Chapter summaries Wind and Truth Brandon Sanderson

Wind and Truth Chapter 38 Summary & Analysis: Szeth's Origin

⚠️ 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

Twenty-six years before the main events, a young Szeth searches for his family's sheep, Molli, near their homestead. He finds three Shin soldiers camped on the family stone. They have cooked and eaten Molli, drinking his father's wine. Szeth demands they leave. The soldiers mock him, calling him a "splash-colored shepherd" and defending their actions as necessary for protection. The ringleader, a man with sunken eyes, argues that Szeth's people are complicit in violence—"you subtract, little shepherd"—by paying soldiers to kill. Szeth refuses to accept Molli's death until he finds her cut pelt. Rage builds, and he attacks the soldier but is easily thrown. As the soldier stumbles, Szeth picks up a strange stone his family unearthed. He feels a cold void and nearly strikes the man but stops himself. The soldier, now with glowing red eyes, grabs Szeth by the throat. Szeth panics and beats him to death with the stone. Afterward, a soft voice speaks into his mind: "Here now, what are you?" Szeth waits until dawn, clutching Molli's pelt beside the corpse.

Key Events

  • Szeth discovers Shin soldiers eating his sheep Molli.
  • The soldiers justify their actions as a "reminder" to make people appreciate their protection.
  • Szeth attacks the sunken-eyed soldier but is overpowered.
  • He picks up a mysterious stone and feels a cold, void-like presence.
  • Szeth hesitates to kill, but the soldier attacks him with glowing red eyes.
  • Szeth kills the soldier in self-defense.
  • A soft voice asks Szeth, "Here now, what are you?"

Character Development

  • Szeth (child): He begins as a naive shepherd who strictly adheres to the Shin taboo against violence. The encounter shatters his worldview. His first kill traumatizes him, yet he also experiences a terrible emptiness that will shape his adult persona.
  • Sunken Eyes soldier: Represents the corrupt "subtractor" Szeth despises. His red-glowing eyes hint at external influence (possibly a spren or a Voidbringer). His final line, "Thought to rob me, did you?" suggests paranoia or possession.
  • The soft voice: An unidentified entity that speaks to Szeth after the murder. This may be the sentient sword Nightblood or a spren, marking Szeth's first contact with a supernatural force.

Themes, Symbols, or Motifs

  • Subtractors vs. Adders: The chapter directly addresses the Shin cultural division between those who add (farmers, shepherds) and those who subtract (soldiers, killers). Szeth's anger is aimed at the subtractors, yet he becomes one by the end.
  • The Stone: The family's unearthed stone is cold and feels like "fate." It symbolizes temptation and the loss of innocence—Szeth uses it as a weapon, and it may be a physical remnant of a spren or a Dawnshard (unconfirmed).
  • Red Eyes: The soldier's glowing red eyes recall the Unmade or other corrupted spren, suggesting that his attack was not fully human but influenced by a malignant force.
  • The Fire: The cooking fire, with its "burned and horrible" scents, becomes a symbol of desecration and the soldiers' disregard for the shepherds’ way of life.

Why This Chapter Matters

Chapter 38 provides the crucial origin of Szeth's first kill and his first encounter with an unknown voice (likely Nightblood). It deepens his backstory, explaining his loathing for violence and his eventual acceptance of the Truthless label. The event also foreshadows Szeth's inability to escape the role of a subtractor, no matter how much he despises it. For the larger narrative, this flashback grounds Szeth's present-day actions in a childhood trauma that continues to haunt him.

Study Questions and Answers

  1. Why does Szeth hesitate to kill the soldier, even after finding Molli's pelt?
    Szeth has been raised in the Shin culture that condemns violence and killing. He has never intentionally harmed anyone. Even in his rage, he stops himself because he associates the cold stone with blasphemy and fears becoming what he hates.

  2. What is the significance of the soldier's red-glowing eyes?
    The red eyes suggest supernatural corruption, possibly from a Voidbringer or an Unmade. This implies that the soldier's attack on Szeth was not entirely his own doing, adding an element of external manipulation to Szeth's first killing.

  3. What might the soft voice represent, and why does it appear only after Szeth kills?
    The voice—"Here now, what are you?"—is likely a sentient spren or the sword Nightblood. It appears after Szeth commits an act of subtraction, as if drawn to the violence or to Szeth's potential. This moment may be the beginning of Szeth's bond with Nightblood.

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