Breeze is a member of Kelsier’s crew in the Mistborn series and a talented Soother.
See below for a table of contents on Breeze’s character analysis:
Appearance
We don’t get much of a description of Breeze’s appearance in the first Mistborn book, other than the fact that he is nicely dressed.
We get more insight into Breeze’s appearance in The Well of Ascension, or rather, how his appearance has changed. Vin notices this change early on in the novel:
“He’d let his hair grow longer since she’d last seen him, and he kept it slicked back, its lower fringe tickling his collar. It wasn’t greying yet, though he was in his mid-forties” (2.110)
We also get clued into his size, as Sazed notes how Breeze has regained most of the weight he had lost during Luthadel’s siege and its aftermath. He describes Breeze as being “portly” once more (3.40).
Background
Breeze’s real name is Ladrian (Lord Ladrian) but he hates it, especially with “Lord” in front of it, saying “the alliteration makes it even more atrocious” (2.271).
Unlike his fellow thieves, he didn’t grow up impoverished, nor had he been forced to live in the underground. In fact, Breeze had grown up in the aristocratic court and has a full-blooded noble origin (2.577). His fellow crew members don’t know this, however.
This background of his gives him a unique perspective among the crew. He notes that he’s inherited a different kind of skillset than his fellow skaa thieves; that skaa “intrigue” was a bit more brutal and straightforward—you betrayed your allies for money or power, or to protect yourself. In noble courts, however, the intrigue was more abstract.
“Betrayals wouldn’t often end with either party dead, but the ramifications could span generations. It was a game—so much of one, in fact, that the young Breeze had found the open brutality of the skaa undergound to be refreshing” (2.577).
Personality
Breeze is a dynamic character with many interesting facets to his personality.
Women & Selfishness
We’re led to believe that Breeze is the womanizing type because of his charm and his loud and boisterous personality in the first Mistborn novel.
However, Breeze is anything but a ladies man, according to Vin:
“Despite his ability to play with emotions, he had expressed no interest in romance for as long as Vin had known him. Dockson had once noted that Breeze was too focused on himself to consider such things” (2.114).
This is surprising to us, because he does seem charming and personable, and maybe that’s the point with his characterization – for him to not be exactly who we expect him to be.
However, Breeze has a considerable hold over Allrianne, as we find out later in the series, so he may have a way with the ladies after all, despite his lack of interest.
Additionally, it is mentioned that he is not family-oriented. Sazed describes him as “a bit too…self-motivated for a family” (2.372).
So, early on, we learn that Breeze is selfish—or, more accurately, that others perceive him this way.
Wine
Breeze loves his wine. He asks Vin to fetch it for him several times in the first Mistborn novel.
When Vin is sent to train with him, he says, “I’m here by your leader’s invitation, and he ordered you to see that I was made comfortable. And I assure you, a cup of wine in my hand is absolutely necessary for my comfort” (1.187).
Laziness
Breeze is quite lazy. We see this early on in Mistborn:
“Vin had watched from her window as the apprentices had carried the luggage–disguised as boxes of lumber scraps–up to Breeze’s room. Breeze himself hadn’t bothered to help” (1.109).
At many points throughout the novels, when there is a need for help or someone is asked to step into a position of leadership, Breeze notably avoids this. He likes to let others do the work for him instead, and this is perhaps because of how he has grown up, Soothing people to get them to do what he wants.
Persuasiveness
Because of his Soothing abilities, Breeze is especially good at making people do what he wants.
Kelsier, when enlisting his help in starting a house war for their plan to overthrow Lord Ruler, says of him, “You’re an expert at making people do what you want.”
Because he Soothes and Riots people’s emotions so much, Breeze’s persuasive nature becomes an unconscious trait, intertwined with his allomantic abilities. Vin notes this in The Well of Ascension:
“She could barely feel his fingers on her emotions. Once she had found his intrusions offensive, but she was growing to understand that touching people’s emotions was simply part of who Breeze was. Just as a beautiful woman demanded attention by virtue of her face and figure, Breeze drew it by near unconscious use of his powers” (2.115).
Sensitivity
Breeze is rather sensitive to being chided or poked fun at.
For example, when the members of the crew are poking fun at one another in Mistborn, their playful taunting lands on him as a target. In response, Breeze says:
“Honestly, I don’t see why I consistently prove to be the target of you people’s humor. Why must you choose the only dignified person in this crew as the butt of your mockery?” (1.513).
Oratory
In The Well of Ascension, it is noted that Breeze is a natural orator. This likely stems from his charismatic and charming personality.
Reading
Like Vin, Breeze thinks reading is dreadfully boring, and can’t understand how Sazed and Elend do it so much (2.436).
Maladies
Breeze has grown up with a minor malady that continues into his current age:
“He grew light-headed sometimes when he stood; it was a minor malady he’d always had, though it seemed to have worsened during the last few years” (2.578).
Allomantic Abilities
Breeze is an incredibly talented Misting Soother with a very subtle touch. When Vin first starts to train with him and learn from him, she notes his adept abilities:
“Breeze’s touch was incredibly delicate. He Soothed certain emotions, dampening them while leaving others unaffected. Vin thought she could sense his men rioting on her emotions too, but these touches weren’t nearly as subtle as Breeze’s” (1.195).
Not only is his touch subtle, but he can Soothe hundreds of men at once, so long as they are packed close enough together and that he can focus on simple emotions. This makes him one of the most powerful Allomancers in the Final Empire when it comes to Soothing and Rioting, aside from maybe the Lord Ruler himself.
Breeze is incredibly skilled in this one ability, as opposed to having a broad skillset in many other abilities (like Vin or Kelsier). His skill is apparent in its subtlety, the ability to leave the person affected unknowing of what he has done to them.
Morality
Views on Soothing
Like the other characters in Mistborn, Breeze has a warped view of morality, and it is entirely based on the skill he trains and specializes in: Soothing and Rioting people’s emotions.
When Vin is sent to train with him, we get a lot of good insight into his views on emotional allomancy. First, he tells her that manipulation is a natural human trait:
“People don’t like us, my dear. The idea of someone who can play with their emotions, who can mystically get them to do certain things, makes them uncomfortable. What they do not realize…is that manipulating others is something that all people do. In fact, manipulation is at the core of our social interaction” (1.187)
He further elaborates this by pointing out that when men court women, they’re manipulating them so that they regard them favorably. He says that friends manipulate each other when they sit down for a drink, telling stories to impress the other. He notes that “this isn’t a bad thing–in fact, we depend upon it. These interactions teach us how to respond to others” (1.187).
He has a point; to some degree we are all manipulative of one another. And he even acknowledges that there is a difference between Soothers and ordinary manipulation, saying that “we are aware of what we’re doing. We also have a a slight…advantage. But is it really that much more powerful than having a charismatic personality or a fine set of teeth? I think not.” (2.188)
However, this is convenient for him to believe – the fact of the matter is, manipulating someone with a superpower like this is likely morally wrong, or at best it’s a gray area. It begs the question – is it okay to manipulate someone, even if it’s towards a good end? Do the means justify the end in this case?
Breeze’s views on Soothing also influence how he interacts with the world and in determining what actions should be taken in any given situation. In The Well of Ascension, it comes as no surprise that he likes Elend’s manipulative plan of pitting Vett and Straff Venture’s armies against one another. As a Soother, these abilities play into his larger worldview:
“Manipulation works so well on a personal level, I don’t see why it wouldn’t be an equally viable national policy” (2.153)
Furthermore, in Breeze’s mind, Soothing is not invasive.
If it was, he maintains that any ordinary interaction then, too, is invasive. Soothing, he thinks, when done right, was no more a violation of another person than “it was for a woman to wear a low-cut gown or speak in a commanding voice” (2.435). He notes that all three produced common, understandable, and, most importantly, natural reactions in people.
He also notes that an experienced Soother “saw what was beneath the surface” and he believes that a good Soother understood what a man was feeling, even when that man himself didn’t acknowledge or understand those emotions (2.436)
In a way, the line between magic and natural ability is blurred – is Breeze a talented Soother because he is so perceptive, or is he so perceptive because he is a talented Soother?
Breeze doesn’t see Soothing as being controlling of another person, either.
As he is Soothing Tindwyl and Sazed, he notes that Soothing is not mind control; that a crucial decision had already been made in Tindwyl’s mind, and that he had not made that decision for her—the moment had been building for weeks, and he seems to think it would have occurred with or without him (2.435).
Overall, we can see that Breeze rationalizes his supernatural manipulation in many ways throughout the Mistborn series. He claims that it is not much different than normal manipulation, that we all do it to some degree, and that it isn’t invasive or like mind control; rather, it’s a nudge in the right direction. He also values how perceptive it makes him.
Kindness
Despite his self-centered and manipulative nature, Breeze is overall a good man. Notably, when Vin learns he is Soothing Elend’s emotions to make him more confident, her opinion on him changes.
She describes him as being manipulative, a little selfish even, and that she had always thought he only joined the crew for a challenge, not out of any concern for the skaa. However, by helping Elend be more confident without showing it to anyone, he proves he is good at heart, at least in Vin’s eyes.
“You’re a good man, Breeze…You merely try your best to hide it” (2.237)
Soothing in Action: the Impact on Breeze’s Life
Breeze Soothes people so often it is almost unconscious. It has very much become a part of who he is as a person, and by the events of The Well of Ascension, he is Soothing random strangers on the streets.
For example, as the refugees from Straff’s army are walking the streets of Luthadel, he Soothes them, “lessening people’s grief and pain” (2.435).
He also Soothes the workers at Keep Venture:
“Breeze wandered into the palace a short time later. He nodded to the door guards, Soothing away their mental fatigue…little touches like that were second nature to Breeze…He made his way through the kitchens, nudging the scullery maids to make them more chatty. It would make their cleaning pass more quickly” (2.438)
Breeze also Soothes people he knows, and he does it quite often. For example, he Soothes Sazed and Tindwyl to bring them closer together. He consistently Soothes Elend, picking at his emotions to make him less tired and uncertain. He even Soothes Ham to make him less argumentative (2.437).
As we can see, Breeze has an almost unconscious habit of Soothing everyone around him, whether they are strangers or close friends. He is mostly doing this out of good moral aims. However, the excessive Soothing takes a toll on his personal relationships:
“It does things to you. I spend most of my time watching people—tweaking, nudging, and Soothing. That’s changed me. I don’t look at people the same way. It’s hard to simply be friends with someone when you see them as something to be influenced and changed” (2.439).
He notes that he always touches the emotions of everyone around him, and this especially causes him internal conflict when it comes to women – he didn’t like to think of himself as invasive, but he wonders how could he trust anyone who said they loved him. He wonders how he would he ever know if it was him or the Allomancy they were responding to? (2.440).
Relationship with Allrianne
We learn in The Well of Ascension that Breeze has a relationship with Lord Ashweather Cett’s daughter, Allrianne. She is notably much younger than him, and Breeze is embarrassed by this.
So, naturally, he denies their relationship, claiming there was never anything between them, “unless you took it the wrong way” (2.248). He maintains that Cett had taken it the wrong way, in fact.
However, we quickly see this is not true. He betrays his own secrets by defending Allrianne when Vin says she acts like a child:
“Allrianne was a child of the country court—a little innocent, a little spoiled—but she hardly deserves to be spoken of in that manner. She’s actually quite witty, in the right circumstances” (2.248).
Later, in The Hero of Ages, Breeze finally accepts their relationship.
When Sazed asks him about their age difference, Breeze explains that he doesn’t want to leave her as a widow when he dies, despite him only being in his mid-forties (3.98).
Sazed notes that they will all die soon, the way things were going, and that their ages didn’t matter. He thinks this is part of the reason why Breeze finally accepts having a relationship with Allrianne.
Furthermore, Sazed also notes that Breeze has an obvious affection for Allrianne. He thinks it is clear that he loves her very much by the way that he looks at her and holds her with a “delicate, almost reverent touch” (3.98).
However, Allrianne is also constantly Rioting and Soothing his emotions, so we are left to wonder how much of this relationship is based on genuine feelings Breeze has for Allrianne, and how much of it is due to the emotional Allomancy. Ironically, the very thing Breeze has worried about doing to others has been done to him.
Character Arc
Kelsier’s Impact
When Breeze is talking to Clubs in The Well of Ascension, he says that the crew and Kell’s plan has already done a thorough job of “ruining” him.
He tells Clubs that he had initially joined Kell for the challenge. However, at this present point in the Mistborn series, Breeze notes how “his plan fell apart, his army got destroyed, and we stayed. Then he died, and we still stayed. This blasted kingdom of Elend’s is doomed, you know” (2.440).
To this, Clubs says they won’t last another month, to which Breeze says, “yet here we are.”
Notably, Kelsier has changed them in many ways, and oftentimes for the better—Breeze tells Clubs that he had spent the whole day making skaa feel better about the fact that their families were slaughtered. He notes that Clubs spent the day training with soldiers that are likely to die. And they follow a boy of a king who is in over his head.
To this, Clubs says that Kelsier gave them a city and made them think they were responsible for protecting it. Breeze responds by saying that they aren’t that kind of people; they’re thieves and scammers, and they shouldn’t care.
All the same, they are there, in Luthadel, ready to die for the city. They toast to Kelsier, saying he knew them better than they knew themselves (2.441).
This shows that Kelsier has influenced not only Breeze, but the entire crew, to care about what they rebelled for. Breeze’s motivation has shifted from a simple thieving challenge to creating a better world for others.
Taking Risks
When Luthadel is being besieged, Breeze thinks about how he has become less risk-averse. As he thinks about the prospect of Luthadel falling, he notes that “every instinct he’d nurtured during thirty years in the underground was telling him to run” (2.579).
However, that “feeling made him more likely to take risks. The Breeze of a few years earlier would already have abandoned the city.” (2.580).
So, we can see that Breeze has relinquished some of his self-centered nature and opened himself up to taking more risks. However, the battle of Luthadel is going to change him, and we see what a devastating effect danger has on Breeze’s psyche.
Catatonic State
Breeze has a catatonic-like breakdown in the midst of the Battle of Luthadel. As the koloss bear down on them, Breeze realizes he is not cut out for this:
“So, Breeze thought, it turns out that I’m a coward” (2.707).
He doesn’t think of this as a surprising revelation, as he thinks it’s important for a man to understand himself, and he had always understood himself to be selfish
Still, he cannot even focus enough to Soothe the men fighting:
“Fascinating, Breeze thought, as if looking at himself from the outside, seeing the pitiful creature in the ripped, bloodied suit. So this is what happens to me, when the stress gets too strong? It’s ironic in a way, I’ve spent a lifetime controlling the emotions of others. Now I’m so afraid, I can’t even function” (2.707).
Later, Ham finds him, and Breeze thinks “That’s funny. He should be dead too.“
Another soldier mentions his Soothing, to which he thinks again, I’m a coward. The soldier tells Ham they need to know what to do.”Well don’t ask me,” Breeze says, or tries to say, but it comes out as a mumble (2.708).
Ham says he can’t carry him, and that his arm is nearly useless, to which Breeze mumbles, “Well that’s all right...You see, my dear man, I don’t think I’m of much use anymore. You should move on. It’s quite all right if you just leave me here” (2.708).
He thinks he is talking, but he’s not, and Ham looks at Sazed, helpless. Sazed meets up with Ham, trying to escape, saying that hopefully the koloss will be distracted enough to let them slip out of the city.
“Distracted? Breeze mumbled. Distracted by the killing of other people, you mean. Well, it is somewhat comforting to know that we’re all cowards. Now, if I could only lie here for a little longer, I might be able to fall asleep. And forget all of this “(2.708).
Here, Breeze recognizes his own cowardice, and it’s not all that surprising that he acts this way in the middle of a traumatic battle. This is one of the few places where the core of his character doesn’t change.
Change
By the time the events of The Hero of Ages rolls around, Breeze has recovered from his battle shock at Luthadel, and regains most of the weight he loses during Luthadel’s siege and its aftermath.
However, he, like everyone else, is troubled by the thing they are up against, by the Deepness and the end of the world:
“He Pushes on everyone’s emotions,” Vin said. “He Pushes too hard, trying to make others happy, and he laughs too hard. He’s afraid, worried. He shows it by overcompensating” (3.113).
Breeze doesn’t have any huge redemption or transformation arc in the third novel, and he is largely sidelined as a major character in the end of the series.
However, from the beginning of the series to the end, he has changed a lot, and Sazed sums up his arc quite nicely:
“Early on—despite glimmers of compassion—Breeze really had been the selfish, callous manipulator that he now only pretended to be. Sazed suspected that Breeze had joined Kelsier’s team not out of a desire to help the skaa, but because of the challenge the scheme had presented, not to mention the rich reward Kelsier had promised. That reward—the Lord Ruler’s atium cache—had procen to be a muth. Breeze had found other rewards instead.” (3.96).
