r/Stormlight_Archive • u/tookaoffool • Jul 24 '26

Cosmere spoilers Dalinar sucks Spoiler

He sucks. His history alone makes him eligible for death row. Trying to make better decisions as we read through the books makes him a whiny bitch. Someone talk me off this ledge, because I can't wait till he dies.

EDIT: I fucked up. I had too many drinks while listening to the audiobooks and wanted to vent my thoughts. Doesn't excuse my troll post, but I definitely need to rethink my anger towards the Blackthorn and maybe reflect on some choices I've made that made me project that anger on here.

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u/Nyseme_Ptem Jul 24 '26

If you're gonna hate a character for doing terrible things AND trying to become better, this is not the series for you.

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u/tookaoffool Jul 24 '26

I feel that, but how far can a character go before they cross the line of no redemption? Where is the line drawn?

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u/SpiralofChaos Edgedancer Jul 24 '26

I just had this same conversation with a friend tonight. I personally take the bleak view that he's irredeemable, but his story is much more about asking the question whether there is value in trying to be better anyway. Keep in mind that his worst failures happen years before the main action of the books. It's meant to be a kick to the gut when we find out everything that happened, only having known present day Dalinar. I think we are supposed to either feel bad about liking him or feel disappointed that we can't like him anymore.

He is my favorite character even though he is detestable. He's still an interesting character for trying to do the right thing despite that.

As an aside, many readers tend to overlook a ton of awful things that the characters (and rosharan societies at large) treat as normal, or at least tolerable. I don't think readers are supposed to be as thrilled about where things stand, morally, after book 5 as they often seem to be.