Mistborn: Vin, The Tomboy Who Stays A Tomboy
I'm currently part way through The Hero of Ages, and I want to take a moment to discuss Vin's character and the tomboy character trope.
An important underlying premise: A fellow reader of the series recommended The Final Empire series to me when I complained to him about how nearly every "tomboy" character I've come across in reading fantasy later goes on to feminize that character, sometimes going so far as to mostly or completely erase the tomboy characteristics of that character. While potentially not the intent of the author's, this trope feels very alienating. It invalidates the validity of being a tomboy. It tells readers, "femme characters only have value if they are feminine". This is bullshit, and applies to all femme identities; I'm not talking strictly here about the experience of tomboy AFABs (like me). This includes transgender women, too. If a transgender women wants to be a tomboy, that is equally as valid. This pervasive narrative effects the entire spectrum of "femme" identities.
Now, let's look at Vin. Beware, there are spoilers past this point. As I was reading through Mistborn and Well of Ascension, I felt disgruntled. Here we go again, yet another tomboy being feminized. I was worried she would end up losing quite a bit of her tomboy traits. On top of this, her tomboy mannerisms are consistently referred to in tandem with her previous street-urchin life. Were she a boy, the short hair, lack of makeup, and desire to wear trousers would not be remiss at all. I also presume that her "on guard" mannerisms would also not be as criticized. Finally, we also see Vin herself struggling with this narrative a great deal in Well of Ascension when she's facing self-doubt about her relationship with Elend. She repeatedly states that Elend deserves someone more feminine and scholarly. She worries she can't be feminine enough for him (in addition to some other personality traits) and that makes her less worthy. This self-doubt is further exacerbated by Zane's verbal manipulation towards Vin when he repeatedly tells her she "does not belong" with Elend and in Luthadel.
It's important to note the only other works of Brandon Sanderson I have read prior to this are the books he co-authored with Robert Jordan in Wheel of Time. I also know he is Mormon and a white cis-hetero man, so this additionally decreased my faith in the writing for this particular component.
Then we come to The Hero of Ages, and to my surprise, the dreaded trope does not bloom. it was never going to bloom. Sanderson pulled one on me. In chapter 30, Elend and Vin are making their way to the ball, and there is a very important, yet brief, thoughtful insight Vin has about herself.
"They waited on the servant, and Vin realized that she'd begun holding her breath. It seemed as if she were reliving a dream - or was it a fond memory? For a moment, she was that same young girl of over four years before, arriving at Keep Venture for her very first ball. nervous and worried that she wouldn't be able to play her part.
Yet she felt none of that same insecurity. She didn't worry if she'd find acceptance or belief. She'd slain the Lord Ruler. She'd married Elend Venture. And - more remarkable than either accomplishment - somehow in the chaos and mess she'd discovered who she was. Not a girl of the streets, though that was where she'd been raised. Not a woman of the court, though she appreciated the beauty and grace of the balls. Someone else.
Someone she liked."
The world around her was telling her she needs to be womanly and alluring, but that's not who she is. So how does she fit in? How can she be herself in the world she lives in, and who is "herself"? Vin wasn't having her tomboy traits erased. She was exploring who she is and per the quote above, values this above her other accomplishments. When you go through trauma as a child, it is very hard to develop a sense of self, and even harder to develop that sense of self while the outside world is telling you you need to be a certain way.
As the story progresses, we get to witness Vin becoming Vin. She's a tomboy, a woman, a Mistborn. She prefers shorter hair and trousers, but sometimes enjoys dressing up. Instead of adopting the typical female fashion, she finds a way (with Tindwyl's help) to adapt the dresses to fit who she is. She also comes to realize that her worth is not wrapped up in her ability to be feminine. She doesn't need to be feminine and scholarly to be worthy of Elend's love. Vin is Vin, tomboy parts and all, and she is worthy just the way she is.
origamiaround
germansingergirl
janainaart
kaledo-art
romaincrisis
