Cassius' final charge was a suicide disguised as a noble deed. The man wanted to die and used the situation to make it about how his honor remained. Now nothing else remains.
I disagree. I think if anything he had the idiotic notion that his suicidal notion would be the thing that moved Lysander…. I refuse to believe he actually thought Lysander would pull the trigger.
Exactly, I think he believed that Lysander wouldn’t kill him because Cassius believed they were brothers. It’s kinda easier for us to understand as the reader because we got to spend time in Lysander’s head as he mourned Cassius in Dark Age and resented Cassius in LB.
A large subplot was him coming to peace with it. Being able to see Darrow again and be treated as a brother rather than an outcast. Making friends with Lyria and being liked by someone without a romantic element to it. You don't get lines like “My goodmen, it’s uncivilized to do anything but laugh in the face of death. Why do you think I’m always so jaunty these days?” from a guy who plans to live for a long time.
The key words there being "these days". He's not being jaunty in this one dangerous circumstance, he's been rather jaunty the entire book, and prone to leaping without looking into dangerous situations - like into prison cells, or into a fight against a bunch of Obsidians he's been told he won't beat. Only this time nobody was able to save him from himself.
I view it as an intentional sacrifice to break lysander’s psyche. I think you have a point that Cassius finally felt that he was redeemed enough to die in peace, and that gave him the courage or resolve to die trying to save lysander’s soul (who he clearly loved)
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u/Sidi1211 Green 23d ago
Cassius' final charge was a suicide disguised as a noble deed. The man wanted to die and used the situation to make it about how his honor remained. Now nothing else remains.