Chapter 45: 37: SIDES

Spoiler Notice

This page contains spoilers for The Way of Kings up to and including Chapter 45 (37: SIDES). Proceed only if you have read this far.

Summary

Five and a half years before the main events, young Kaladin watches his brother Tien marvel at a rock that shifts color depending on the angle. His mother, Hesina, speaks of spren inhabiting all things, and Kaladin wrestles with his future. He plans to join the army, but when his father Lirin is summoned to dine with Brightlord Roshone, Kaladin insists on going along.

During the tense carriage ride, Lirin admits he considered fleeing Hearthstone but feels responsible for its people. At the mansion, Lirin confronts Roshone, who demands the spheres he believes Lirin stole from the late Brightlord Wistiow. Lirin pretends to consider a compromise, then storms out.

Kaladin is sent to the kitchen, where he is humiliated by Roshone’s son Rillir and Laral, Wistiow’s daughter, now dressed and acting like a lighteyed lady. Afterward, on the ride home, Lirin confesses that he did indeed steal the spheres to secure Kaladin’s future. Shocked, Kaladin pivots: he abandons his soldier dream and resolves to study surgery in Kharbranth, learn the ways of lighteyes, and eventually repay Laral. He also decides to start using his full name—Kaladin—marking his transition from boy to man.

Key Events

Tien shows Kaladin a rock that appears a different color depending on the perspective.
Hesina explains that spren dwell in everything, even longroots and dung.
Fifteen-year-old Kaladin plans to volunteer as a soldier but is nervous.
Kaladin intercepts his father and insists on accompanying him to Roshone’s dinner.
Lirin reveals he considered moving the family to Kharbranth but feels duty-bound to stay.
At the mansion, Lirin seats himself at Roshone’s table, asserting his rank.
Roshone tries to force a deal over the disputed spheres; Lirin pretends to negotiate but ultimately leaves without conceding.
Kaladin is sent to the kitchen, where Rillir and Laral treat him as a servant, mocking him.
On the ride back, Lirin whispers that he really did steal Wistiow’s spheres.
Kaladin decides to become a surgeon, go to Kharbranth, and be called Kaladin instead of Kal.

Character Development

Kaladin: This flashback reveals his turning point. He begins the chapter set on joining the army, but the encounter with Roshone, Laral, and Rillir exposes his vulnerability against lighteyed rhetoric. After learning the truth about the spheres, he rejects the soldier’s path and embraces surgery as a means to gain intellectual parity with the nobility. His adoption of “Kaladin” signals a new, more serious self-image.

Lirin: The chapter complicates Lirin’s saintly image. He is revealed as a thief who defrauded his dying friend, yet acts out of love for his family. His quiet courage in facing Roshone contrasts with his earlier perceived weakness. Lirin is both hero and villain, a man willing to break laws to protect his own but also committed to his community.

Tien: Remains innocent and curious, focused on a multicolored rock. His simple observations about perspective unwittingly mirror the chapter’s larger moral ambiguity.

Hesina: Provides a philosophical anchor, discussing spren as agents of change. Her calm acceptance of hardship and her partnership in Lirin’s secret show quiet strength.

Roshone: Portrayed as petty, vindictive, and economically insecure. His bullying of the darkeyed surgeon reveals his insecurity as a near-exile.

Laral: Once Kaladin’s childhood friend, she now embraces her lighteyed role completely, dismissing him as “boy” and siding with Rillir.

Rillir: Arrogant and condescending, he uses logic-twisting arguments to belittle Kaladin, embodying the casual cruelty of entitled lighteyes.

Themes, Symbols, or Motifs

Perspective: Tien’s rock changes color when viewed from different sides—symbolizing that truth and morality depend on one’s vantage point. Lirin’s actions appear villainous to Roshone but protective to his family.
Social Class and Power: The dinner table becomes a battlefield for dominance. Lirin’s insistence on sitting with Roshone is a small act of defiance against the lighteyes’ hierarchy.
Courage vs. Cowardice: Kaladin initially sees his father’s passivity as weakness, but this chapter reframes Lirin’s quiet resistance as courage. Conversely, Kaladin’s impulse to run to the army now seems like flight from responsibility.
Identity and Names: The shift from “Kal” to “Kaladin” marks a deliberate step toward adulthood and a chosen destiny. Names in Vorin society carry weight, and Kaladin’s name sounds like a lighteyes’, reflecting his aim to bridge worlds.
Spren and Change: Hesina’s teaching that spren are “the heart of change” foreshadows Kaladin’s own transformation. The chapter is about choosing a path amid shifting circumstances.

Why This Chapter Matters

Chapter 45 is a pivotal flashback that explains the origin of the feud between Lirin and Roshone and reveals that Kaladin’s family is not blameless. It recontextualizes Kaladin’s early life, showing why he values education and self-possession so fiercely. The decision to become a surgeon—and not a soldier—sets in motion his eventual journey to the Shattered Plains, where his medical training saves lives and earns respect. Moreover, the chapter deepens the novel’s exploration of moral ambiguity and the long shadows cast by seemingly small choices.

Study Questions and Answers

How does Tien’s multicolored rock relate to the chapter’s central conflict?
The rock changes color based on perspective, just as Lirin’s act of stealing the spheres can be seen as either a desperate father’s sacrifice or outright theft. The rock symbolizes that events are rarely one-sided; morality often depends on whose view you take.
Why does Kaladin abandon his plan to become a soldier and commit to surgery?
After being humiliated by Rillir’s wordplay and seeing his father’s skill in handling Roshone, Kaladin realizes he lacks the verbal and intellectual tools to confront lighteyes. Surgery offers a path to learn the subtle arts of argument and to help people, while also repaying the debt he now feels to Laral.
What does Lirin’s confession reveal about his character?
It exposes a pragmatic, morally flexible side beneath his placid exterior. Lirin is willing to break the law to fulfill what he sees as a broken promise, revealing a deep-seated belief that familial duty can override legal strictures. His grief and guilt show that the theft weighs on him, making him a tragic rather than a simple figure.