So, if you can't tell by looking at these first three posts, I'm on a little bit of a Sanderson kick right now. I read Firstborn on my way to work this morning. It's a great little short story. It's about a young man, Dennison, who has been trying his whole life to live up to his older brother's example. His brother, Varion, is a brilliant tactician, a strategist unparalleled in their worlds, a leader without trying to be, etc. Dennison, when asked to describe his brother, says "Perfect." Varion practically single-handedly, was winning a war that spanned a universe. From his first days out of millitary school, he took charge, and he accomplished more than anyone dreamed.
How could Dennison ever live up to the expectations that everyone heaped on him? It seems the only thing Dennison can do is fail, time and again, and never ever be anything like his brother Varion. And yet, it seems that's all anyone and everyone wants him to be, from his father to his emperor.
I have to admit to feeling a little sorry for Dennison. I went to the same small private school my siblings went to, for preschool through 8th grade. When starting high school, I chose the all girl's school, knowing that my older brother would be an absolute unknown to my teachers, which is all I wanted after 10 years of being confused with all 3 of my siblings, in every class.
My older brother could write, like no one I'd ever known. And he could draw.. He still writes, constantly scribbling in notebooks and on the computer, etc, although I haven't seen him drawing recently. My sister was a social butterfly. She was friends with absolutely everyone from the very beginning. Even my youngest sister who I spent the least amount of time in school with, was everyone's darling. My teachers, my classmates, my classmates parents', everyone got to watch her grow up, as my mom brought her to school every day when watching kids over recess. Sometimes she'd end up in my classroom, where everyone would just adore her.
And there I was, bookish, smart (but not exceedingly so), younger (and as such, a little more immature) than all of my classmates (but so much more mature in so many ways). I didn't fit. My teachers either expected me to be as smart as my brother, or slack off as much as he did. I'll admit, that last one might have become a self-fulfilling prophecy for them that followed me into high school. They expected me to be friends with the entire class the way my sister was. They expected me to not be jealous of how much they all loved my youngest sister. But I didn't fit in with my classmates, at all. I couldn't seem to fit into anyone's expectations of me. So I kinda knew how Dennison felt, never living up to his brother's potential.
I both liked, and was saddened, by the ending. I wished for something different, because I wish for the same difference with my brother and sisters. A better resolution than Dennison got with Varion. I appreciated the ending though, it showed an unexpected strength from the man who rarely won, and a weakness from the one who never failed.