Arya Stark- A Song Of Ice and Fire analysis

A Game of Thrones

‘Ah, Arya. You have a wildness in you, child. ‘The wolf blood’, my father used to call it. Lyanna had a touch of it, and my brother Brandon more than a touch. It brought them both to an early grave.’

One of the sad and poignant parts of reading these books by POV is that I consistently return to the Starks pre-horror and get to see their innocence and peace. Arya has, however, always struggled with her self-esteem and place, believing herself to be an outsider: ‘When Arya had been little, she had been afraid that meant that she had been a bastard too. It had been Jon she had gone to in her fear, and Jon who had reassured her.’

She wants to please her mother and be regarded as positively as Sansa is, and she is jealous and resentful of Sansa. ‘It wasn’t fair. Sansa had everything. Sansa was two years older; maybe by the time Arya had been born, there had been nothing left… Worse, she was beautiful.’ As do all the female characters, Arya struggles with her worth as she believes she is ugly. ‘Lyanna might have carried a sword, if my lord father had allowed it. You remind me of her sometimes. You ever look like her.’ ‘Lyanna was beautiful,’ said Arya startled. Everybody said so. It was not a thing that was ever said of Arya. ‘She was,’ Eddard Stark agreed, ‘beautiful and wilful, and dead before her time.’ I enjoy parallels between Arya and Lyanna and will continue to look out for them. I enjoy Arya’s feminism, as unlike characters like Cersei, she is not unhappy to be a woman. Instead, she wants more options for women and more respect for those who don’t conform to boundaries. Arya has a beautiful heart and perceives everything around her. She is kind and thoughtful, yet internalises a great deal of guilt and shame, and holds on to hatred. GRRM highlights these characteristics early on to show us her innate nature and add some depth to Arya’s decisions in later books. She is almost primed for the survival instincts and hatred she holds onto, with such intense anger and impulsivity at such a young age. When Arya is 9, she kills a boy, and this is something she can’t come back from, so she accepts it as part of her identity.

‘Let me tell you something about wolves, child. When the snow falls and the white winds blow, the lone wolf dies, but the pack survives. In winter, we must protect one another, keep each other warm, share our strengths. So if you must hate, Arya, hate those who would truly do us harm… Sansa is your sister. You may be as different as the sun and the moon, but the same blood flows through both your hearts. You need her, as she needs you… and I need both of you, Gods help me.’

Ned’s POV is used to set up and foreshadow a lot of events to come, for example, his comparison of Arya to Lyanna link to impulsivity and early death. I believe, however, Arya will be the one to subvert the foreshadowing and death trope. I think GRRM loves her too much, and with such survival instincts and unwillingness to give up, she will live to the end. It is her Stark nature (excuse the pun) that gives Arya some insecurity, but I love her relationship with Ned and Jon.

‘She found herself wishing that Jon was here with her now. Then maybe she wouldn’t feel so alone.’

Arya is impulsive, but she also internalised Ned’s advice and warnings, and I believe this will guide her through her journey and back towards her family, as will her love of Jon.  

A Clash of Kings

‘For a moment Arya stood uncertain, not knowing which way to go. Death was all around her.’

A Clash of Kings is really about Arya’s loss of her father and subsequently herself as her survival instincts have driven her to act in ways, she never believed she would. It is also the lead up to the arc which links death to her identity. We get to see how Arya perceives herself through her inner thoughts about Nymeria, for example, her shock and potential regret at becoming someone who has killed. ‘She probably wouldn’t even know me now, Arya thought. Or if she did, she’d hate me’. It is ironically her bravery and goodness that links Arya’s fate so closely to the world of the faceless ones, saving Jaqen from the fire: ‘Going back into that barn was the hardest thing she ever did.’

I know that there is much debate over who Arya decided to have killed by Jaqen and a great deal of frustration that she didn’t take out any key players. I think, however, it’s important to remember that she is genuinely a child and filled with rage. Also, she had a man killed on the basis of being an extreme misogynist so I cannot oppose her choice really. She is also doing what she can to survive now, in a perilous situation. This storyline also gives the reader insight into her growth. Arya chastises herself for her lack of reasoning:  ‘Suddenly she knew that she had made a terrible mistake. I’m so stupid, she thought… These men were the ones who mattered, the ones she ought to have killed… Lord Tywin, why didn’t I say Lord Tywin.’ From this point, she is more careful and strategic. Arya’s decision to essentially ransom Jaqen ultimately saves her life and lets her escape- she is incredibly smart and fearless.

Family:

‘Every night Arya would say their names. Back in Winterfell, Arya had prayed with her mother in the sept and her father in the Godswood, but there were no Gods on the road to Harrenhal, and her names were the only prayer she cared to remember.’ Arya ensures that she holds on to her rage, almost more so than comes naturally to her, to cope with her extensive grief and fear. It is a survival instinct. Her relationship with faith is very interesting, as she clearly has a belief and respect for religion, especially the old god’s and yet it is towards the gods that she questions the injustice she’s experienced:

‘The light of the moon painted the weirwood silvery white as she made her way towards it, but the firepointed red leaves turned black by night. Arya stared at the face carved into its trunk. It was a terrible face, its mouth twisted, it’s eyes flaring and full of hate. Is that was a god looked like? Could God’s be hurt, the same as people? I should pray, she thought suddenly.’

She is angry with the gods for not saving her father, and yet fears them. She takes Jaqen’s scolding for mocking the gods very seriously and he becomes almost a Godlike figure for Arya: ‘Maybe the gods had sent him in answer to her prayers’.

‘She yearned to see ger mother again, and Robb and Bran and Rickon but it was Jon Snow she thought of most.’ Arya continues to think of Jon so frequently and loves him alongside the feeling of belonging, particularly exacerbated by her low worry that she is losing herself, or becoming someone Cat won’t like. Her desire for her family is something that gives Arya a little bit of balance and calms some of the fire in her heart.

‘If Winterfell is truly gone, is this my home now? Am I still Arya, or only Nan the serving girl, forever and forever and forever?’

We come back to the Gods for Arya’s lion king/hamlet epiphany moment, a moment of reflection, where Arya lets herself grieve a little more and think about Ned. ‘Tell me what to do, you gods, she prayed.’ ‘Then so faintly, it seemed as if she heard her father’s voice. ‘When the snow falls and the white winds blow, the lone wolf dies, but the pack survives.’ ‘But there is no pack’, she whispered to the weirwood. Bran and Rickon were dead, the Lannisters had Sansa, Jon had gone to the Wall. ‘You are Arya of Winterfell, daughter of the north. You told me you could be strong. You have the wolf blood in you.’ Reading by POV really hits me emotionally in a way that ASOIAF didn’t quite previously. I feel genuine goosebumps and sadness for the Starks at these moments, and I love connections to Ned and the North.

Gendry:

We are also introduced to Gendry, and whilst I’m going to need a colossal time-lapse for a relationship to feel anything less than creepy, I love that they are friends, and that their future dynamic could somewhat fulfil- and subvert- Robert and Ned’s desire to join their houses. There’s much more to say about Gendry in the next book, but for now, he is used to highlight Arya’s ability to read people, for example, her understanding that Gendry is more than he claims to be, and her acceptance that they are on a somewhat similar journey. This, and the space her gives her, really allows them to bond.

A Storm of Swords

Family:

‘Telling Harwin would be almost like telling her father and there were some things that she could not bear having her father know.’ ‘And her lady mother, what would she say? Would she still want her back, after all the things she’d done?’

Arya is still wracked with guilt and uncertainty, particularly when she believes she will be reunited with Robb and Cat and has to align her actions with her highborn upbringing. I don’t think she will feel peace or absolution until a reunion with a family member, however taken by the path of death she may be by then. We begin to see hints that her future and Catelyn’s- Stoneheart- will link when Arya meets the brotherhood: ‘Could you bring back a man without a head?’ Arya asked. ‘Just the once, not six times. Could you?’ ‘I do not have the power to give you back your father, no more than Thoros does, but I can at least see that you are returned safely to your mother’s arms.’ Beric instead brings Catelyn back to life when the time comes, and we leave the books so far with the knowledge that they are working to fulfil Cat’s oath to reunite with her daughters. Catelyn, as changed as is will, I believe, be the one to truly restore Arya to her name and bring her back to herself, providing a subverted version of belonging and safety. Through Catelyn, she will also see the extent to which this war has changed everyone, and hopefully lessen her own guilt. She will, of course, also be permanently changed by this encounter. Arya is currently on the vengeance versus mercy journey, that I think will end with her and Stoneheart’s reunion. I believe she will kill Stoneheart for mercy, brining a strange sense of peace for both mother and daughter. Sansa could never play this role and live to be the same person, but Arya has been so touched by darkness and sorcery that she can.

After reaching the setting of the red wedding and learning of Robb’s death, Arya really tries to hold on to faith that her mother is alive. She begins to warg regularly at this point, although lacks the control or purpose that Bran has. In warging, however, Nymeria finds Cat’s body and pulls it out the water. ‘This thing about your mother… (The Hound). ‘It doesn’t matter,’ Arya said in a dull voice. ‘I know she’s dead. I know she’s dead. I saw her in a dream.’ The Hound looked at her at long time, then nodded. No more was said of it.’

Arya’s isolation and loss of purpose is solidified when she learns that Sansa has married Tyrion:  ‘If Sansa was gone too, there were no more Starks but her.’

The Hound:

The hound is a representation of Arya’s morality, and their interactions show how much she wants to hold on to hate and how against her true nature this goes. ‘His arm, Arya thought, and his face. But he was the Hound. He deserved to burn in fiery hell.’

‘One night I’ll kill him in his sleep, she told herself, but she never day. One day I’ll ride away on Craven, and he won’t be able to catch me, she thought, but she never did that either. Where would she go?’

 I definitely wouldn’t go as far as to say they become friends, but they can gain something from each other, safety and passage in her case, and I think they have grown used to companionship. They are both lost and trying to decide what their lives should look like when they believe little is left. In her more positive moments, Arya longs to see Jon and reach the wall, but understands that this is unrealistic. Arya learns the price of a life driven by hatred through the hound and I think she has internalised this awareness more than she currently realises. It is when the hound is hurt and asks for death that Arya attends to his wounds and  realises that she has left him out of her death prayers. Ultimately, she won’t kill him:

 ‘Mycah.’ Arya stepped away from him. ‘You don’t deserve the gift of mercy.’

She is absolutely right about Mycah and the horrifying acts that the hound has committed, but I think a lot of her complex feelings are also hidden in her decision to leave him. She doesn’t want to kill him. She is outgrowing childhood and has had to commit acts that haunt her to survive. Arya has grown to have more sympathy or understanding regarding the harrowing nature of war can empathise with darker figures. We see this in a Feast for Crows when Arya reflects on her death list, feeling a hint of doubt and remorse for the first time. She also considers the strength in mercy: ‘I should have given him the gift of mercy and put a knife into his heart.’

Also, there are a fair few easter eggs and links to Arya wanting to kill the mountain, but I don’t know how much of a place she’ll have in this, other than being involved in the kind of Cersei downfall a bit. I think ultimately, the hound has the better claim and maybe Arya will realise that.  

Gendry:

I think GRRM loves Arya and wants us to know she’ll be some version of okay. Before she leaves him, we see her and Gendry play flight, directly after which we hear the a song about the marriage of a lord and lady love. Arya will never marry or become a lady, but I think GRRM is letting us know that this is not the final goodbye, and we’ll get to see some subverted version of this highborn relationship:

‘And how she smiled and how she laughed, then maiden of the tree. She spun away and said to him, no featherbed for me. I’ll wear a gown of golden leaves, and bind my hair with grass, But you can be my forest love, and me your forest lass.’

I do think though, one of the reasons GRRM is stressing with the next books is that he planned a time jump and now highly regrets how young he made the Stark children in GOT. I don’t know how he’s going to navigate his way around this now. Also, I can’t remember what happens to Gendry in the very end of the show, but in the books I think he might have more of an active role to play in Arya’s life and adventures, more of a partner. We see her allude to wanting this in her inner thoughts:

‘She could ride with Gendry and be an outlaw, like Wenda the white fawn in the songs. But that was just stupid, like something Sansa might dream… They were never my pack, not even Hot Pie and Gendry. I was stupid to think so, just a stupid little girl, and no wolf at all.’

It really hurts Arya when Gendry and hot pie leave, as she internalises it as another blow to her own self-esteem. It hurts to read such a likeable character feel so, but it also  nicely parallels Sansa’s disillusion. Arya begins to think of Sansa more frequently and fondly, and  they are becoming more similar with experience. I think they will meet again, and whilst they are unlikely to be close due to everything that they’ve experienced, they will now have a deep bond based on respect and understanding.

A Feast For Crows & A Dance With Dragons

‘Winterfell, she might have said. I smell snow and smoke and pine needles. I smell the stables. I smell Hodor laughing, and Jon and Robb battling in the yard, and Sansa singing about some stupid lady fair. I smell the crypts where the stone kings sit. I smell hot bread baking. I smell the Godswood. I smell my wolf. I smell her fur, almost as if she were still beside me. ‘I don’t smell anything,” she said.”

We only get little snippets of Arya in these books, and they are letting us know that she’s still Arya. She keeps needle buried and rename herself Cat. She recalls Winterfell and her family frequently. Crucially, Arya is now warging into Nymeria every time she sleeps. She is, however, also gaining power and learning crucial skills. It is difficult to tell if the faceless are gaining trust, but when we leave her she has been given a new face and is now learning to become an assassin. Arya feels like she lacks choices and identity- ‘He had it all backwards, Arya, the lone wolf, still lived, but the wolves of the pack had been taken, and slain and skinned.’- but her sense of self is one of the strongest in the books, particularly for being so young. She will not lose it and we will see a version of her back in Westeros soon.

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Cersei & Jaime Lannister part 2 (A Feast for Crowns & A Dance With Dragons)

Cersei

Tywin & misogyny

‘He has been a great man. I shall be greater, though. A thousand years from now, when the maesters write about this time, you shall be remembered only as Queen Cersei’s sire.’

We meet Cersei after the death of Tywin, which has catapulted her into a key point of perceived freedom, which rather than bringing peace, really works to bring forward her PTSD and narcissistic delusion of power and grandeur. Cersei does not love or grieve her father, who has controlled and manipulated her for his own gain. She does, however- as do her brothers- compare herself to his legacy, and value pleasing him or living up to his memory:

‘No, that cannot be. That is not the way a lion dies. The Queen felt strangely calm. Now there is a hole in the world where father stood, and holes need filling.’

‘There will be no more talk of forcing me to wed again. Casterly rock was hers now, and all the power of House Lannister. No one would ever disregard her again.’

Cersei experiences a great deal of internalised misogyny, based on her upbringing as a pawn for Tywin whilst watching him revere Jaime (at least, treat him with as much respect as Tywin was capable of). This has led to her frequently rejecting femininity, viewing strength and success as masculine: ‘Cersei did not weep, no more than her father would have. I am the only true son he ever had.’

Cersei has experienced admiration and praise for the traditional value of this time- being beautiful:

‘Men had been looking at her that way since her breasts began to bud. Because I was so beautiful, they said, but Jaime was beautiful as well, and they never looked at him that way. She was startled by how differently men treated her when they thought she was Jaime. Even Lord Tywin himself.’

She has been taught to be beautiful, to be graceful, to be a lady, and yet has been used as a pawn for these qualities. She has been a ghost in relation to her interactions with men and has internalised this as being her problem for being female, rather than the fault of a misogynist world. Cersei will often distance herself from gender, referring to herself as the ‘real man’ in her family, and often belittling women or being sexist. Cersei’s attitudes and actions parallel Tywin’s, as she starts to think and the feel similarly to he who has hurt and shaped her. It’s difficult to get into Cersei’s psyche a lot of the time, but I believe this is her main reason for choosing to be with Jaime. He saw more of her than anyone else and truly loved her, helping Cersei to feel better about herself. Their relationship also allowed Cersei to defy her fate and lack of a choice as a woman; she chose who would have her children and who to love.  

Her siblings.

How Cersei and Jaime dealt with Tywin’s death really put distance between them and highlighted their differences. I believe that it signalled freedom- and guilt- for Jaime but brought up some of Cersei’s unconscious guilt for being in an incestual relationship. This is paired with Cersei’s extreme stress regarding the prophecy, and her fear that Tywin and Jaime can no longer protect her from Tyrion. Jaime’s chapters frequently reference Cersei- he is obsessed- but her obsession is Tyrion and the fate she believes will unfold:

‘He is in the walls. He killed father as he killed mother, as he killed Joff.’

I want to come back to this belief that Tyrion ‘killed’ his mother and the impact of this on his psyche when I get to his chapters. For now, I’ll focus on Jaime, and Cersei’s belief that she is the smart one, the thinker, whilst he is more impulsive. We see stark examples evidencing the opposite- Cersei had an affair with her cousin, she shouts at and acts out her council, makes rash decisions. This is heightened by her drinking and paranoia: ‘Their father had been as relentless and implacable as a glacier, where Cersei was all wildfire, especially when thwarted.’ (Jaime).

Cersei also frequently underestimates her rivals, despite her mistrust of everyone. She will disregard or refuse to hear council regarding the North or Daenerys. Instead, she believes or convinces herself that she has won- she, not Tommen- and is loved and admired as Queen. This makes the blows to self-esteem more crushing when she experiences misogyny or is reminded of the value Tywin placed on her, one instance being Kevan asking her to remove herself from court:

‘I am the regent’, she reminded him. ‘You were, Tywin did not intend that you continue that role.’ ‘You are not your father. And Tywin always regarded Jaime as his rightful heir.’

Relationship with Robert and Cersei’s ruling

‘Cersei did not mean to give it up until Tommen came of age. I waited, so can he. I waited half my life. She had played the dutiful daughter, the blushing bride, the pliant wife. She had suffered Robert’s drunken groping, Jaime’s jealousy, Renly’s mockery, Varys with his titters, Stannis endlessly grinding his teeth.’

Cersei is, as all good characters, extremely layered and morally grey. I absolutely do not dispute that she has layers of evil, and I find her extremely unlikable. Her chapters make difficult reading as we are really engulfed in the mind of a narcissist (in my opinion), and the constant paranoia, isolation, pride and grandiosity that it brings.

Cersei has experienced the loss of her mother, a bullying father, the prophecy, and loss of her child, so I feel that it’s interesting that Cersei as a character is so hated amongst readers whilst Jaime is often a favourite. It’s completely understandable that he is more likeable due to his redemption arc, however, I feel that GRRM wrote in a way to make us less sympathetic towards Cersei despite her having similar experiences to Jaime with her own trauma added on. I feel that this was written as a commentary on feminism, and the ways that readers can be more accepting of a man’s actions. It also reflects how Cersei has always been treated as lesser than Jaime as a result of her gender, which has undoubtedly contributed to her actions and beliefs.

Cersei also dealt with the forced marriage to Robert in which she was humiliated, ignored, and assaulted. He was an abusive alcoholic, hurting her at night then denying it or gaslighting Cersei during the day. Her marriage to Robert signified the end of her dreams and idealism. Please see below prophecy paragraph for Sansa parallels!

‘The wrong man came back from the trident. She would close her eyes and pretend her was Rhaegar.’

These experiences have shaped Cersei into someone who cannot trust, and who has never felt safe. As she has with Tywin, Cersei is beginning to mirror Robert and some of his characteristics that she herself hated. She is becoming reliant on alcohol, which leads to her impulsive actions- PTSD, fear and alcoholism are a great combination. We also start to see Cersei noticing little signs of ageing and effects of drinking. These contribute to her fear of the prophecy coming, and her desperation to cling on to her beauty, or as she has been taught, her ‘value’. Btw, I know about the pregnancy theories, but I don’t believe them, the prophecy states 3 children. If she is pregnant, I think there will be a miscarriage that won’t be overly relevant to current plots, but will maybe contribute to Jaime’s jealousy and her demise?

‘There is no one I can rely upon, not even Jaime, she realised grimly. I will need to sweep them all away and surround the king with mine own people.’

As a ruler, Cersei is paranoid and begins to isolate herself. Her and Jaime’s dynamic becomes increasingly toxic, and he no longer enables her. In classic narcissistic form, it scares Cersei that she can no longer rely on Jaime to serve her narrative, and so she convinces herself that she will be happy when she starts again with people who will:

‘I was wondering. Are you drunk or merely stupid?’ (Jaime). ‘She would not suffer it, especially from Jaime. I need to rid myself of him, and soon’.

Cersei is unravelling, becoming more delusional. I genuinely feel sorry for her, because I believe her thoughts and actions and down to her upbringing and personality disorder combined with a lack of love and support. Get some CBT pls. She is in over her head, and without Jaime as her comfort she is heading down the reckless path to narcissistic collapse. Her interactions with Qyburn show us how far she has gone, sacrificing women to his dungeons and finding others to blame to justify her actions and rid her guilt, a ‘woman’s guilt’:

‘Cersei felt ill. Part of her wanted to close her eyes, to turn away, to make it stop. But she was the Queen and this was treason. Lord Tywin would not have turned away.’ The blame of course falls to Margaery as it tends to with Cersei: ‘Her scheming forced this on me. She has soiled me with her treachery.’

The pinnacle of her reckless decisions leading in part to her downfall is in reinstating the power of the faith:

‘Cersei could not help but smile. Even her lord father could have done no better. At a stroke, she had rid King’s landing of the plague of the sparrows, secured Tommen’s blessing and lessened the crown’s debt by close to a million dragons.’

Her children

‘My son is safe, Cersei told herself. Yet every time she looked at Tommen, she saw Joffrey clawing at hit throat… I cannot let them see me cry. A woman may weep, but not a Queen.’

Cersei genuinely loves her children, however, in her case, love does not save or redeem her, rather it contributes to her impulsive actions and ruin. She has experienced great PTSD following Joffrey’s murder and believes that her Tommen and Marcella will be killed. Cersei has begun to raise Tommen in the way in which she was likely taught by Tywin, shouting at him or having him hit for being ‘weak’ or crying. Her feelings towards Joffrey were complex, as we see her reflecting on his nature and almost admitting to herself her failings. She does, however, fiercely love him:

‘It is beautiful, she thought, as beautiful as Joffrey when they laid him in my arms. No man had ever felt as good as she had felt when he took her nipple in his mouth to nurse.’

The threatened loss of Cersei’s children is deeply poignant and sad, as Cersei believed that motherhood was her chance to be happy, to experience unconditional love and have something of her own, breaking the toxic dynamics of her own family. However, as is often the case with narcissistic personalities, she holds on to them in a way that is controlling, and in doing so drives them away. They were almost doomed from the start due to their parentage and Cersei’s toxic marriage to Robert. Her children were partly brought into the world out of spite. One example of Cersei’s control is her obsession with Margaery and keeping her from influencing Tommen. She spends majority of the book mercilessly plotting Margaery’s demise with the chosen huntsman of her story, Osney, asking him to have an affair with Margaery. One of the hardest parts of Cersei’s story to read is her when Osney coerces Cersei into sleeping with him:

‘All I do, I do for Tommen… Robert had hands like that, she thought.’

Cersei is at the peak of her isolation during this chapter and is desperate to be rid of Margaery. She feels that she has no choice but to agree to Osney’s will, using her beauty to her advantage as she has been taught to do all her life. We see Cersei’s desperation as she is once again abused, and really see her PTSD from the trauma she experienced with Robert. Cersei has genuinely convinced herself that this action, and every action related to Margaery is for Tommen’s own good. We see her resolution:

 ‘The younger Queen whose coming she’d foretold was finished. No golden shrouds, no valonqar, I am free of your croaking malice at last.’  

When Cersei is made to atone, it is Tommen who brings her the strength ‘Tommen is waiting for me. My little king. I can do this. I must.’ Cersei continues to justify her actions, and it is for Tommen that she does so:

‘Forgive me. High Holiness, but I would open my legs for every man in King’s Landing if that was what I had to do to keep my children safe.’

Prophecy & fairytales, Sansa parallels.

‘Queen you shall be. Until there comes another, younger and more beautiful, to cast you down and take all that you hold dear.’ ‘Will the King and I have children?’ ‘Six-and-ten for him, and three for you. Gold shall be the crowns and gold their shrouds. And when your tears have drowned you, the valonqar shall wrap his hands about your pale white throat and choke the life from you.’

GRRM can’t always resist a fairytale trope, and Cersei is the evil queen of snow white if ever I’ve seen one. I also think there are mythology parallels e.g. Circe, Hera, but I already wrote about them in another post. In this version of the story, Tyrion is the dwarf Cersei wants to have killed, and Margaery plays the role of Snow White (at least Cersei believes she does).

‘The man who brought her the dwarf’s head would be raised to lordship, she had proclaimed, no matter how mean and low his birth or station.’

From the beginning of Cersei’s POV, she is obsessed with Margaery, and we see her thoughts and doubts slipping in even before we are given the prophecy. Cersei resents Margaery’s youth, beauty, closeness to her son, position as the Queen, charismatic personality and relationship with Loras: ‘they were more alike that she and Jaime. That annoyed her too.’ It absolutely does not help Cersei’s ego to hear comments such as this around court: ‘To both our Queens!’ he chirruped. ‘To the young queen and the old’.  

Cersei believes that Margaery is the foretold princess, and this leads her to underestimating others. She is obsessed with eradicating Margaery. I believe that the prophecy actually accounts for a number of youthful, beautiful ‘rivals’; Margaery, Daenerys, Brienne, Arya even. I do, however, believe that Sansa is the true rival. Sansa has had direct encounters with and influence on Cersei, Joffrey and Tyrion, and we see her future arc with Jaime and Brienne. Sansa shows us who Cersei could have been and wanted to be, and I truly believe they were written in this way because Sansa is going to be the one to fulfil the prophecy, having a significant part in the North’s uprising. At this moment, however, Cersei does not perceive the North to be a threat, and the rage she feels for Sansa is purely personal:

‘Your lady has forgotten the Lady Sansa’, said Pycelle. ‘I most certainly have not forgotten that little she-wolf.’ She refused to say the girl’s name. ‘I fed her, dressed her, tried to make her a little less ignorant about the world, and how did she repay my kindness?… ‘She is not dead… but before I am done with her, I promise you, she will be singing to the Stranger, begging for his kiss.’

We get to see through Cersei’s memories that she was once childlike, Sansa like, full of hope. She sincerely wanted to marry Rhaegar and become a traditional, loved Queen:

‘Had any man ever been so beautiful? He was more than a man though. His blood was the blood of old Valyria, the blood of dragons and gods. She had drawn a picture of herself flying behind Rhaegar on a dragon, her arms wrapped tight about her chest.’

 She lies to Jaime about this, hides this from him. This is more evidence that her love for Jaime is at least partly about self-esteem and safety and is transactional. She is not as loyal to him as he is her. Cersei is also obsessed with the Targaryen legacy. I do find some of the Lannister’s as secret Targ children theories interesting, but think I’ve gone too far reviewing the whole books to dive into that particularly wormhole. Instead, I think Cersei’s interests in the Targaryen’s it just used to show their influence on her upbringing, particularly her god complex. When thinking about Rhaegar, we read passages of Cersei’s POV that could have easily been Sansa’s:

‘Cersei had almost been drowned in the depths of his sad, purple eyes. I will mend his hurt when we are wed. The prince is going to be my husband, she had thought giddy with excitement, and when the old king dies I’ll be the Queen.’

She is given the advice ‘You must be especially beautiful’. Cersei literally had the ‘I can fix him’ complex. She did all that was asked of her and was beautiful, and yet their betrothal wasn’t to be. She became disillusioned and was instead forced into marrying Robert: ‘She had never forgiven Robert for killing him.’ Cersei blamed Lyanna for this, and I think this links us again to the North and the prophecy, foreshadowing Sansa’s part in it- and possibly Arya’s!

I do think the valonqar will be subverted, and I love all the theories. I’m either in favour for the Jaime or Arya one. There are so many amazing posts about the theories already out there, so I’ll just leave it with one example of the foreshadowing that Cersei and Jaime are both going to die, likely together:

‘We will leave this world together, as we once came into it.’

I think wildfire links to Cersei’s death, at least in being the cause for Cersei losing her children and Jaime fully breaking away. Cersei often references wildfire, with frequent foreshadowing of her burning the Great Sept (should it happen). In all instances, Jaime is shown to see a different side of Cersei or find her more difficult to ‘tame’: ‘Wildfire is treacherous.’ When she burns the tower of the hand, we see true mania in Cersei: ‘All of them are burning now, she told herself, savouring the thought. They are dead and burning, every one, with all their plots and schemes and betrayals. It is my day now. It is my castle and my kingdom.’ This may be Cersei’s ideal, but it seems to me that she is going to be lonely in this kingdom, having successfully isolated everyone who has tried to help her.

Cersei’s atonement:

‘Words cannot hurt me. I am beautiful, the most beautiful woman in all Westeros, Jaime says so, Jaime would never lie to me. Even Robert, Robert never loved me, but he saw that I was beautiful, he wanted me.’

Cersei experiences what I believe to be narcissistic collapse when she is made to take part in the walk of ‘atonement’. Her misogynistic beliefs and equation of beauty with self-worth come into question. Cersei’s self-projected majesty, power and respect are stripped from her during this walk, and she begins to acknowledge that she is not liked or respected by the people she is meant to serve. Cersei tries to cling to the idea of her beauty to cope, however, it is heart-breaking to see her breakdown as she believes this final layer of worth has now been taken too:

‘She did not feel beautiful though. She felt old, used, filthy, ugly. There were stretch marks on her belly from the children she had borne… I should not have done this. I was their queen, but now they’ve seen, they’ve seen, they’ve seen. I should never have let them see. Gowned and crowned she was a queen. Naked, bloody, limping, she was only a woman, not so very different from their wives, more like their mothers than their pretty maiden daughters.’

I also loved the inclusion of Cersei’s version of an epiphany. As her mask shifts and her truer, more vulnerable self is revealed, Cersei allows a little empathy for others and begins to consciously think about the impact of some of her actions. It’s such an enlightening moment and fulfilling as a reader having come along this journey with her:

‘It came to her that stood in this very spot before, on the day Lord Eddard Stark lost his head. That as not supposed to happen. Joff was supposed to spare his life… I would have made Sansa a good marriage. A Lannister marriage… If Joff had only done as he was told Winterfell would never have gone to war, and Father would have dealt with Robert’s brothers.’ And of Ned’s death: ‘and after that there was no turning back’.  ‘She saw Ned Stark, and beside him little Sansa with her auburn hair and a shaggy dog that might have been her wolf.’

If not fully an admission of guilt, Cersei at least puts herself in other’s shoes for a short time, and begins to sympathise, particularly for Sansa. This is the most in synch with Jaime’s development that she has been. Unfortunately, I think in Cersei’s case, such thoughts are circumstantial and lack permanence. We already see her brain plotting as she meets the mountain and we as readers reach the end of the books so far with the understanding that she will not let any epiphany get in the way of her self-destructive nature.

Jaime

‘No, that she could not believe, would not believe. Jaime would be here once he knew of her plight. Come at once, she had written. Help me. Save me. I need you now more as I have never needed you before. I love you. I love you. I love you. Come at once.’

I’m not going to go too much into Jaime here as part one focused on him, but I do want to reflect a wee bit on his journey and possible conclusion with Cersei. He asks Cersei to relieve him of his duty, and his time with Brienne has clearly influenced him to want to make something of himself and get a bit of distance from his family. He finds his thoughts often landing on Brienne in some of the spaces Cersei used to fill: ‘Unbidden, his thoughts went to Brienne of Tarth. Stupid, stubborn, ugly wench. He wondered where she was. Father, give her strength.’ He still has a long way to go, as his misogynistic Freudian slips show, but he is trying and is secretly proud of his efforts: ‘It felt good. This was justice. Make a habit of it, Lannister, and one day men might call you Goldenhand after all. Goldenhand the just.’ Jaime is making fun of himself here but is beginning to picture his new life and his place in the world. He’s lost most of his arrogance and front, and is making space for a simpler, more honest life: ‘If truth be told, he liked this life. He felt more comfortable amongst soldiers in the field than he ever had at court. And his men seemed comfortable with him as well’. I liked Jaime’s interactions with Pia. They were subtle and not deeply significant to the plot, but I do think Pia helps to give Jaime some perspective, and I enjoy the subversion of the white knight saving the maiden trope: ‘Jaime thought back on the head he’s given to Pia. He could almost hear his little brother chuckle. Whatever became of giving women flowers?’ Pia parallels Jaime in ways. She has experiences loss through this war- the loss of her beauty, lifestyle and reputation. She has, however, decided to carry on and make what she can of her life. Through Pia, Jaime gets to see normality (at least normality of this world) and interact with people who live without Lannister scale agenda. He is learning not to be so absolute, that he can carry on and carve his own path.

I mentioned in the previous post that Sansa is significant to his future and redemption, but he is also beginning to consider Tommen more and play around with the idea of himself as a father figure: ‘My place is with my king. With my son. Would Tommen want to know that?.. He would need to find some way to winkle Tommen from her clutches before the boy became another Joffrey.’ Tommen is, however, still tied to Cersei in Jaime’s mind and his complicated feelings regarding her: ‘Once it yielded, he would be free to return to King’s landing. To the king, he told himself, but another part of him whispered, to Cersei’. We get to read some interesting contrasts between the pair in this book, which I enjoyed, for example: ‘She wants something of me… For a moment he dared to hope that all she wanted was the comfort of his arms’ whilst Cersei in her cell reflects: ‘Cersei dreamed a long, sweet dream where Jaime was her husband, and their son was still alive.’ Jaime understands more of Cersei’s nature now and resents her for it, but when Cersei is stripped of her power and distractions, we see that she does genuinely love him. I also enjoyed the contrast between: ‘’He was a warrior, and that was all he would ever be.’ and ‘She hated feeling weak. Oh, for a sword and the skill to wield it. She had a warrior’s heart, but the gods in their blind malice had given her the feeble body of a woman.’

Jaime and Cersei both compare one another to the Stranger in this book, perhaps the most significant link to the valonqar theory and their role in it. ‘I thought that I was the Warrior and Cersei was the Maid, but all the time she was the Stranger, hiding her true face from my gaze.’ They are both in need of resolution and their lives are too deeply embedded to truly part, but we are yet to see how their story arcs will play out. They are definitely two incredibly interesting characters to read.

Jaime & Cersei Lannister, Brienne of Tarth A Song Of Ice and Fire analysis (Part 1- A Storm of Swords)

Jaime, pre loss of hand (misogynist)

‘Jaime’s blood was singing. This is what he was meant for; he never felt so alive as when he was fighting, with death balanced on every stroke.’

We are introduced to Jaime, the funny, charming charismatic twit. The misogynist, the epitome of toxic masculinity who has never felt the need for self-development because he is a Lannister, he is rich, beautiful, strong, brave; he feels immortal. From the outset, there is foreshadowing that Jaime is likely to die, however, in earlier chapters, he does not fear death because it genuinely hasn’t occurred to him as a possibility: ‘’The best we can hope for is to die with swords in our hands.’ He was perfectly sincere. Jaime Lannister had never been afraid of death.’ This shifts, however, after Jaime is captured and he gains some home truths: ‘He does not fear me, Jaime realised, with a chill’. ‘Jaime was not ready to die yet, and certainly not for the likes of Brienne of Tarth’. I’ve mentioned in previous blog posts, that GRRM Martin loves to break his characters down, shift their reality, and let them build themselves back with what’s left. Jaime is one of the most prominent examples of this, and it creates such a rewarding, rich, interesting reading experience. I cannot deny the power of a redemption arc.

‘Jaime had decided that he would return Sansa, and the younger girl as well if she could be found.’ It was not like to win him back his lost honour, but the notion of keeping faith when they all expected betrayal amused him more than he could say.’

Honour is a huge theme in Jaime’s arc- honestly, who isn’t honour obsessed in this world- and Jaime is fuelled by pure hatred for being misunderstood. He has such a guard up, that even his inner monologue is jokey and sarcastic, a lack of self-esteem juxtaposed with him literally being in love with himself. I say that, but it’s less so low self-esteem, and more anger that nobody else believes he’s as amazing as he deems himself to be. Jaime hides what he truly wants from everyone, including himself, and it’s because he thinks it’s lost to him- a chance for honour, respect, thanks or at least understanding.

Jaime, post loss of hand and family dynamics

‘The hand that made me Kingslayer. The goat had robbed him of his glory and his shame, both at once. Leaving what? Who am I now?’

This is a family in need of a therapy session. Honestly, a Freudian dream. We have a classic case of abusive, toxic father with ideals that the children can never live up to yet will die trying to despite hating the man. This combined with the loss of the mother who was the only one who could calm this man and provide a loving, nurturing upbringing. Some deep attachment issues and a co-dependent family system. Throw into that, some fantasy, fictional incest and a prophecy proclaiming one child to be murdered by the hands of a sibling, and we have a charming, loving dynamic.

Jaime clearly loves Tyrion and had a lot of admiration for him and the ways in which he uses his intelligence and resources. This is particularly important to Jaime post hand incident, as he is learning who he is and how to navigate the world without the only skills he believed himself to hold:

‘Tyrion could think of something clever now, but all that occurs to me is to go at them with a sword.’

Jaime has no independence from his family and all of his experiences *side eye* have been with his family or in service to them. His relationship with Tyrion- before the death of Joffrey- is probably the least toxic and complex one he has, despite the horror of the Tysha incident (I’ll wait for Tyrion’s POV for that). Her relationship with Tywin is another matter altogether. He is driven to almost despair trying to please him and live up to his needs, whilst simultaneously defying him. Tywin’s treatment of Tyrion is horrifying, and Jaime has to fill in the gaps as the ‘perfect son’. He is the lesser of two disappointments in Tywin’s eyes, until the loss of Jaime’s hand and the accompanying stress and identity crisis leads him to break any bridges they had:

‘And now you have a cripple for a son as well as a dwarf, my lord. How you will hate that.’

Jaime finally stands up to Tywin, refusing to marry, refusing to return to Casterly Rock. ‘You are not my son.’ Lord Tywin turned his face away.’  This last interaction before Tywin’s death is essential for Jaimes’ development, yet greatly impacts his self-worth: ‘I am a stranger in my own House. His son was dead, his father had disowned him, and his sister… she had not allowed him to be alone with her once’. Jaime internalises this dismissal and shows imposter syndrome in his role as lord commander:  ‘How could the Kingslayer belong in such exalted company?’ ‘They feared the man I was; the man I am, they’d pity’.

It’s the absolute bear minimum that should be expected, but Jaime has grown reflective, and finally considers past acts: ‘I’m not ashamed of loving you, only of the things I’ve done to hide it. That boy at Wintefell…’ This is the first time that he has really taken responsibility for his own actions, rather than dismissing them as necessary for Cersei. I also greatly enjoyed Margaery and Loras giving Jaime and Cersei a simultaneous identity crisis, a mirror image of what they used to be, and a reminder of their aging and losses. We are yet to gain Cersei’s POV, but the Tyrells serve to show is Jaime’s self-awareness: ‘This is too absurd. Tyrion would mock me unmercifully if he could hear me now, comparing c***s with this green boy’. ‘He’s me, Jaime realised suddenly. I am speaking to myself as I was, all cocksure arrogance and empty chivalry. This is what it does to you, to be too good too young’. Self-awareness and Cersei’s lack of is what separates the pair, accounting for Jaime’s character development and Cersei’s downfall.   

Jaime’s relationship with Cersei

He tries to deny it, or avoid thinking about it, but it is clear from the offset that Jaime doubts that Cersei loves him as much as he does her. Jaime sees them as almost a traditional married couple and is very loyal to Cersei (for the sake of this paragraph, I basically have to ignore the incest. It’s too creepy and gets in the way of what I’m trying to say, as I am writing from his POV after all. Please just know that they give me the creeps):

‘Cersei was the only women he had ever wanted.’ ‘He could never long bear to be apart from this twin.’

Rather horrifyingly, Jaime doesn’t stray from referring to Cersei as his sibling when he is talking about her as a lover. The fact that they are twins are so similar to one another is almost ingrained in their sexual relationship and appears to be what they like about each other. It’s fair to say being brought up around Targaryen’s, in a family as dysfunctional as the Lannister’s has given Jaime some curious (dodgy) values. He has no shame surrounding their incest and no concern or fear regarding the prospect of others finding out: ‘Why shouldn’t I marry Cersei openly and share her bed every night? The dragons always married their sisters.’

Cersei is absolutely everything to Jaime, and he is consistently thinking about her during captivity and his journey to Kings landing. This fact is the first downfall of their relationship- he is devoted to Cersei to an insane level, whilst she loves her children above all else. In fact, he sees the children- his children- only as a burden, a barrier to Cersei (Freud would love this man). When Jaime hears of Joffrey’s death, he is objective in that Joffrey was a bad person. He considered Joffrey to be Robert’s concern and responsibility, reflecting that Cersei kept them separate. He has no grief for the loss of Joffrey (who does, honestly):

‘Men were supposed to go mad with grief when their children died, he knew. So why was it that he felt so little?’ ‘Perhaps he was the monster they claimed. If the Father above came down to offer him back his son or hand, Jaime knew which he would choose’.

Joffrey’s murder, and Jaime’s hand are the catalyst for an irreparable rift between Jaime and Cersei. Jaime knows that Cersei’s love is transactional and manipulative, and it makes him deeply sad. He does, however, accept it and allow himself to be manipulated. When he returns to Kingslanding and observes her reaction, he can’t deny it: ‘She has never come to me, he thought. She has always waited, letting me come to her. She gives, but I must ask’. Cersei immediately wants something from Jaime, and it is something that even he will not give- to kill Tyrion. He refuses her for the first time: ‘He is still my brother’. I’ll save my valonqar theories for part two (basically because I haven’t read Cersei’s POV and have forgotten most of it haha), but this refusal marks Jaime as finished for Cersei. She realised she can’t manipulate him as well as she has, and she realises that he can’t or won’t save her from her Tyrion. instead, she goads him: ‘Oh, an angry cripple, how terrifying.’ She laughed. ‘A pity Lord Tywin Lannister never had a son. I could have been the heir he wanted, but I lacked the c**k.’

In turn, Jaime realises that he has never had Cersei as unconditionally as he hoped. He proposes to her ‘I’m sick of being careful. The Targaryen’s wed brother to sister, why shouldn’t we do the same? Marry me, Cersei. We’ll have our own wedding feast, and make another son in place of Joffrey’, and her response shows him what’s he’s feared- while she is his world, he is second or third in hers to her children and her desire to rule.  She won’t sacrifice for him or their relationship. ‘Cersei recoiled from his stump. ‘You’re scaring me, Jaime. Don’t be stupid. One wrong word and you’ll cost us everything. What did they do to you?’ ‘No, it’s more, you’re changed’.

This shatters Jaime yet he has done what he feared and stood up to her. He has lost her but gained independence, a freedom from his family and the beginnings of a future. He begins to consider the impact that she has had on him and his image, and acknowledges her impulsive nature:

‘The goat’s evened the trade, though I doubt Lady Catelyn will thank him when Cersei returns her whelps in like condition. The thought made him grimace. I will get the blame for that as well, I’ll wager.’

Jaime is now left with fewer ties, and is struggling with his identity, but it beginning to gain a purpose and moral compass, changes in which I believe Brienne has played a significant role.

Jaime’s relationship with Brienne

‘Guards’, he heard the wench shout, ‘The Kingslayer!’. ‘Jaime, he thought. My name is Jaime’.

A name is very significant thing in ASOIAF and is used as a device to show us what Jaime and Brienne are to each other. Brienne begins her story with Jaime where we do, lovely toxic, immortal Jaime. Their first interaction signifies the lack of respect from each party:  ‘You will call me Brienne, not wench.’ ‘My name is Ser Jaime, not Kingslayer.’

Brienne is so incredibly necessary for Jaime’s ego. She is not his family and will not pander to him. She has no respect for him, apart from a secret begrudging regard for his talents as a warrior. She is another subversion in ASOIAF to the white knight trope and has such honour that even Jaime cannot maintain his façade, as he starts to break down his own horrendous misogynistic thinking (slowly). His act to protect her by lying about his sapphire fortune is one that should come naturally, but is for Jaime, one of the first selfless acts, or at least one of the only acts that he makes for another with no personal gain:

‘That’s a pig-stubborn b***h, he thought. But brave, yes. He could not take that from her.’

He is truly horrendous at first, and cannot resist goading and bullying, cannot get passed his own misconceptions of gender. He does, however, concede over time.

‘No wonder Renly died, with you guarding him.’ ‘That was unworthy’, he murmured. I’m a maimed man, and bitter. Forgive me, wench. You protected me as well as any man could have, and better than most.’

 I want to mention here, that when I first read these books aged 16/17, this ‘ship’ got me, I cannot deny. It’s unfair that the most loathsome of characters attract such love from readers just for a redemption arc, but, so long as it’s a FICTIONAL trope, it gets me. I do love a charismatic, trauma troubled villain with a redemption arc *cough* Jaime and the hound *cough*. As long as it’s fiction, I think we need a lil bit of fun in our reading, and the dynamic that an opposite pairing begrudgingly coming to respect one another gives us it. I think Jaime genuinely believes that everyone is like his family, and has not met someone as decent, kind-hearted and gentle as Brienne. His inner thoughts often indicate his shock at how innocent and honourable Brienne really is. This affects him to the extent that he returns white knight style to save her from the bear.

 ‘Have we come to late? His stomach did a lurch’. ‘You want her? Go get her.’ So he did’.

Again, Jaime is not a hero. This is the bear (sorry) MINIMUM that a person should do for another person in a situation like this. I do, however, LOVE this scene, especially the way GRRM plays up and subverts tropes and stories, particularly that of a ‘true knight’ and a prince charming. Beauty and the beast is his most frequent parallel, with Snow White thrown in there for Cersei.

‘Her name is Brienne’, Jaime said. ‘Brienne , the made of Tarth. You are still maiden, I hope?’ Her broad homely face turned red. ‘Yes’. ‘Oh, good’, Jaime said. ‘I only rescue maidens’  ‘Ser Jaime…I am grateful, but you were well away. Why come back?’ A dozen quips came to mind, each crueller than the one before, but Jaime only shrugged. ‘I dreamed of you’, he said.’

Sansa’s journey with the hound and other knight figures also plays into the subversion of this trope, as she is currently breaking down her own ideals and the stereotype of a ‘gentle lady’. Cersei has altered Sansa’s perception of a queen, and Jaime a beautiful, strong warrior who just happens to be involved in some incest and have thrown her brother out a window. It will be so interesting to hopefully see a Jaime/Brienne/Sansa dynamic in some capacity, particularly as the Starks are often part of Jaime’s thoughts. Jaime has never forgiven Ned for his judgment, for looking down on him and being a better, more honourable person than he is. For Sansa to play a part in Jaime’s own redemption and quest for honour would be beautiful storytelling.

Can’t lie, I didn’t take took much of Jaime’s dreams in and can’t be bothered to now- there will be sooo many amazing analyses of them online already- but what I did take, is that Jaime’s subconscious is telling him that Cersei can’t help him become who he wants to, and Brienne is the one who can. She represents future and light (in whatever capacity). From this point, Jaime begins to unwittingly compare Cersei to Brienne. Their bond becomes deeper, and it is to Brienne that Jaime finally confesses the weight of his trauma, anger and resentment regarding killing Aerys (albeit triggered by extreme pain, fever and rage):

‘Why is it that no one names Robert oath breaker? He tore the realm apart, yet I am the one with s**t for honour.’ (Jaime) ‘Robert did all he did for love.’ (Brienne).

 ‘The man who has cooked Lord Rickard Stark in his own armour. And all the time, I stood by the foot of the iron throne in my white plate, still as a corpse, guarding my liege and all his sweet secrets.’ ‘Bring me your father’s head, if you are no traitor’.

From this point, whether they meant it or not, whether they’re conscious of it, Jaime and Brienne have become important to each other, and their relationship has shifted to one of respect, even if they still judge one other before listening. Jaime is very hurt in later instances where Brienne jumps to conclusions and misunderstands him, as is she. When they reach Kingslanding, for example, Jaime has Brienne arrested to save her for potential death at the hands of Loras Tyrell.

 ‘Brienne’s big eyes were full of hurt as Balon Swann and a dozen gold cloaks sent her away. You ought to be blowing me kisses, wench. Why must they misunderstand every bloody thing he did? Aerys. It all grows from Aerys.’

He continues to think of Brienne after he is free and around Cersei, wanting to confide in her and hear her opinions. He has accidently come to depend on her to be around. He manages to use his knowledge and understanding of Loras’ character to convince him to free Brienne- a move more characteristic of Tyrion, and one that marks the shift in Jaime. Following his dismissal from Tywin and Cersei, Jaime feels free to act and gives Brienne her quest. They are awkward and both uncomfortable in friendships, but they are trying:

‘Blue is a good colour on you, my lady’, Jaime observed. ‘It goes well with your eyes.’ She does have astonishing eyes’.

Brienne glanced down at herself, flustered (she’s in looooove. Or infatuation.) ‘The white cloak…’ ‘is new, but I’m sure I’ll soil it soon enough.’ ‘That wasn’t…I was about to say that it becomes you.’

We finally have names. And Jaime focusing on Brienne’s eyes, which has become a metaphor of his shift from misogyny to respect. After all, GRRM can be cheesy, and would definitely subscribe to the eyes as the window to the soul. We also have an incredible shift from Jaime. He betrays Tywin and his house spectacularly by telling Brienne that Ramsey is marrying fake Arya. He is committed to his desire to aid the Starks- for his own honour and in defiance of his father. They characteristically misunderstand one another and bicker, but leave one another in an exciting alliance:

‘Both of us swore oaths concerning Sansa Stark. Cersei means to see that the girl is found and killed, wherever she has gone to ground…’ (Jaime)

‘If you ever believe that I would harm my lady’s daughter for a sword, you-‘ (Brienne)

‘Just listen’ he snapped, angered by her assumption. ‘I want you to find Sansa first and get her somewhere safe’. He gives Brienne what remains of ice, in the form of Oathkeeper. ‘So, you’ll be defending Ned Stark’s daughter with Ned Stark’s own steel, if that makes any difference to you’.

Jaime has managed to achieve Brienne’s respect, something greatly important to him (not that he’d necessarily admit it) and has managed to do something he wanted to do, independent of the wants, needs or expectations of his family. He is growing…

A Song of Ice and Fire analysis- Catelyn Stark and Robb Stark

Catelyn Stark

Instincts and foreshadowing

’Catelyn had never liked this Godswood.’ ’For her sake, Ned had built a small sept where she might sing to the seven faces of God, but the blood of the first men still flowed in the veins of the Starks, and his Gods were the old ones.’

From the outset, we are shown that Catelyn has a strong sense of her identity tying to her Tully roots and  phrase- family, duty, honour. She has never assimilated to the North or completely understood it, yet she and Ned have such a clear respect, love and peace for each other. She is very religious and superstitious, however, and it’s interesting that the first encounter we get of the Godswood is from her perspective. She fears and believes the omens that Ned has shut down:

‘There are darker things beyond this wall’. ‘His smile was gentle. ‘You listen to too many of Old Nan’s stories. The others are as dead as the children of the forest, gone eight thousand years. No living man has ever seen one.’ (Ned). ‘Until this morning, no living man had ever seen a direwolf either.’

Catelyn has keen instincts which, combined with her faith, allow her to take caution from omens and foreshadowing. Yet, she often dismisses her own gut, presumably due to her place as a woman. It is after all, Catelyn who has taught Sansa her ideals- to be a lady is to be dutiful, gentle, well spoken, and maintain her ‘place’ as female, never overstepping the powerful men that surround her.

‘Dread coiled within her like a snake, but she forced herself to smile at this man she loved, this man who put no faith in signs.’

The dismissal of Catelyn’s instincts has had a disastrously detrimental impact on her life and family, particularly when Cat does share her suspicions, only to be rebuked by characters she is surrounded by. Two key examples of this are her lack of trust in Theon Greyjoy from the beginning, and her caution around Walder Frey, whom so many others underestimate and disregard:

 ‘If truth be told, I doubt even Lord Frey knows what Lord Frey intends to do. He has an old man’s caution and a young man’s ambition and has never lacked for cunning’.

Despite, however, her insight and caution, we do frequently see Arya’s feistier qualities in Catelyn, and she can display a rashness at times, for example, her decision to arrest Tyrion. Her more impulsive nature wins out in instances where she is thinking only of her children. To her credit, Catelyn always has fair motives, and does always come to realise that she has acted rashly. She is incredibly hard on herself at these times:

‘It was your doing, yours, a voice whispered inside her. If you had not taken it upon yourself to seize the dwarf…’

She is slower to dismiss Tyrion that other characters, and since travelling alongside him, has  begun to understand some of the nuances of his character and the extent of his cunning: ‘Once, she would have named Tyrion the least dangerous of the Lannister’s. Now she was not so certain’. She begins to begrudgingly believe in Tyrion’s word and believes that he is her best chance to get Sansa back: ‘Not Cersei, Tyrion. He swore it, in open court. And the Kingslayer swore it as well.’ ‘She had made Jaime swear a hundred oaths, but it was his brother’s promise she had her hopes pinned on’. Cat’s decision to free Jaime for her daughters is one that is completely understandable, yet very rash. It plays into Cat’s role as a mother, but influences Robbs later doubts and hits in warfare and their consequential downfall.

Catelyn takes time to really perceive the Lannister’s and I think she has a better understanding of them than many. I enjoyed the parallels between Cat’s motherhood and Cersei’s, as she considers Cersei’s own motives. They are both primarily mothers, and this is something that is often underestimated by the men in this world. It by no means lessens the hatred that Cat feels towards Cersei but allows Cat an understanding of Cersei. She knows how Cersei works and understands her Achilles heel:

‘Cersei is a mother too. No matter who fathered those children, she felt them kick inside her… The crack was still there; even Cersei could weep for her children.’ When thinking of what happened to Ned and Jon after Cersei fears the mortality of her children: ‘Small wonder the queen had killed them both. Would I do any less for my own?’

‘For men the answer was always the same, and never farther away than the nearest sword. For a woman, a mother, the way was stonier and harder to know’.

I also enjoyed Cat’s interactions with Stannis and Renly, as they allow us to see her feistier nature, and let GRRM be playful. Cat essentially breaks down the Baratheon’s war fuelled feud into what it is- pride. She stands before Stannis, who we have been taught to fear, and acts as a mother reprimanding her prideful children: ‘You each name yourself King, yet the Kingdom bleeds, and no one lifts a sword to defend it but my son.’

War symbolism & Greek myth parallels

‘It must not come to war, Catelyn thought fervently. They must not let it.’

‘War will make them old, as it did us. I pity them’.

Catelyn is almost a personification of the consequences of war and a symbol of true war; not the glorification of the stories and songs and songs that create excitement amongst young men, but the reality of the death and destruction it leaves mothers, families, houses. At the beginning of the books, for many younger characters there is an excitement brewing around the upcoming battles, the chance for glory, ‘honour’, fame. Catelyn is someone who has seen war before and truly grasps it’s consequences:

‘So young, Catelyn thought, trying to remember if she had ever been like that. The girl had lived half her life in summer and that was all she knew. Winter is coming, child, she wanted to tell her’.

Interestingly, after Ned leaves her in charge of Winterfell and she becomes enveloped in Robbs war storyline, Catelyn does associate far more frequently with the North and its way, something she herself is often surprised by.

‘She was no stranger to waiting, after all. Her men had always made her wait.’  

If you have read any of my blog posts so far, you will know I love a wee Greek mythology parallel, and Catelyn acts as the Penelope of this story. She symbolises the fear, dread and sense of duty created by those who are left behind during war, and her story during Robert’s rebellion parallels the Penelope to Ned’s Odysseus (Odysseus less in character, more in story structure). Like Penelope, Cat puts duty and family first in all things, and it is duty that often balances her and gets her through, or at least allows her to mask, her grief throughout her arc. After saving Bran:

‘Catelyn remembered the way she had been before, and she was ashamed. She had let them all down, her children, her husband, her House. It would not happen again. She would show these Northerners how strong a Tully of Riverrun could be’.

She represses her own needs throughout, leading up to the Stoneheart, and is plagued by grief and doubt in herself as a mother, often torturing herself:

‘Weary of duty. I want to weep, she thought. I want to be comforted. I’m so tired of being strong. I want to be foolish and frightened for once. Just for a small while, that’s all…a day… an hour…’

‘I have come so many thousands of leagues, and for what? Who have I served? I have lost my daughters, Robb does not want me, and Bran and Rickon must surely think me a cold and unnatural mother. I was not even with Ned when he died.’

Cat holds a respected place in the North due to her keen sense of duty and marriage to Ned. It is her grief and humility that balance the Northmen’s desire for vengeance, the bloodthirsty game of war that they are heading towards. She reminds them of the peace that they once held and the future that they desire, the danger of war and all its horrors, and its purpose . It is directly after Cat’s plea that Robb is crowned King of the North with the aim of freedom and political peace:

“I will mourn for Ned until the end of my days, but I must think of the living. I want my daughters back, and the queen holds them still. If I must trade our four Lannisters for their two Starks, I will call that a bargain and thank the gods.”

Catelyn’s weariness for war and experiences during Robert’s rebellion result in her frequent dismissal of vows for vengeance. She understands that this cannot bring the closure men wish for and knows that her only hope is to grasp on to her humanity, and the family she has left.

‘Your grief is mine, Cat. The Lannister’s will pay, I swear it, you will have your vengeance’ (Edmure) ‘Will that bring Ned back to me?’ she said sharply.’

This is the antithesis of who she becomes as Lady Stoneheart. She is driven by vengeance, lacks mercy and has lost her humanity. I love that GRRM will often take a character’s core belief, drive or personality and dismantle or shift it- Ned and Jon’s honour, Jaime’s warrior, Sansa’s gentle lady. I have to say, I wasn’t thrilled with the introduction of Stoneheart. I hate any zombie like tropes and feel like the books don’t need her. I do, however, think she might have an interesting arc, maybe Arya related since she’s on her own path of death and vengeance with no clear end in sight.

Jon:

The less likeable side of Cat’s personality is her hatred of Jon and the unfair decision to blame him rather than Ned for his birth. She tries to forget, for the sake of her duty, but withholds her resentment, and it has consequently festered within her, haunting her when she doubts herself. ‘Whoever Jon’s mother had been, Ned must have loved her fiercely… Jon was never out of sight, and as he grew, he looked more like Ned than any of the trueborns she bore him. Somehow that made it worse.’ Interestingly, in a conversation of inheritance, Robb shares plans to legitimise Jon as heir. Catelyn is blinded by hatred and her usual even temperament and instincts are gone, replaced by a deeply unlikeable version, a twisted manipulator:

‘If you make Jon legitimate, there is no way to turn him bastard again. Should he wed and breed, any sons you may have by Jeyne will never be safe.’ ‘Jon would never harm a son of mine’. ‘No more than Theon Greyjoy would harm Bran or Rickon?’ ‘Grey Wind leapt up atop King Tristifer’s crypt, his teeth bared. Robb’s own face was cold. ‘That is as cruel as it is unfair. Jon is no Theon’.

‘Should I die without issue, I want him to succeed me as King of the North. I had hoped you would support my choice.’ ‘I cannot’, she said. ‘In all else, Robb. In everything. But not in this…this folly. Do not ask it.’ ‘I don’t have to. I’m the king’.

It is sad that Catelyn will likely never learn the truth, unless GRRM has plans for Lady Stoneheart to play a part in the revelation of Jon’s true parentage. GRRM is sure to tell us that Robb has written his wishes as a royal decree, in the presence of Cat, and the letter legitimising Jon and naming him heir is surely waiting to come up in a future plot point.

Robb Stark and motherhood

‘My son is leading a host to war, she thought, still only half believing it. She was desperately afraid for him, and for Winterfell, yet she could not deny feeling a certain pride as well. A year ago he had been a boy. What was he now? she wondered.’

Robbs character arc has excellent development, resulting in his relationship with Catelyn changing. We only ever see Robb through Cat’s eyes, through the lens of a mother who is weary of war. We see Cat strain to allow Robb the space to grow from her child son into a King.

‘Mother?’ he said, his voice thick with emotion. Catelyn wanted to run to him, to kiss his sweet brow, to wrap him in her arms and hold him so tightly he would never come to harm… but here in front of his lords, she dared not. He was playing a man’s part now, and she would not take that away from him.’

Catelyn rarely gives herself credit as a mother or leader, frequently comparing Robb to Ned whenever he leads well, and dismissing the council that she gives. I believe Catelyn’s role in the success Robb had as a leader was very significant, and she acted in place of hand. She changes her role from mother to lady when required, and Robb takes her council:

‘The day will come when you need them to respect you, even fear you a little… Laughter is a poison to fear. I will not do that to you, much as I might wish to keep you safe.’ ‘Robb, I will not soften the truth for you. If you lose, there is no hope for any of us. Remember the fate of Rhaegar’s children.’ She saw the fear in his young eyes then, but there was a strength as well. ‘Then I will not lose’, he vowed’.

Catelyn provided Robb strength as a mother, council as a leader, hard truths as a King and the love and courage to persevere. She gives herself over to Robb, focusing on him to give her spirit and purpose whenever her thoughts stray to her other children: ‘And yet there was nothing she could do for any of them, and so she made herself put all thought of them aside. You must save your strength for Robb, she told herself. He is the only one you can help. You must be as fierce and hard as the North, Catelyn Tully. You must be a Stark for true now, like your son’.

She is, however, confined to gender roles and experiences the misogyny that all the female characters are privy to. This permeates into Cat’s own self-esteem and lack of confidence in her ability to influence Robb, often withholding her council or instincts. She is, however, respected and very aware of her place as a Lady. I would argue that Cat is far more politically minded that she believes, with the ability to think tactically. She can make men listen and can use her gentle, highborn nature to her advantage, in a way that we are seeing paralleled in Sansa.

‘Give me Cersei Lannister, Lord Karstark, and you will see how gentle a woman can be,’ Catelyn replied. ‘Perhaps I do not understand tactics and strategy…but I understand futility’.

I’m taking a wee space now to share instances where Robb himself gives us some lovely characteristics reminiscent of Neds. ‘That makes him evil’, Robb replied. ‘I do not know that it makes Renly King. Joffrey is still Robert’s eldest trueborn, so the throne is rightfully his. Were he to die, and I mean to see that he does, he has a younger brother. Tommen is next in line after Joffrey.’ When others argue for Renly’s many Kingly qualities: ‘What does Lord Stannis have against that, that we should cast it all aside?’ ‘The right’ said Robb stubbornly. Catelyn thought he sounded eerily like his father as he said it’. We frequently see evidence throughout these chapters that Robb would have made a balanced and fair King, due to the influence of both Ned and Catelyn.

As time goes on, however, Cat loses some of her influence over Robb: ‘He wants me gone, Catelyn thought wearily. Kings are not supposed to have mothers, it would seem, and I tell him things he does not want to hear.’

They both make errors in judgment that have dire consequences; Catelyn freeing Jaime, and Robb marrying Jeyne (is she another future plot hidden pregnancy?) This gets in the way of Robb heading Cat’s council, and he is no longer as receptive to her instincts, for example, his decision to distance himself from Grey Wind due to Jeyne’s fear. He begins to show his age and stubborn attitude after marrying, holding Cat at arm’s length:

‘You always kept him with you before.’ ‘He’s part of you, Robb. To fear him is to fear you.’ ‘I am a not a wolf, whatever they call me’. Robb sounded cross’. ‘‘These wolves are more than wolves, Robb. You must know that. I think perhaps the gods sent them to us. Your

father’s gods, the old gods of the north.’

Robb becomes disillusioned and extremely strained as he begins to grasp the truth of war and his burden. It is due in part to his and Cat’s rash actions and their consequences that his success begins to unravel, and we head towards the red wedding. It is also now, that we see Robb and Cat grow stronger together, as they both understand what they have lost and prepare themselves to press on. Catelyn does try to encourage him to surrender, however, she understands that this is her motherly desire, that he is too like Ned and has come to far to do so. When they meet their end, they are at a place of mutual understanding, prepared to carry on for their family and home.

‘Gods be good, why would any man ever want to be king? When everyone was shouting King in the North, I swore to myself, that I would be a good king, as honourable as Father, strong, just, loyal to my friends and brave when I faced my enemies… now I can’t even tell one from the other.’

Catelyn’s scene at the red wedding is heart wrenching, and her last act is to offer herself as sacrifice for Robb, paralleling Ned for Sansa. ‘They could do as they wished with her; imprison her, kill her, it made no matter. She had lived too long, and Ned was waiting. It was Robb she feared for’. And, of her last thoughts, Ned:

‘No, don’t cut my hair, Ned loves my hair’.

I want peace for Catelyn and for her to be with Ned. I think GRRM knows this and intends it for the reader, which is why I feel like Arya will have a part to play in Lady Stoneheart’s story, possibly killing her and allowing her to be at peace with the knowledge that at least some of her children live.

Lady Stoneheart

As I mentioned before, I don’t love the Stoneheart plot and prefer to leave it with Catelyn. I do, though, appreciate the extent of GRRM’s foreshadowing, so will leave this post with so wee quotes. Please let me know what you think of Cat as she can definitely be a bit of an ambivalent character and let me know how you think her arc will end. I really appreciate anyone who has read this post and shares my love of ASOIAF!  

‘Sometimes she felt as if her heart had turned to stone’ (AGOT)

‘The face of a drowned woman, Catelyn thought. Can you drown in grief?’ ((ACOK)

‘When they took his head off, they killed me too.’ (ACOK)

‘The silent sisters do not speak to the living, but some say they can talk to the dead. And how she envied that.’ (ACOK)

‘I am become a sour woman. I am a creature of grief and dust and bitter longings. There is an empty place within me where my heart once was.’ (ACOK)

‘It is too late for ifs, and too late for rescues’, Catelyn said. ‘All that remains is vengeance’. (ASOS)

‘If anything befell you, I would go mad, Robb. You are all I have left’. (ASOS)

A Song of Ice and Fire analysis- Davos Seaworth & Stannis Baratheon

Davos Seaworth

Although his aren’t the most interesting chapters in my opinion -probably due to his close relations to Stannis, who is characterised to be the epitome of dull- I love Davos. I feel like GRRM wrote him almost as compensation for Ned’s death, and a representation of goodness, as I see so many parallels between him and Ned, as with his relationship dynamic to Stannis and Ned’s to Robert. He is incredibly loyal to Stannis and humble in character: ‘If I stayed a smuggler, Allard would have ended on the Wall. Stannis spared him from that end, something else I owe him’. Davos begins with a low sense of self-worth, and so is driven to proving himself to Stannis through loyalty. ‘Everything I am, I owe to him’. He is also motivated by his sons, and to a lesser extent, his wife, although, it has to be said, she is rarely mentioned. Davos will challenge Stannis and stand up for what he feels is right, particularly as the books progress:

 ‘You have given me an honoured place at your table. And in return I give you truth’.

Stannis Baratheon

Stannis has his own similarities to Ned Stark, in terms of his inability to neglect his sense of duty which acts as the basis of his moral codes. There are however, some stark (did not mean the pun) differences in reactions and decisions made in later books as Stannis becomes more desperate, maddened, and arguably indoctrinated by religion (to be fair, the red religion is unquestionably magical and powerful, if a bit grim).

Stannis as a King is an interesting premise, as he is truly indifferent towards the idea, simply acting on his sense of duty. He is, however, also biased by his resentment of Robert and the ways in which he has been overshadowed and underappreciated. ‘When have they ever loved me? How can I lose something I have never owned?’. His personality and character  are shown throughout and is well known, so I don’t feel the need to go into it too much, but I do love these quotes as I believe they sum him up well:

‘Make it Ser Jaime the Kingslayer henceforth,” Stannis said, frowning. “Whatever else the man may be, he remains a knight. I don’t know that we ought to call Robert my beloved brother either. He loved me no more than he had to, nor I him.”

On Renly ‘Fools love a fool’ grumbled Stannis, ‘but I grieve for him as well. For the boy he was, not the man he grew to be.’

‘I am King. Wants do not enter into it. I have a duty to my daughter. To the realm. Even to Robert. He loved me but little, I know, yet he was my brother. The Lannister woman gave him horns and made a motley fool of him’.

Their arc

Davos has more of an influence throughout the series than perhaps even he realises as he routinely acts as a moral compass, and truth teller amongst the council who- like all in game of thrones- pander to Stannis: ‘Davos had come too far with Stannis to play coy now. ‘Last year they were Robert’s men. A moon ago they were Renly’s. This morning they are yours. Whose will they be on the morrow?. ‘And Stannis laughed. A sudden gust, rough and full of scorn. ‘I told you Melisandre’, my Onion Knight tells me the truth’.

 Davos’ birth and low status impact his self-image, but he holds a significant influence over Stannis’ actions, and acts as a rebuttal to Melisandre’s council. I will love GRRM forever for being such an incredibly smart writer, and in writing their relationship, I love the instances like the above quote that act to parallel Ned and Robert, and yet clearly highlight their difference. Davos is not as black and white, not as ‘morally good’, not quite as hesitant to murk around in politically position he has been dealt. It is these traits that allow Davos to live where Ned didn’t, and stand him in better stead for the circumstances that led to Ned’s downfall- imprisonment, the risk of his children, protecting Roberts son, becoming hand, attempting to recruit people to Stannis’ cause.

‘I am a man. I am kind to my wife, but I have known other women. I have tried to be a father to my sons, to help make them a place in this world. Aye, I’ve broken laws, but I never felt evil until tonight. I would say my parts are mixed, m’lady. Good and bad.’ ‘ A grey man. Neither white nor black, but partaking of both.^’ (Melisandre)

 It also serves to show that Stannis is- for now- more just, less clouded, rash and impulsive than Robert. He can listen, and it is when he becomes so entwined in his anger, desperation and fanatical rage that he seems more likely to fail, or head towards the same fate as Robert. It is after the murder of Renly that Stannis reaches a turning point, a point of no return. He has broken his moral code, he has cheated, and he now truly subscribes to Melisandre’s prophecies. He is deeply haunted, and in the extremely unlikable event that he was to become King, he would be a shell of himself and what he stands for.

‘Only Renly could vex me so with a piece of fruit. He brought his doom on with his treason, but I did love him Davos. I know that now, I swear, I will go to my grave thinking of my brother’s peach.’

In following Stannis, Davos is subject to a lot of unpleasant truths that he attempts to avoid, avoiding his guilt by following the mantra that he will do what he can to stop future injustice. His story arc becomes a metaphor for faith and loyalty, and what we become when this is questioned or dark truths begin to unravel. ‘I… I am yours to command. What would you have me do?’ Davos can see the change is Stannis, and it is his will to continue believing in him that carries him forward- and a little bit of denial for the man he thought he knew (strong Ned/Robert vibes). He manages to make use of his influence on Stannis, convincing him not to let Melisandre come to war, for fear of the alienation the red religion will bring in Westeros. This results in a paradox of actions and feelings: Stannis condemns Davos and his later assassination attempt on Melisandre, and yet respects his loyalty, promoting him to hand. I believe that Stannis himself understands that he is wrestling with his actions, morals, and the Kingdom he wants to create; it is this that convinces him to keep Davos close, where he would have condemned others multiple times. He needs duality, he needs to maintain a sense of himself, and Davos is this guide. Even as this is happening, Davos is experiencing his own existential crisis’. He is changed by the death of his children, the stress of his situation, and the knowledge that even he cannot deny the power of the red God.

‘Ours is not a choice between Baratheon and Lannister, between Greyjoy and Stark. It is death we choose, or life. Darkness, or light’. (Melisandre). ‘My heart’, Davos said slowly, ‘is full of doubts’. ‘Ice and fire, he thought. Black and white. Dark and light. Davos could not deny the power of her God’.

I want to mention here, that these chapters are made more interesting than I remembered by the addition of Melisandre and a significant amount of prophecy being told to us through Davos’ lens. I have tabbed prophecy and want to look into it more when I’m further into my reread. Once I’m through my 7000000 Bran and Jon chapters, I’ll bring together all the prophecy and go on a deep internet theory hole of what it all means. Interestingly though, there is another touch of prophecy, told to Davos by Ser Axell:

‘Say what you will. I would never betray Stannis.’ ‘You would. You will. I see it in your face. And I have seen it in the flames as well. R’hallor has blessed me with the gift. Like Lady Melisandre, he shows me the future in the fire. Stannis Baratheon will sit the Iron Throne.’

Quotes like this and references scattered throughout to Davos being a turn cloak are likely less prophecy and more manipulation- people know his influence on Stannis- but I do think they foreshadow a turning point in Davos’ arc, maybe in the form of turning his back on Stannis and towards Jon. This is particularly likely, if and when, Stannis goes full Agamemnon and sacrifices Shireen. I love the Greek myth parallels, even as I loathe what they’ll signify.

Another interesting exchange between the two occurs when Davos’ loyalty is truly questions and he is becoming more reckless:

‘A desperate folly took hold of Davos, a recklessness akin to madness. ‘As you remained loyal to King Aerys when your brother raised his banners?’ he blurted’. ‘I would have it speak the truth. Through the truth is a bitter draught at times. Aerys? If only you knew… that was a hard choosing. My blood or my liege. My brother or my King.’

The decision to free Edric, and Stannis’ concurrent decision to raise him to hand signifies the extent of their relationship and influence. Melisandre understands this and it is dangerous for Davos.

‘What is the life of one bastard boy against a kingdom?’ ‘Everything’, said Davos, softly.’ (Some utilitarian/Kantian philosophy and existential crisis creeping up in their chapters).

And yet Davos stays. Despite his desire to leave, to be with his surviving sons and wife, to be away from politics, away from sorcery. Stannis is above all for him, is his God in a way after serving his ‘justice’, and Davos is one of the many characters in ASOIAF for whom duty comes above all. He is also one of many political figures who stay in the hope of making a small difference, making the terrible ‘less bad’ and doing their part to make a slightly more just world. It is Davos who influences Stannis to go to the wall, a well calculated decision that Davos does not give himself credit for. He is trying to distract Stannis from his fury, from his flailing morals, from Melisandre, and is trying to bring Stannis redemption, purpose and resources a clean way. He has an interesting influence on the story and prophecy, being the one to bring Melisandre and Jon together (despite the fact that he is then sent away by Stannis with the influence of Melisandre).

This sets up Davos for the next stage of his arc- he has more independence, more responsibility and more political power as he becomes involved with Manderley’s plot to find Rickon- and I’m assuming, he believes, Bran?- to the throne as King of the North. We end with Davos hesitantly gathering himself to go off to cannibal island, and Stannis stuck outside Winterfell, becoming startlingly close to Agamemnon/Iphigenia sacrifice territory. I think we’re setting up for the books version of the battle of the bastards, and there are so many exceptional plots in this story that I am EXCITED (assuming of course, that we ever get to read them hahaha). Looking forward to seeing Skagos and Davos’ future part to play in the story! I feel like he’s about to have a lot more interactions with major characters. Also, I got chills reading this part:

‘The north remembers, Lord Davos. The North remembers and the mummers’ farce is almost done’.

‘The young wolf is dead’, Manderly allowed, ‘but that brave boy was not Lord Eddard’s only son.’

Thank you for reading and please let me know your thoughts on anything I’ve said or anything game of thrones! I’m completely amateur at this and just doing it for fun, but I’m finding this reread by POV so rewarding and fun! There’s so much I’d forgotten and I love GRRM with all my heart.

Books I own and haven’t read yet (please help haha)

Over the past year I’ve actually done really well in my goal to read lots of new books and try to read lots of the books on my shelves (giving away the ones I don’t like). I have a bad habit of buying books- I do try to buy lots from charity shops- and whilst I read roughly 100 books a year, I LOVE the comfort and experiencing of rereading, so it can take me a long time to get round to all of my new books. I’d love to end 2020 with some reading highs (given the riot that the year has been otherwise hahaha), so I’m going to list the books that I own and haven’t read yet and I’d love your opinions on what books I should priories. 😊 Please, please let me know if you’ve read any of these and why you’d recommend them (or why you absolutely hated them). I have 20 books left to read to reach my yearly goal! (I’ve made the books that I’m currently most interested in reading bold).

1. N-W- Zadie Smith
2. Blonde Roots- Bernardine Evaristo
3. The Remains of the Day- Kazuo Ishaguro
4. The Mothers- Brit Bennett
5. Calypso- David Sedaris
6. The Sellout- Paul Beatty
7. Northern Lights- Philip Pullman
8. The Book of Dust- Philip Pullman
9. Morbid Relations- Jonathan Whitelaw
10. Theology and Works and Days- Hesiod
11. The White Boy Shuffle- Paul Beatty
12. Percy Jackson and the Last Olympian- Rick Riordan
13. The Book of Strange Things- Michel Faber
14. Under the Skin- Michel Faber
15. The Republic- Plato
16. Jesus: A Life- A. N. Wilson

Books that I’ve owned for at least a year (some are honestly 5+ years old hahaha):

17. George Harrison: Behind the locked door- Graeme Thomson

18. The Light Between Oceans- M L Steadman

19. The Wasp Factory- Iain Banks

20. The Understudy- David Nicholls

21. Lanark- Alasdair Gray

22. Them- Jon Ronson

23. The Trial- Franz Kafka

24. Being Elvis- Ray Connolly

25. The Post Birthday World- Lionel Shriver

26. The Secret Garden- Francis Hodgson Burnett

27. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo- Stieg Larsson

28. Horns- Joe Hill

29. I am the Messenger- Markus Zusak

30. School Daze- Elaine McGeachy

31. The White Queen- Philippa Gregory

32. The Lost Books of the Odyssey- Zachary Mason

33. The Bluest Eye- Toni Morrison

34. The Miniaturist- Jessie Burton

35. David Bowie: A Life- Dylan Jones

36. The Lie Tree- Frances Hardinge

37. Casting Off- Elizabeth Jane Howard

38. All the Light We Cannot See- Anthony Doerr

39. The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy- Douglas Adams

40. One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest- Ken Kensey

41. Not the Life Imagined- Anne Pettigrew

42. Utopia for Realists- Rutger Bregman

43. American Gods- Neil Gaiman

44. The Elephant Keeper- Christopher Nicholson

45. The Complete Grimm’s Fairy Tales- The Brothers Grimm

Oh dear, 45 hahaha. Although it was genuinely about 100 a couple of years ago. There are some on the list that I really should just give away, but I’m quite the hoarder and don’t want to miss out on a potentially interesting read. Also, I’ll definitely take into account any comments, but I’m such a mood reader so please, please don’t be offended if I end up reading completely different books haha! Also, I rarely know anything about authors so please let me know if any are a bit dodgy/controversial for any reason. I hope you’re well and have read great books so far this year! 😊

Goodreads 50 books to read before you die (part one)

I really liked doing this challenge for amazon books and people seemed to like reading it- it was really fun looking at the comments to see how many everybody has read!- so I’ve decided to do it again, it’s always fun to see if I’m influenced to read classics or popular books 😊

1. To Kill a Mockingbird- Harper Lee
2. Pride and Prejudice- Jane Austen

I have read this book, but as I think I mentioned before this is one of the rare occasions where I enjoyed the film more (blasphemous hahaha but I do love the film). It wasn’t my favourite classic that I’ve read which is strange because I love the sisters, however, I think it felt a bit too long with sections about side characters that I didn’t really care about. Maybe if I reread it one day I’d enjoy it a little bit more.

3. Jane Eyre- Charlotte Bronte

This is maybe my favourite classic that I’ve read, I really like the story and enjoyed Jane as a character. I’d also like to mention here that I loved ‘The Crimson Petal and the White’ which is loosely based on Jane Eyre, I’d recommend it!

4. The Great Gatsby- F. Scott Fitzgerald

I swear there is a ghost in my house because I read half of this book in the bath, came out of the bath and it was never seen again, I have searched my entire house and this book is gone hahaha. I will get it and finish it one day.

5. Lord of the Flies- William Golding

6. Birdsong: A Novel of Love and War- Sebastian Faulks

7. 1984- George Orwell

8. The Diary of a Young Girl- Anne Frank

This book is very impactful and emotional, however, the main thing that stuck out whilst reading this was the depths of kindness, love and positivity in Anne’s writing, she was incredibly hopeful despite her horrific circumstances and this is a loving, relatable book about growing up and family.

9. Brave New World- Aldous Huxley

10. The Grapes of Wrath- John Steinbeck

11. The Picture of Dorian Grey- Oscar Wilde

I really want to read this one day, this is high on my list of books I always say I’ll get to soon!

12. Wuthering Heights- Emily Bronte

This was not a favourite of mine hahaha, I struggled through this book. I was very intrigued by the intensity of Cathy and Heathcliff’s relationship and I enjoyed the concept of the story, however, it dragged a bit without any ‘goodness’ or humour to balance. Again, I’m blasphemous and a very bad reader when it comes to classics, but I’d like to see a new big-budget film based on this book, I think I’d enjoy the story far more as a film.

13. The Bell Jar- Sylvia Plath

This book was difficult to read due to the themes and heavy depression weighing it down, however, I think this is an important book to read to understand mental illness and I would recommend The Bell Jar if you are okay with heavy themes.

14. The War of the World- H.G. Wells

15. The Quiet American- Graham Greene

16. The Catcher in the Rye- J.D Salinger

I really enjoyed this book, I read it this year and found it really easy to read and interesting (a few books are coming up that I’ve already mentioned in a blog post so I’m trying not to repeat myself too much).

17. A Passage to India- E.M Forster

18. Catch-22- Joseph Helle

19. Anna Karenina- Leo Tolstoy

I listened to a fair chunk of this audiobook but then I forgot about it (and the narrators voice annoyed me haha, I can be fussy with narrators). I would like to finish the book, but it’s been long enough that I’ve forgotten everything so I’d have to start from the beginning and make sure I read this book at a time when I can really concentrate on the story.

20. Frankenstein- Mary Shelley

This is another book that I read half of before stopping, I was sad because it’s such a well-known book but I just couldn’t keep going. I have such a thing about death and corpses, dead bodies etc so the creation of the monster in this book made me feel a bit ill hahaha, I honestly couldn’t keep reading. I’ve always been like this, I can’t read or watch anything with zombies without feeling sick.

21. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time- Mark Haddon

This is an unusual and interesting book, I’ve never read a book where the narrator has ASD and I found it very insightful. I’ve read a couple of Mark Haddon’s books and enjoy his dark humour and sarcasm.

22. Life of Pi- Yann Martel

I knew very little about this book and if you haven’t yet read it I’d go into it knowing nothing if you can. This stayed with me for such a long time and I felt almost a haunted feeling after reading it, it’s a very philosophical book, particularly around religion, and I’ve never really read anything like it.

23. The Count of Monte Cristo- Alexandre Dumas

24. Heart of Darkness- Joseph Conrad

25. Rebecca- Daphne De Maurier

I really enjoyed this book, the characters are a lil bit crazy and I didn’t necessarily feel for any of them but the gothic themes make it interesting and really envelop you in the plot and time period. I remember reading a wee short story called ‘The Drowned Rose’ for English in school and looking back I’m not sure if it’s based on Rebecca because there are lots of similarities. Please let me know if you’ve read it and know anything!

I’ve read 9 of 25 books and plan to read more, I really liked this list and I think I’d recommend all of the books I’ve read 😊 Please let me know how many you’ve read and if you’d recommend any, I loved reading the comments last time. Also, I’ve been thinking about diversity in reading as I think lots of us have at this time. There are several books on this list that I haven’t heard of so I’m unsure of the diversity of authors and characters on this list- based on gender, race and sexuality- but I look critically at lists like these in thinking about how books are chosen and the opportunities authors have. If you have read most of these books please enlighten me a little bit more about the spread of diversity.

Amazon 100 books to read in a lifetime (part three)

The last part, thank you if you’ve read them all! 😊 I love challenges (and use list challenges) and it’s always fun to think about the way that you read and the way reviews and advertising can influence reading choices.

67. The Great Gatsby- F. Scott Fitzgerald

I’m convinced there’s a ghost in my house haha because I distinctly remembering reading half of this book in the bath then it genuinely disappeared- my whole house has been cleared out since then and it’s nowhere to be seen. I enjoyed what I read before the ghost stole it so I’ll definitely finish it soon.

68. The Handmaid’s Tale- Margaret Atwood

I took a while to finally read this book because it was just everywhere and I didn’t want to expect to much, but I really enjoyed it! I listened to the audiobook and I feel that the emotion within the narration (by Elisabeth Moss) added to the storytelling. This book is written in quite a plain style which is deliberate and works well to transport the reader into the dystopian setting. Overall, I found the concept of this book very interesting and really enjoyed it! I will say though, I went on to listen to The Testaments and it felt a bit unnecessary, I personally feel that this is more powerful as a stand alone novel.

69. The House at Pooh Corner- A. A. Milne

I was given the entire collection of Winnie the Pooh stories when I was born and still have the book, I love the stories that I’ve read, and I’ll definitely read them to any children I have. I feel like Winnie the Pooh created philosophy for children and the messages in the stories and incredibly touching and at times emotional. 

70. The Hunger Games- Suzanne Collins

I recently reread and discussed this series; I just think it’s perfect.

71. The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks

72. The Liar’s Club: A memoir- Mary Karr

73. The Lightening Thief- Rick Riordan

74. The Little Prince- Antoine de Saint-Exupery

75. The Long Goodbye- Raymond Chandler

76. The Looming Tower: Al-Qaeda and the Road to 9/11- Lawrence Wright

77. The Lord of the Rings- J.R.R. Tolkein

I recently read this book for the first time, however, it wasn’t my favourite. Whilst I love Tolkein’s writing style and appreciate the influence of this saga on fantasy as a genre, I unfortunately wasn’t very interested in the story or the characters.

78. The Man who Mistook his Wife for a Hat: And Other Clinical Tale- Oliver Sacks

I started this book because it sounded really interesting, but I never finished it. I think lots of people would love it, but after studying Psychology at Uni I’m a bit sick of clinical science terms haha. For academic non-fiction I think I’m more interested in books about philosophy (although I haven’t read many, so please feel free to recommend). 😊

79. The Omnivore’s Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals- Michael Pollan

80. The Phantom Tollbooth- Norton Juster

81. The Poisonwood Bible- Barbara Kingsolver

82. The Power Broker: Robert Moses and the Fall of New York- Robert A. Caro

83. The Right Stuff- Tom Wolfe

84. The Road- Cormac McCarthy

85. The Secret History- Donna Tart

86. The Shining- Stephen King

87. The Stranger- Albert Camus

88. The Sun Also Rises- Ernest Hemingway

89. The Things They Carried- Tim O’Brien

90. The Very Hungry Caterpillar- Eric Carle

Who hasn’t read this classic in nursery haha (at least in the UK, I’m not sure about elsewhere). I remember my nursery teacher read us this story then we looked after little caterpillars and watched them turn to butterflies.

91. The Wind in the Willows- Kenneth Grahame

92. The Wind-up Bird Chronicle- Haruki Murakami

93. The World According to Garp- John Irving

94. The Year of Magical Thinking- Joan Didion

95. Things Fall Apart- Chinua Achebe

I read this book in school so I probably didn’t appreciate it as much as I could due to the stressful exams etc haha. I do actually still remember quotes from it because I drilled them into my head so much, and I can’t remember if I even wrote about this book. I remember liking Ikemefuna and Okonknwo’s dad, but I don’t remember any other characters. I’d be interested to read this again now to see if I take it any more elements of the story and it’s themes.

96. To Kill a Mockingbird- Harper Lee

97. Unbroken: A World War 2 Story of Survival, Resilience and Redemption- Laura Hillenbrand

98. Valley of the Dolls- Jacqueline Susann

99. Where the Sidewalk Ends- Shel Silverstein

100. Where the Wild Things Are- Maurice Sendak

I’ve read 18 out of 100 oh dear hahaha. Ah well, maybe it means I’ve got a while to live yet (I always get strangely worried to complete lists like this in case I jinx it and get struck down by lightening). There are a few on this list that I’d love to read, please let me know if you’d recommend any in particular! 😊

Amazon 100 books to read in a lifetime (part two)

Again, I’m going to highlight the books I’ve read and write a lil bit/ramble about them. 😊

34. Kitchen Confidential- Anthony Bourdain

35. Life After Life- Kate Atkinson

36. Little House of the Prairie- Laura Inglass Wilder

37. Lolita- Vladimir Nabokov

I think I read this when I was 17, it was definitely a while ago. Whilst disturbing and an unsettling subject matter, I did find this book interesting. I think Nabokov’s beautiful descriptive writing style and elements of black humour from the narrator contrast with the horrific themes to make this an incredibly engaging and unusual book. These contrasts create an unsettling atmosphere that matches the story. It’s hard to think of examples because I read it so long ago, but I remember this contrast standing out, and I’d like to read more by Nabokov to see if these elements are included in the writing style of his other novels.

38. Love in the Time of Cholera- Gabriel Garcia Marquez

39. Love Medicine- Louise Erdrich

40. Man’s Search for Meaning- Viktor E. Frankl

41. Me Talk Pretty One Day- David Sedaris

42. Middlesex- Jeffrey Eugenides

43. Midnight’s Children- Salman Rushdie

44. Moneyball: The Art of Winning and Unfair Game- Michael Lewis

45. Of Human Bondage- W. Somerset Maugham

46. On the Road- Jack Kerouac

47. Out of Africa- Isak Dinesen

48. Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood- Marjane Satrapi

49. Portnoy’s Complaint- Philip Roth

50. Pride and Prejudice- Jane Austen

This wasn’t my favourite classic to read- I preferred Jane Eyre and Little Women- but I loved the story and the majority of characters. I LOVE Lizzies character and the way the romance is built up through small significant elements and almost suspense rather than dialogue and large gestures. I also love the distinct personality of each sister and the relationships between them, as well as the overarching feminist themes in the book. Also, I do moan when people talk about films over books, but I love the 2005 film, if you don’t have time to read the book I’d recommend this. 😊

51. Silent Spring- Rachel Carson

52. Slaughterhouse-five- Kurt Vonnegut

53. Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln

54. The Age of Innocence- Edith Wharton

55. The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay- Michael Chabon

56. The Autobiography of Malcom X: As Told to Alex Haley- Malcom X and Alex Haley

57. The Book Thief- Marcus Zusak

I love this book, I love the unusual narration and the decision to focus on Liesel’s story rather than an adult’s perspective- it brought certain elements of light, hope and positivity that the book needed (I love the positive kind spirit that children have that I sometimes feel can sadly be lost a little bit by adulthood). That said, this book is incredibly touching and sad, but it’s beautiful too. I love Liesel’s relationships with the other characters (all of them, but particularly with Papa).

58. The Brief Wonderous Life of Oscar Wao- Junot Diaz

59. The Catcher in the Rye- J. D. Salinger

I read this book most recently in one sitting and I loved it- although enjoyed is not the word for this story. I found that this book flowed very well and it was easy to get into Holden’s mind/see things through his perspective throughout the story. The subject, characters and angst reminded me of The Perks of Being a Wallflower, I feel like Chbosky must have been influenced by this book because it doesn’t feel coincidental. The Perks of Being a Wallflower is probably one of my favourite books, so I was undoubtedly going to enjoy this. I’d like to read more by Salinger as I enjoyed how easy this reading experience was.

60. The Colour of Water: A Black Man’s Tribute to His White Mother- James McBride

61. The Corrections- Jonathan Franzen

62. The Devil in the White City- Erik Larson

63. The Diary of a Young Girl- Anne Frank

I doubt there are many readers who haven’t read this book, or at least heard of it. It’s incredibly touching, heart-warming in many ways despite its extremely sad subject matter. I feel like young people now reading Anne’s diary will relate to elements of her feelings and thoughts process throughout this story despite the incredibly different circumstances, and this might reflect the popularity of this exceptional story. I hope to visit Anne Franks house one day and experience this part of history.

64. The Fault in Our Stars- John Green

I’m not sure what it is about John Green but I don’t really like his books and I didn’t like the Fault in Our Stars when it came out. I understand why Green’s books are so popular, but I feel that the writing style is quite pretentious which puts me off the story. I also had similar concerns with this book as with A Little Life (which I ranted about quite a lot haha)- I often read stories about harrowing subjects such as loss and grief as I feel they are important, however, The Fault in Our Stars felt a little bit exploitative to me, maybe because of the pretentious writing style.

65. The Giver- Lois Lowry

66. The Golden Compass: His Dark Materials- Philip Pullman

I still haven’t read these books; I feel like I’m missing out on a childhood experience! I do own this book so I’ll read it soon (there is literally no better time).

12 out of 66 so far, still not the best- although a few are classics so I’m giving myself credit for that haha. Have you read any of these, and if so would you recommend them? 😊

Amazon 100 books to read in a lifetime (part one)

I’m always interested in lists like this and the extent to which they impact what I decide to read. I have a very bad habit of constantly rereading my favourite books meaning there are lots of amazing books that I’ve yet to read. I’m intrigued to look at this list and see what it includes. 😊 I’m going to highlight the books I’ve read and write a lil bit/ramble about them.  

1. 1984- George Orwell

I definitely started this book a good few years ago, I’m unsure why I forgot to finish it but I’ll try it again at some point! (Maybe soon,because strangely lockdown has put me in a dystopian mood)

2. A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius- Dave Eggers

3. A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier- Ishmael Beah

4. The Bad Beginning- Lemony Snicket

I love A Series of Unfortunate Events, such childhood favourites. I remember my uncle bought one for me and my sister, but accidentally got us the 3^rd and 5^th in the series. I read these and loved them before eventually reading the series from the start. The Bad Beginning isn’t my favourite but I’d definitely give these series a try. 😊 These books are also good for children as they include lots of vocab, grammar, latin and general life lessons in an interesting way (although maybe a little pretentious at times haha). I love the quirky writing style of this series.

5. A Wrinkle in Time- Madeline L’Engle

6. Selected Stories, 1968-1994- Alice Munro

7. Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking-Glass- Lewis Carroll

I’m unsure why I felt this way because I love absurd, dreamy almost psychedelic stories, but I didn’t like Alice in Wonderland very much when I read it. It almost felt a little bit annoying at the time. However, it maybe just wasn’t what I was expecting at the time, so I’d like to reread these books in the future to see if my opinion changes.

8. All the President’s Men- Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein

9. Angela’s Ashes: A Memoir- Frank McCourt

10. Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret- Judy Blume

11. Bel Canto- Ann Pratchett

12. Beloved- Toni Morrison

13. Born to Run: A Hidden Tribe, Superathletes, and the Greatest Race the World Has Ever Seen- Christopher McDougall

14. Breath, Eyes, Memory- Edwidge Danticat

15. Catch-22- Joseph Heller

This is another book I started, but this is a book I definitely have to be in the right frame of mind to read.

16. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory- Roald Dahl

I love Roald Dahl, his stories are interesting, imaginative, full of dark sarcastic humour and feel very original. I also love the sense of justice and meaning these stories create for children in an adult dominated world where children are often seen as passive beings. I’d recommend Roald Dahl if you haven’t read any of his books before. 😊

17. Charlotte’s Web- E.B. White

I definitely read this book when I was wee, although the cartoon film sticks in my mind more (probably because I made my poor Gran watch it with me at least once a week haha). From what I remember, this is a powerful story with themes of friendship and loss (and I might now have to rewatch it for nostalgia’s sake).

18. Cutting for Stone- Abraham Verghese

19. Daring Greatly: How the Courage to be Vulnerable Transforms the Way We Live, Love, Parent, and Lead- Brene Brown

20. Diary of a Wimpy Kid- Jeff Kinney

21. Dune- Frank Herbert

22. Fahrenheit 451- Ray Bradbury

23. Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas: A Savage Journey to the Heart of the American Dream- Hunter S. Thompson

24. Gone Girl- Gillian Flynn

This was a book that I was definitely influenced to read by all of the reviews, discussions and advertising surrounding it. Mystery/crime/thrillers aren’t my favourite genre but I loved this book! It’s very easy to read, engaging, has good twists and I’ve reread it a couple of times. This book would also be a thought-provoking one to think about from a feminist perspective, and the dynamics between the characters are very interesting.

25. Goodnight Moon- Margaret Wise Brown

26. Great Expectations- Charles Dickens

27. Guns, Germs and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies- Jared Diamon, Ph.D.

28. Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone- J.K Rowling

One of my favourite books of all time, this is just so nostalgic, funny, touching and really does feel like coming home (cheesy stereotype but it’s true). I appreciate Harry Potter and its incredible impact so much and I reread this series every single year. There’s not much to say about Harry Potter because I’m yet to find someone who hasn’t read it (or at least seen the films).

29. In Cold Blood- Truman Capote

30. Interpreter of Maladies- Jhumpa Lahiri

31. Invisible Man- Ralph Ellison

32. Jimmy Corrigan: The Smartest Kid on Earth- Chris Ware

33. A Brief History of Time- Stephen Hawking (this is actually number 2, I mixed up the list haha)

So far I’ve read 6 out of 33 haha, oh dear. I can never decide if not reading popular books and classics means I’m missing out and uncultured, or if it’s a good thing in that I’m not really influenced to read books unless I feel like it. Either way, there are some I’ve never heard of on this list, some that don’t appeal to me, and some I would like to try in the future. Have you read any that you would recommend? 😊