Mistborn: Vin's Journey Beyond 'Not Like Other Girls' Tropes

Mistborn is a highly celebrated series with amazing stories! And within the books are characters with a lot of layers. One is Vin, who starts out as a street thief, and rises to be a real hero, leading a group of people into a revolution.

Vin's Complex And Powerful Journey:

Vin's transformation makes for a lot of interesting twists and turns that are unique in the whole series.

You will see how she truly evolves.

It seems Vin's evolution goes against some criticisms that fans had! Some saw her in a certain way, falling into a type called "not like other girls." They thought her rejection of things associated with femininity wasn't a positive step for the character.

Also Read: Mistborn Movie: Can Hollywood Capture Vin's Complexity?

Why the Critics Missed The Point:

The cover of Mistborn: The Final Empire and The Lost Metal in front of the other Mistborn covers Image

Many of Vin's personality traits were part of the whole experience she went through.

Vin had her struggles growing up, with a traumatic history. It all started with her sister's death. And also surviving in the streets alongside a brother that seemed to disappear.
There were other major life struggles for her as well! She went through abuse as a thief.

It was all about shielding herself. She had learned how to keep her guard up, leading to her pushing away some of those emotions and aspects of her true self that might have made her vulnerable. But it's in the later books where those assumptions get completely changed!

Also Read: Mistborn: A Must-Read Fantasy Series by Brandon Sanderson

Powerful Women Shatter Assumptions

Dafne Keen as Lyra in His Dark Materials and Millie Bobby Brown over an image of the Mistborn cover with Vin on it Image

If you want to go on this special, exciting journey!

As the story progresses! The amazing world created by Brandon Sanderson is full of incredibly inspiring female characters! Those who may have criticized Vin may change their minds completely as we dive deeper into the "Mistborn" universe.

If you want a great introduction to see those powerful women! Here are a couple of them! The series was a true gift for women characters to have an equal footing with their male counterparts, something that will inspire audiences who want to get caught up in the action.

You get to see a woman named Allrianne a nobleman in the Final Empire and she breaks those common "not like other girls" assumptions completely. Even if you thought she was just a very fashionable person with a naiveté about how things work, she has amazing power!
Allrianne was able to control emotions with amazing Allomantic abilities! That means she is able to control emotions and is able to do this with such skill!

It's not all about power with Vin though!

A character who brings the idea that women should accept and love themselves is a strong, graceful woman named Tindwyl. This inspiring woman takes a hand in shaping Vin's growth as a character. What's great is the pair actually spend time with each other, helping Vin understand the best of her character and power as "Tindwyl" is someone that can show how strength can look elegant and poised, but that beauty can also give Vin a space to truly embrace who she is.
Vin actually finds out she loves clothing!
The story really emphasizes the best Vin!
Tindwyl shows how important it is to not deny these elements that are unique!

If Tindwyl really emphasizes how much a powerful female figure can accept femininity while Allrianne gives another great take on this! If this wasn't enough for viewers Elend gives a very simplistic viewpoint but, Tindwyl gives him an amazing, eye opening lesson.

Also Read: Mistborn Movie: What We Know About the Potential Adaptation

Sanderson's Take On Gender Norms:

The Mistborn books with Vin (from Mistborn) over them Image

You know those stereotypes that seem like they have an unshakable hold over culture, those are challenged! That means, those stereotypes that seem to affect every facet of society, even in the stories that people love to read!

Brandon Sanderson, is super determined! The goal? To address issues of sexism that make the "not like other girls" stereotype!

That really starts to emerge in a powerful way as those who read "Mistborn's Second Era," are going to see a much more modern set of female figures.

Sanderson brought an inspiring female figure to the fore in "The Alloy of Law.". We get to see Marasi Colms who gives us an awesome image! That is someone that is truly powerful but at the same time accepts fashion as a huge part of her identity!

It's something we see a lot as "Marasi continues to make her way through this exciting world and really shows the power of the female characters!

If you need more reasons to continue on this exciting journey. Sanderson brings another woman character with this inspiring new world. We get "Steris Harms" as one who actually likes fashion, yet is more reserved. Sanderson is even super open in stating he intentionally crafted "Steris as an autistic person! He even shows her as a key member of the story! Not only does "Steris shatter stereotypes but "Steris" really gets audiences thinking about inclusivity.

Also Read: Mistborn Movie: Will It Happen? Everything You Need to Know

A Power That Transcends Feminine Stereotypes

The covers of The Bands of Mourning, Mistborn: The Final Empire, and The Lost Metal by Brandon Sanderson Image

You get to know how powerful "Vin's" character can truly be and why the "not like other girls" stereotype, does not define her!

Vin's growth is a big reminder that those around her are super important as she was a child who survived terrible events.

The great parts of "Vin's" character is how she comes out from this difficult time, allowing her to be in harmony with those special feminine aspects that really shine a bright, powerful light! That doesn't mean she loses all the amazing traits that made her so inspiring but that all of these elements can really become a bigger part of who she is and allow her to feel even stronger.

There's a powerful message at play in this inspiring, adventurous tale! If you've ever picked up a Mistborn book or have heard amazing things! Then it may be time for you to grab the book! These great characters, will help you understand how to view femininity in an entire new light! What Brandon Sanderson brought to life is amazing and gives us an insightful look into how women characters are seen!

These amazing stories show that people can embrace their entire selves while being so very, very, powerful, even in fantasy worlds.