{"id":5218,"date":"2020-06-22T05:00:22","date_gmt":"2020-06-22T12:00:22","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/markreads.net\/reviews\/?p=5218"},"modified":"2020-06-15T16:11:22","modified_gmt":"2020-06-15T23:11:22","slug":"mark-reads-the-fifth-season-chapter-6","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/markreads.net\/reviews\/2020\/06\/mark-reads-the-fifth-season-chapter-6\/","title":{"rendered":"Mark Reads ‘The Fifth Season’: Chapter 6"},"content":{"rendered":"

In the sixth chapter of The Fifth Season<\/i>, I learn to COMPLETELY despise a new character. Intrigued? Then it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s time for Mark to read The Broken Earth<\/i>.<\/p>\n

Trigger Warning: For extended discussion of torture, manipulation, slavery<\/b><\/p>\n

HI, HELLO, WHAT THE FUCK<\/b><\/p>\n

I knew not to trust Schaffa. I knew his act as a benevolent savior was part of something insidious, and yet, I did not expect that to be displayed so openly<\/i>. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s open to both Damaya and the reader, though I want to also address how Damaya internalizes what Schaffa says and does to her.\u00c2\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

There\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s parts of this that will be lost to me, but there are parts that are not. This relationship is one of power, and Schaffa uses his power as a means of control. And he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s blatant about that, too! That\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s not even subtext or something to interpret between the lines because he outright says that this is what he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s supposed to do as a Guardian!\u00c2\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

But before he even gets to his horrific display, I want to talk of stories. Damaya, far from the place that was once her home, and probably a place she\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll never return to, is told a story by Schaffa to pass the time. Except it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s not really to pass the time, is it? That\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s not Schaffa\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s true intent. Damaya is experincing the world outside of Palela for the first time, and Schaffa knows this. He is depending on her ignorance, on her not knowing what to do with herself in any of these new situations. And they\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re all new! She has only her experience in Palela to guide her, so he also<\/i> knows she is going to look to him for help.\u00c2\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

I say this because everything in this chapter\u00e2\u20ac\u201despecially as I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m looking over it for this review\u00e2\u20ac\u201dfeels so intentional. Every act is part of his manipulation of her, isn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t it?<\/p>\n

The \u00e2\u20ac\u0153story\u00e2\u20ac\u009d he tells Damaya comes after he (correctly) realizes that she is \u00e2\u20ac\u0153listening\u00e2\u20ac\u009d to the earth is so eerie now that I know where it ends up. Schaffa is casual here at the beginning. He just wants to tell her a story to \u00e2\u20ac\u0153help\u00e2\u20ac\u009d her with focusing so that she doesn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t use her powers. But what does he tell her? It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s the story of Shemshena, an orogene. Yet when he starts this tale, he speaks of another orogene, Misalem, and right from the start, something is terribly wrong.<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153\u00e2\u20ac\u201dan orogene named Misalem decided to try to kill the emperor. This was back when the emperor actually did things, mind, and long before the Fulcrum was established. Most orogenes had no proper training in those days; like you, they acted purely on emotion an instinct, on the rare occasions that they managed to survive childhood. Misalem had somehow managed to not only survive, but to train himself.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

There is just\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6 there\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s so much going on here. First of all: Why<\/i> did Misalem try to kill the emperor? It felt immensely suspect that Schaffa never gives a reason why, particularly since an emperor will always have state power over a lone individual. So, right there, I feel like Schaffa is hiding something. Also note that he is very quick to point out that this was a time \u00e2\u20ac\u0153when the emperor actually did things,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d implying that the emperor was a necessary part of the world. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s like he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s anticipating someone making the point I just did. He anticipates other things as well, such as the idea that orogenes don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t need training. Every part of this story is to sell his version (aka the dominant version) of the orogenes. What would an orogene say about this point in history? What about Misalem himself? Was he merely hungry for power and that\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s it? This is all suspect!\u00c2\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

What stories we are told as part of an ongoing mythology affects how we make decisions. How we view the world. How we view one another. Thus, Schaffa\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s story of this orogene who was \u00e2\u20ac\u0153perhaps\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6 a bit mad\u00e2\u20ac\u009d or was \u00e2\u20ac\u0153simply evil\u00e2\u20ac\u009d is meant to show her that orogenes without the structure of the Fulcrum or the guardians turn into orogenes like Misalem. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a set-up. And I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t believe. I JUST DON\u00e2\u20ac\u2122T! Damaya is learning about orogene history from someone who openly admits that his role is to control them. What is he leaving out? What\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s between the lines? How do we know that the reason orogenes don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t make it out of childhood is because of their untrained power? Because to me, it sounds like the people around<\/i> orogenes are the ones doing the murdering!\u00c2\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

But you can\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t necessarily tell any of that from this story. No, the emperor and his bodyguard, Shemshena, are portrayed as the heroes of this tale. They are logical; they do not make their decisions based on emotion; they are willing to sacrifice things for the \u00e2\u20ac\u0153greater good.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d They are positioned as the positive moral agents in this story, yes, but also note that Shemshena is the boydguard. Her job is to assist and support the person \u00e2\u20ac\u0153above\u00e2\u20ac\u009d her. But if that wasn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t clear enough, Schaffa spells it out for Damaya:<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153As the Fulcrum is an order of orogenes, we are the order that watches<\/i> the Fulcrum. For we now, as Shemshena did, that despite all your terrible power, you are not invincible. You can be beaten.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Notice how Schaffa flips this. Damaya says she liked the story, and he manages to twist what he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s saying to make it clear that he includes Damaya in the same group as Misalem. She is just like him, and therefore, she needs to be trained so as not to suffer the same fate:
\n\u00e2\u20ac\u0153We learn how orogenic power works, and we find ways to use this knowledge against you. We watch for those among your kind who might become the next Misalems, and we eliminate them. The rest we take care of.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

But what makes an orogene like Misalem? Disobedience? Power? Talent? He still hasn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t actually<\/i> defined this, you know? Is it just that he wanted to disrupt the status quo? Was his crime being ambitious? Possessing a power that others didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t want? THIS IS TOO VAGUE, and that bothers me!!! It bothers me even more in light of what follows this story. Y\u00e2\u20ac\u2122all, it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s not like I should necessarily be surprised by Schaffa\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s behavior. He literally just said the Guardians murder anyone who \u00e2\u20ac\u0153might become the next Misalems,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d so obviously violence is part of his toolset.\u00c2\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Schaffa told this story knowing that more likely than not, Damaya would identify with Misalem in some way. He knew that anyone<\/i> would not want to be controlled. So, again, I think he said all of this on purpose to set up Damaya for this lesson. He claims that it isn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t in Damaya\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s power to control herself, that it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s not in her nature, but then LOOK WHAT HE DOES!!! The thing he has consistently left out is that it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s only under extreme duress that untrained orogenes use their powers. And instead of examining why<\/i> these people felt threatened or afraid, the problem is their reaction<\/i>. That\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s so telling, isn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t it? It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s deeply dehumanizing, too. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s like the teacher who punishes the bullied kid for finally standing up for themselves. Let\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s make a very relevant comparison: It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s like people getting enraged at protestors for fighting back. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s like folks getting mad at those who loot or burn down buildings, but refusing to examine why a person might feel compelled to react that way.\u00c2\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Seriously, Schaffa is utterly unwilling to present this in a way that empathizes with a person trying to \u00e2\u20ac\u0153survive mortal threat.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d No, the problem is that apparently, orogenic powers don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t \u00e2\u20ac\u0153recognize degree.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153You power acts to protect you in the same way no matter how powerful, or minor, the perceived threat.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

But if that\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s true, why didn’t<\/i> Damaya kill that young boy who bullied her? Why does Schaffa not seem to care about the bully at all? The bully seems to be the victim in this scenario!\u00c2\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

And then:<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Be still, and be brave. I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m going to break your hand now.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

This is his test. He tortures this young girl by breaking her hand to see if she can control herself. A CHILD. Like before, he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s terrifyingly casual about the whole thing because to him, he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s just making a point. He\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s giving Damaya a test that he probably thinks she can pass, but why skip on causing her pain? I say that because there\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s an almost sick joy in the way he speaks to Demaya. He tells Damaya that she has NO RIGHT TO SAY NO TO HIM, that he will do whatever he wants to her if it keeps the world safe from Damaya and anyone like her. And when she asks why he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s done all this, he replies:<\/p>\n

Schaffa keeps stroking her broken hand. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153I love you,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d he says.\u00c2\u00a0<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

I feel like it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s worse that on some fucked up level, he might actually believe that what he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s feeling for Damaya is love. His role as a Guardian is holy, right? The world needs<\/i> men like him. So, in his warped mine, he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s caring for this young girl to keep her safe and to keep the world safe. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s an over-exaggerated act of paternalism, sure, but he doesn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t seem to question it at all! He doesn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t have to, though, right? He supports the status quo. And as he says to Damaya near the end of the chapter, he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s an intentional man. Nothing of what he has done is impulsive or irrational, at least to him. This is his promise. This is his warning. Both sit alongside one another, and his \u00e2\u20ac\u0153love\u00e2\u20ac\u009d is going to guide Damaya to her new fate.<\/p>\n

It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s fucking horrifying, y\u00e2\u20ac\u2122all.<\/p>\n

NOTES<\/b><\/p>\n