I have not written about this saga in quite some time and I must rectify this. When reading this series, most of the characters come from several very noble and important families. The nobility of Westeros come from a select grouping of ancientfamilies. It's a loose version of the feudal system, but social mobility is still possible, whereas the feudal system completely prevented that. Petyr Baelish is one example, born a very poor under-lord, he rose to power in the royal court through his skill with finances and knowledge of court intrigue, owning a whore house or two helped with that.
Here, the families all have certain traditions, symbols, and mottos. For the ancient family, the Starks, there symbol is the gray direwolf and the motto is 'Winter is Coming'. The Starks come from the northern lands where the old gods still hold sway and come from a very practical suspicious people. Always prepare for the wors is basically what they do, yet they still all seem to die. Except for Arya, who is a badass. Anywho, the families reflect the individual and the individual the family. Tyrion Lannister does not have the evil streak that his sister, Cersei, does, but he is a cunning individual, very witty, and very intelligent. Tyrion learned fast that his short size would be an impediment and relies heavily on his intelligence. The Lannister motto - "A Lannister always pays his debts" - applies to all the Lannisters, especially Tyrion and Jamie. Family is an important theme throughout the saga, the nobles squabble amongst each other but the family and there different under lords play very important roles.
That role is loyalty. Loyalty, or the lack of it, pushes the plot along, not always directly, but indirectly. GRRM interlaces his characters with loyalty to either the family, themselves, or sometimes a value. Ned Stark's loyalty lay with his honor and his family. In the end, his honor betrayed him. Brienne remains loyal to what she believes to be right. Which is why in last book, "Feast of Crows", she cannot give in to Catelyn's demands. She does, only to save the life of Podrick.
Here, the families all have certain traditions, symbols, and mottos. For the ancient family, the Starks, there symbol is the gray direwolf and the motto is 'Winter is Coming'. The Starks come from the northern lands where the old gods still hold sway and come from a very practical suspicious people. Always prepare for the wors is basically what they do, yet they still all seem to die. Except for Arya, who is a badass. Anywho, the families reflect the individual and the individual the family. Tyrion Lannister does not have the evil streak that his sister, Cersei, does, but he is a cunning individual, very witty, and very intelligent. Tyrion learned fast that his short size would be an impediment and relies heavily on his intelligence. The Lannister motto - "A Lannister always pays his debts" - applies to all the Lannisters, especially Tyrion and Jamie. Family is an important theme throughout the saga, the nobles squabble amongst each other but the family and there different under lords play very important roles.
That role is loyalty. Loyalty, or the lack of it, pushes the plot along, not always directly, but indirectly. GRRM interlaces his characters with loyalty to either the family, themselves, or sometimes a value. Ned Stark's loyalty lay with his honor and his family. In the end, his honor betrayed him. Brienne remains loyal to what she believes to be right. Which is why in last book, "Feast of Crows", she cannot give in to Catelyn's demands. She does, only to save the life of Podrick.
No comments:
Post a Comment