64 pages • 2 hours read
Brandon SandersonShadows of Self
Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 2015A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Character Analysis
Waxillium “Wax” Ladrian and Wayne
Content Warning: This section of the guide refers to classism, misogyny, and sexism, which the novel depicts.
Waxillium Ladrian, or “Wax,” is the primary protagonist of Shadows of Self and the entire Wax and Wayne Mistborn series. Wax is a descendant of Breeze, a character from the original Mistborn trilogy and part of the crew who defeated the Lord Ruler. After the Catacendre, Breeze’s family become one of the great houses of Elendel, and Wax returns to Elendel in The Alloy of Law to take over as lord of the house after his uncle left it destitute. Wax is in his forties and spent 20 years away from Elendel as a lawman in the Roughs. In Shadows of Self, Wax discovers the truth about his former wife and his return to Elendel, forcing him into both an inner conflict of self and a conflict in his relationship with Harmony, or God. Wax is a Twinborn, or someone born with both Allomantic and Feruchemical powers due to their diverse heritage. Wax’s Allomantic power is that of Steel, which allows him to “Push” on nearby sources of metal. His Feruchemical power is that of Iron, which allows him to “store” physical weight in the metal band on his body; he can either “store” the weight to become lighter or later use stored weight to become heavier. In reference to his Allomantic powers, he is called a Coinshot, and in reference to his Feruchemical powers, he is called a Skimmer. He is both a round and dynamic character, changing throughout the story.
Wayne is one of the other primary protagonists of the novel and Wax’s partner and friend. His Allomantic power is that of Bendalloy, making him a “Slider.” It allows him to speed up time within a bubble around himself. He is a Twinborn like Wax, and his Feruchemical power is that of Gold, making him a “Bloodmaker.” It allows him to store health; he can become sick to store health that he can later use to heal injuries, poisons, and more. Wayne met and worked with Wax in the Roughs, and he later followed Wax back to Elendel out of concern for his friend. Wayne provides much of the comedic relief in the Wax and Wayne series. Despite his behavior as a sort of “clown,” Wayne has a difficult past that has left its mark; just before he met Wax, he killed a man without meaning to during a robbery. Wayne continually tries to make amends to the man’s daughter, providing her with money for school, without actually believing he can achieve redemption.
The two have been partners for some time, and their experiences in the Roughs have allowed them to develop a trust and familiarity with one another’s abilities that makes them more powerful. Marasi observes that “[t]hey had so much history that they moved in concert subconsciously, like two dancers who had performed together countless times. That made life particularly difficult for the newcomer who tried to perform with them” (61).
Marasi Colms, Steris Harms, and Claude Aradel
Marasi Colms and Steris Harms are sisters; Marasi was born from her father’s affair out of wedlock, so they spent some time claiming Marasi was Steris’s cousin. Marasi is a somewhat primary protagonist, with her role growing as the series progresses, but her role is often secondary to Wax and Wayne’s. Marasi previously studied law, but as of Shadows of Self, she has switched to being a constable. Her Allomantic power is that of Cadmium, giving her the ability to slow down time within a bubble around her. She became a friend of Wax and Wayne’s in The Alloy of Law when she provided assistance in saving her sister and finding the culprits of several robberies and kidnappings.
Steris is a minor character, although her role becomes slightly larger with each novel in the Wax and Wayne series. She is Wax’s fiancée, putting her somewhat in the role of a love interest; however, she and Wax became engaged in The Alloy of Law as part of a contract. It is a union typical of the nobility, as she provides money that Wax’s house needs, and Wax’s status as a house lord raises her own family’s status. Despite her minimal appearances in Shadows of Self, due to her lack of powers or experience in fighting or investigating, Steris and Wax’s relationship shows signs of a deepening connection in the novel. Wax realizes there are things he does not know about Steris, and he finds himself more interested in the pieces of herself she reveals. At the end of the novel, Steris comforts Wax, foreshadowing the further deepening of their relationship in future novels.
Claude Aradel, a minor character, begins the novel as constable-general of the Fourth Octant of Elendel and as Marasi’s boss. He came out of retirement to take the position and hired Marasi as his assistant, breaking the traditions of choosing an experienced field detective as his assistant. He is frequently frustrated by Wax during investigations. Marasi admires the man, as he is honorable. When Governor Innate is found dead, Aradel is named as interim Governor, the first non-noble governor.
Paalm/Bleeder/Lessie
Paalm, or “Bleeder,” is a kandra. Kandra are creatures who began as mistwraiths and were given consciousness through Hemalurgy (the use of spikes to provide powers and abilities). They have the ability to ingest the bodies of the dead and use the bones, hair, etc. to recreate the body and imitate the person they have ingested. The Lord Ruler created them as spies and agents, and Harmony uses them in similar ways, although with far less restricted lives. Paalm is one of the oldest kandra, having served the Lord Ruler before serving Harmony, making her far more skilled than many kandra at imitating people.
When Wax went to the Roughs as a young adult, Harmony sent Paalm to the Roughs to act as a sort of bodyguard. Wax, however, fell in love with Paalm’s chosen form, “Lessie,” and Paalm believed herself to have fallen in love with him as well. When Harmony needed Wax to return to Elendel for reasons only known to Harmony, he pushed Paalm to “kill off” Lessie so that Wax would not be held to the Roughs by his love for her. This pressure, to which Paalm eventually gave in, angered her and caused her to believe that Harmony controls everyone like chess pieces. To free herself, she removed one of her spikes, but since the spikes give consciousness, this impacted Paalm’s mental health. Paalm becomes obsessed with freeing the rest of the world, and Wax in particular, from Harmony, leading to the events of Shadows of Self. Paalm is the antagonist of Shadows of Self and the orchestrator of all the plots and actions that cause unrest in the city.
Harmony, TenSoon, and MeLaan
TenSoon and MeLaan are two of the kandra who still serve Harmony. They act as aids to the main characters and agents of Harmony, who sends them to help. TenSoon is the only other kandra known to be as skilled as Paalm. His “ownership,” or contract, landed in the hands of Kelsier, the leader of the crew that defeated the Lord Ruler in the original Mistborn trilogy; and when Kelsier died, his contract passed to Vin, the Ascendant Warrior and one of the youngest members of the crew. To allow her to bring TenSoon anywhere with her without discovery, she ordered him to take the body of a dog rather than a human, something that was seen as unholy and distasteful to kandra. He became used to the body, however, and it is the form in which he greets Wax. MeLaan is a younger kandra, one of the ones who, having had little experience with their first “master,” the Lord Ruler, is more inclined to have a sense of self, rather than living only as the people she imitates. She joins Wayne in the series as comic relief, and she becomes an active member of the group, helping in the fight against Paalm.
Harmony is the god of Scadrial, but his origins are that of a human being named Sazed. During the original trilogy, he was a Terrisman steward who served Kelsier, choosing to do so in order to help free the world from the Lord Ruler. Stewards were supposed to be peaceful and against conflict, but he was part of the Keepers, those who had Feruchemical powers and secretly preserved their knowledge in the case of the Lord Ruler’s defeat. He helps Vin and Elend after Kelsier’s death, seeming like a somewhat minor character, but by the end of the trilogy, he realizes he, rather than Vin, is meant to be the Hero of Ages. To save Scadrial, he takes on the powers of both Preservation and Ruin, and he combines all his knowledge of historical religions to create a new world in the best possible form he can. In the Wax and Wayne trilogy, hundreds of years after Sazed became Harmony, he realizes he has made some mistakes in how he has cared for and created the world, and he comes up against his own limitations as a god.
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By Brandon Sanderson
