#also I’d like to note in the tags that I didn’t open the coppermind once while doing this and it shows

[koravelliumavast]

Dear Wormwood by the oh hellos is THE Renarin Kholin song: a mildly confusing character analysis.

yeah ok. so theres a lot of quotes from the books in here and nearer the end it actually ends up not being that much focused on the song and more on his development through the series and also i could go more into the song as a whole but its been like 3 hours at this point and this is the best youre going to get out of me because this is all spur of the moment.

So Renarin whole arc throughout Oathbringer is finding his place in the new world they’re in, right?. He doesn’t quite fit into with the radiants but he doesn’t quite fit in with the rest of the Alethi but he doesn’t fit in with the scholars either and he still feels like an outcast amongst bridge four.

Renarin explicitly shows that many times he doesn’t think he fits in anywhere. That he’s always been pushed into boxes that he doesn’t think he fits into. And that he doesn’t want to necessarily become an ardent or a stormwarden because he’d be giving in to what everyone says.

But even when he thinks finds who he is and finds his place on Roshar, things happen, upset that balance and he’s back to feeling lost again.

But along the course of the book he finds his space in the world. Not only as a scholar but also as a member of bridge four and as a radiant as well as internally. He finds a way to be more comfortable with himself by breaking the molds he’d been forced into all his life.

And Navani sees it. He’s happy. Throughout Oathbringer he’s gaining confidence and working through the boxes. His arc is much more understated because the vast majority of it seems to happen off screen and also internally, but Renarin at the end of Words of Radiance and Renarin at the end of Oathbringer are different people. He's much more confident and happy and finds himself joking around with his friends in ways he hasn't before.

Now (and that accidentally took a lot longer to get here than expected) throughout the Dear Wormwood album there is a struggle with self identity and finding out who you are. It comes to a peak in the song Dear Wormwood. The lyrics “I know who you are now.” Are repeated often throughout the song. But the final time it’s said, it’s “I know who I am now.”

The album as a whole, but specifically this song is almost like telling your struggles: “I see you. I recognize you. But you do not define me.” And nowhere is it more present than in the end of the song with the lyrics:

And don't these lines describe and fit Renarins entire arc throughout Oathbringer? Finding where he belongs and who he is as a person outside of what others view him to be? Not only is that Renarin's arc throughout Oathbringer, but its fitting to his story in the books as a whole. From the first time we met Renarin we learn 3 things about him. 1) People find him unsettling because he thinks before he speaks, 2) he feels out of place in many situations and 3) he is not what everyone thinks he is. This is a song about confronting your inner demons and Renarin seems to do exactly that. Or at least planting the seeds to do so.

Anyway I think renarin's arc is one of the most interesting because we dont see it since the majority of it happens offscreen or in others viewpoints, but Renarin is definitely a different person from when we first met him to where we're currently at. He's visibly more confident and happy and you can even see it in others perspectives.

Like the fact that in both of these examples Renarin's being a little teased with and joked around and with Wit he gets flustered and embarrassed of something that didnt happen and then with Lopen he laughs about it shows another level of comfort and confidence in himself too.

But I don’t think that the Renarin in the beginning of the way of kings would’ve suggested anyone to bond Tumi. He’s out of his element in every situation he’s in. But with joining bridge four and just a general confidence gain and friendship gain and internal growth he does. I almost wonder if going through twok you could pinpoint the moment he bonds Glys. Because it most definitely happens during the events of that book.