Shadows of Self

Content Warning: This section of the guide refers to stereotypes and problematic depictions of people of diverse racial backgrounds as well as underserved communities and neighborhoods, which feature in the novel. This section of the guide also discusses classism, misogyny, and sexism, which the novel depicts.

“That was another thing about the Roughs. Both plants and people were more prickly, and they grew lower to the ground. Even the fanlike acacias, which did stretch high at times, had this fortified, hardy sense about them.”

Wax’s observations set the scene for his life in the Roughs and highlight the differences between life in the Roughs and life in Elendel, the main city of the region. The descriptions of the landscape and the people’s behavior reveal that the Roughs were inspired by tropes of the “Wild West” in the United States. It is suggested that the environment and the people mirror each other.

“’How did you kill Peret the Black?’ They stared at each other a moment. ‘Well…’ Waxillium started. ‘Oh hell. You caught him on the crapper, didn’t you?’ Waxillium grinned at her. ‘Yeah.’”

This is one instance of the type of humor that prevails in the Wax and Wayne series. Life is more lighthearted in this series than in the original Mistborn trilogy, and the characters regularly make quips like this. This demonstrates Wax’s charismatic character.

“She kept looking at the body. ‘I’ve done plenty of things in Joe’s name I wish I hadn’t, but as far as I know, I never shot a man who didn’t deserve it. Killing you…well, seems like it would have been killing what you stood for too. Ya know?’”

Lessie speaks these lines, and it is unclear whether they are truthful or part of her larger act in trying to get close to Wax to act as a bodyguard. Her attitude here, focusing on only shooting men who deserve it, and valuing what Wax stands for, attracts Wax to her further. This suggests there is a moral center to this novel, similar to the moral center at the heart of many Western works.