The Value of A Song of Ice and Fire

Reflecting our fraught humanity

Beyond the Pop Culture Phenomenon

A Song of Ice and Fire and its TV adaptation Game of Thrones encompassed a good portion of my life from 2012-2018. I read the books at least five times, I awaited each new episode with immense anticipation, and I spent many hundreds of hours devouring fan commentary, theories and analysis online.

And clearly I wasn’t alone: the world also went mad for this series. Even six years after the TV finale, studios are still desperately trying to grab the throne left vacant by this multi-billion dollar franchise. (Very much including HBO, with both House of the Dragon and the upcoming Knight of the Seven Kingdoms running off of scrap bits of lore from author George R.R. Martin’s mind.)

But today I want to look past all the fluff – the money, the attention, the brilliant imagery, Winds of Winter progress, even the shit show ending – and back to what truly makes this story great. To quote the man himself:

"I've always agreed with William Faulkner—he said that the human heart in conflict with itself is the only thing worth writing about. I've always taken that as my guiding principle, and the rest is just set dressing." - George RR Martin.

Daenerys Targaryen, by Josu Hernaiz

Family, Duty, Honour

What that quote generally refers to in A Song of Ice and Fire is the frequent tension between a character's values, beliefs and/or desires. This tension is often rooted in and exacerbated by the fact that many values and beliefs are imposed on characters externally, by their society and family. It's tough to beat Jaime's quote on the subject:

“So many vows...they make you swear and swear. Defend the king. Obey the king. Keep his secrets. Do his bidding. Your life for his. But obey your father. Love your sister. Protect the innocent. Defend the weak. Respect the gods. Obey the laws. It's too much. No matter what you do, you're forsaking one vow or the other.”

I won't embed another video, but you can find his monologue here as well. The relative morality of the three Lannister children is always up for debate, but it's clear as day that there is a (battered, broken and discarded) good man somewhere in Jaime's psyche. The violent, corrupt and frankly evil path always just proved easier for him, right up until he loses his sword hand and must grow in new ways.

Jaime Lannister, by TeiIku

Though Jaime's might be the most extreme arc, he's far from the only example. Ned Stark has been tormented for fourteen years by his lie that saved Jon Snow's life, and has perhaps redoubled his dedication to honour and loyalty as a result. His story ultimately shows that some loyalties should be upheld higher than others: protecting his sister's child, staying with his family and adoring subjects when Robert came calling.

Theon Greyjoy was raised as a prisoner of the Starks, but was treated as one of Ned and Catelyn's own children. But he is also a young man in a culture which prizes proving oneself, and his attempt to gain his father's approval by betraying the Starks leads to horror upon horror for himself and the people he grew up with. Like Jaime, Theon is currently (pre-Winds of Winter) on the cusp of becoming a new, better man. But can these characters really be redeemed?

Robb & Jeyne/Talisa, Jon & Ygritte, Tyrion & Shae, Arys & Arianne, Daenerys & Daario, Cersei & Aurane (lol) – each obviously its own situation, but also connected by a theme of love and desire at odds with honour and duty. Likewise there are at least a dozen characters putting personal/familial revenge over any attempt to better their own lives – let alone anyone else's.

And I think it's important that there's no consistent moral here: Ned dies for being too honourable, Robb for following his heart, Joffrey for being an absolute little shit. Every situation is different, and it's the choices that define these characters. It feels a little like what I was writing about here, in that there have to be limits to how far we are willing to follow absolute ideals of honour.

Asha at the Kingsmoot, by Marc Simonetti

Fighting for a Better World

In spite of all the deeply personal conflicts above, the series also makes room for characters whose vision extends beyond their own skin and kin. Asha Greyjoy is actively attempting to reform the Iron Islands from their reaving ways into a people who might be able to get along with the rest of the world they inhabit. She probably would have gotten away with it too, if not for her meddling apocalypse-seeking uncle.

Daenerys Targaryen is trying her best to abolish slavery and make the East a better place; is it really her fault that she's kind of awful at it? Hers is also a powerful story of claiming agency for herself in spite of the half-dozen men vying for control over her at any given moment. Why shouldn't she try to help others find the same freedom she did?

Jon Snow, after two profound struggles with his vows, fights corruption and abuse within the Night's Watch – ultimately being elected Lord Commander and executing Janos Slynt. He fights to have the Watch ally with the Wildlings, recognizing their shared humanity and that the Others represent a far greater threat to all life. He fights to keep the Watch independent of King Stannis' control and does his best to keep the (four?) factions at Castle Black from each others' throats.

Jon Snow & Ghost, by TeiIku

It's been pointed out a million times before, but the Others are quite a profound representation of how crises are treated in our own world. No one ever wants to believe that the status quo will change, and many will even deny it with proof right in front of their faces. Global warming was the original intention behind the image – and remains brutally powerful – but it's hard not to also see a metaphor for COVID, Gaza, the rise of fascism and so much more.

Ditto for the villains. It's hard not to look at the proliferation of successful, evil assholes in the world and see them remarkably well-reflected in characters like Tywin, Littlefinger, Cersei, Euron, Aeron, Qyburn and many more. There are also a lot of people out there who, like Tyrion, may be sure they are in the right even while acting with outright evil.

The Others, by Marc Simonetti

My Watch Continues...

Of course, the series isn't perfect. As House of the Dragon demonstrates, it was never necessary for this world to be so utterly lacking in diversity. The Mhysa scene at the end of season 3 was rough on that front; though later seasons were also just rough on every front. I also think more queerness would have elevated the series; show-Oberyn alone should make that abundantly clear.

But I think the point remains that the series explores a lot of fascinating ideas, situations and conflicts – all of which now tend to get buried beneath the fluff of the franchise. I once thought that this was the only book series I needed, since it had everything. Obviously I've grown quite a bit since then, but a remnant of that idea remains. There is simply a lot of real, raw humanity in these books, and thus they can teach us a lot about ourselves.

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Y'all, I was born in 1996 – the year A Game of Thrones was first published. It's been half my life since A Dance with Dragons was released in 2011. What do you think, will we ever see Winds of Winter?

Would you be interested in reading more in-depth stuff about this series, or are you glad it's mostly in the past? Let me know!

Thanks for reading and until next time <3