Wind and Truth Chapter 32: Summary and Analysis
⚠️ Spoiler Warning: This guide contains detailed spoilers for the entire novel. Proceed only if you've finished reading or are comfortable knowing the plot.
Summary
Dalinar Kholin opens a perpendicularity—a glowing rift merging the three realms—at Wit’s instruction. He and Navani step into the light, seeking the Spiritual Realm. Navani hears the tones of Roshar and reaches toward them. Meanwhile in Shadesmar, Shallan and the Windrunners face an attack by three Ghostbloods (Mraize, Iyatil, Lieke) disguised as guards. Radiant engages Iyatil; Isasik is wounded. Shallan captures an anti-Stormlight dagger but is hit by a blowgun dart. The Ghostbloods are overwhelmed; Lieke dies. Iyatil and Mraize claim they hold captive guards as insurance, prompting the Windrunners to flee toward the pillar. Mraize reveals a second anti-Light dagger and hurls it into the perpendicularity. The resulting blast shatters the room, severing Dalinar and Navani’s Connection to the Physical Realm as power and screams rush toward them.
Key Events
- Dalinar opens a perpendicularity and enters the Spiritual Realm with Navani.
- Ghostbloods disguised as guards attack Shallan’s group in Shadesmar.
- Radiant fights Iyatil; Isasik is slashed across the neck but healed by Renarin.
- Shallan takes an anti-Light dagger from Iyatil, then is hit by a blowgun dart.
- Lieke is killed by an honorspren; Iyatil is cornered; Mraize is Lashed to the ceiling.
- Iyatil and Mraize bluff about hostages, causing the Windrunners to leave.
- Mraize throws an anti-Light dagger into the perpendicularity.
- The explosion disconnects Dalinar and Navani from the Physical Realm.
Character Development
- Dalinar: Demonstrates trust in Wit’s guidance and willingness to enter unknown realms, showing continued growth as a leader who embraces vulnerability.
- Navani: Feels a deep call from the tones of Roshar, reinforcing her bond with the planet’s rhythms and her role as a scholar-artificer.
- Shallan: Fights with increasing competence, using Adolin’s knife training and her illusions strategically. She shows leadership under pressure but is outmaneuvered by Mraize’s gambit.
- Radiant: Acts decisively to protect Windrunners, displaying combat prowess with Shardplate in Shadesmar, yet struggles against Iyatil’s agility.
- Mraize: Reveals a calculated ruthlessness, sacrificing underlings and using psychological manipulation (the hostage bluff) to achieve his goal of destroying the perpendicularity.
- Windrunners (Isasik, Breteh): Though effective in battle, they are easily manipulated by the Ghostbloods’ hostage threat, showing their moral priorities.
Themes, Symbols, or Motifs
- Perpendicularity as a Threshold: The portal symbolizes a crossing into fundamental truth—the Spiritual Realm—representing access to higher laws of the Cosmere.
- Anti-Light: The dagger that warps reality serves as a symbol of intentional destruction and opposition to the natural Investiture of Roshar. Its use against the perpendicularity shows the Ghostbloods’ willingness to collapse opportunities for connection.
- Deception and Masks: The Ghostbloods’ false faces and Shallan’s Lightweaving highlight the motif of identity and concealment; both sides rely on illusion in combat.
- Connection and Severance: Dalinar and Navani’s trailing cords of light are literally snapped when the anti-Light strikes, symbolizing how external forces can disrupt delicate bonds—both personal and cosmic.
Why This Chapter Matters
This chapter is a turning point. It begins the Characters’ journey into the Spiritual Realm—a key setting for future revelations. The Ghostbloods escalate their opposition from espionage to direct sabotage, destroying the perpendicularity and isolating Dalinar and Navani. The chapter also deepens Shallan’s confrontation with Mraize, setting up a personal vendetta. The blast’s aftermath—power, wind, and screams—hints at catastrophic consequences that will ripple through the rest of the book.
Study Questions and Answers
1. Why does Mraize throw the anti-Light dagger into the perpendicularity rather than using it on a character?
Mraize’s goal is not a single kill but to prevent Dalinar and Navani from reaching the Spiritual Realm. Destroying the perpendicularity cuts off their access, buys time for the Ghostbloods, and may also destabilize the tower, achieving a strategic blow against the Coalition.
2. How does Shallan’s combat training with Adolin help her in this fight?
She uses footwork and dodging to avoid Iyatil’s attacks, especially the feint with the anti-Light dagger. This training allows her to survive long enough to retrieve the dagger and later to evade the blowgun darts.
3. What does the hostage bluff reveal about the Windrunners’ values compared to the Ghostbloods?
The Windrunners immediately abandon their advantageous position to save the captive guards, prioritizing lives over strategic victory. The Ghostbloods exploit this moral code, showing their willingness to use others as tools.