mirrors Dalinar’s own buried sorrows.
- A thunderclast appears, personifying Dalinar’s pain, tears, and self-condemnation.
- Nohadon declares that a hypocrite is merely a person in transition and asks the pivotal question about the most important step.
- Dalinar awakens hungover in Urithiru; no vision-Stormfather was present.
- A crisp recollection of Gavilar’s funeral night resurfaces, promising revelations to come.
Character Development
Dalinar: This chapter is an internal crucible. Dalinar’s three-day bender has done nothing to heal the wounds of excommunication and the guilt over Evi’s death. The vision forces him to face his own hypocrisy—preaching unity while the drums of war beat in his mind—and his belief that he has never accomplished anything without bloodshed. The thunderclast is the literal embodiment of his pain and tears. He is on the brink but shown that self-awareness is itself a step forward.
Nohadon (vision construct): Far from the philosopher-king of the earlier vision, this version is playful, irreverent, and full of simple joy. Yet his wisdom cuts deep: he reframes hypocrisy as transformation, principles as sacrifice, and the journey as a series of steps rather than a destination. His mention of the three Realms anchors Dalinar’s struggle in the broader metaphysics of Roshar.
Themes, Symbols, or Motifs
- Hypocrisy and Change: The title springs from Nohadon’s redefinition—hypocrisy is not a permanent stain but a signpost of a man trying to become something better.
- The Journey vs. the Destination: Nohadon’s shopping list, his walk to Urithiru, and the closing question all reinforce that the emphasis belongs on the process, not the outcome.
- The Cost of Principles: Nohadon challenges Dalinar to see that a principle is defined by what it costs, not what it gains. Right action often brings hardship, not ease.
- Thunderclast as Guilt: The enormous stone creature symbolizes Dalinar’s suppressed horror—the Rift, Evi, the dead. It follows him, impossible to ignore, yet its presence is acknowledged rather than attacked.
- The Three Realms: Nohadon’s brief lesson (Physical, Cognitive, Spiritual) hints that Dalinar’s true self exists beyond his mistakes, a perfect version waiting for him to reach it one step at a time.
Why This Chapter Matters
Chapter 115: Hypocrite is a turning point in Dalinar’s spiritual crisis. Reeling from the revelations of the earlier flashbacks and the Church’s condemnation, he has been drowning his guilt. This dreamlike encounter—neither a true vision nor a simple dream—refuses to offer easy comfort, instead using Nohadon’s voice to reframe Dalinar’s greatest self-accusation. The closing question, “What is the most important step a man can take?” echoes across the rest of the book, becoming the anchor for Dalinar’s next Oath and the climax of his arc. The surfacing memory of Gavilar’s funeral also primes the narrative for the final unveiling of that night’s secrets.
Study Questions and Answers
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Why does the thunderclast appear in Dalinar’s dream, and what does it represent? The thunderclast is a physical manifestation of Dalinar’s anguish—his guilt over Evi’s death, the slaughter at the Rift, and his own sense of fraudulence. Nohadon even asks what the monster represents, and Dalinar answers “Pain … tears … burdens.” Its ability to walk through the city unnoticed by others underscores how Dalinar’s trauma is hidden, yet all-consuming.
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What does Nohadon mean when he says a hypocrite is “a man who is in the process of changing”? He reframes hypocrisy from a final verdict to a transitional state. Dalinar’s struggle to live up to the ideals he preaches doesn’t make him a permanent liar; it means he is actively moving toward something better, even if imperfectly. The statement offers hope that sincere effort, not flawless execution, is what matters.
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What is the importance of the question “What is the most important step a man can take?” The question pushes past abstract philosophy toward action. It will recur at Dalinar’s climactic moment, emphasizing that the journey is made of single steps, and the most crucial of them is always the next one. It reframes overwhelming guilt as manageable: you do not have to fix everything, only take one more step.