The Wall: A Reader’s Response to Game of Thrones

Game of Thrones: A Book of Fire of and Ice, is the first book in the series written by George R.R. Martin. This book is quite literally what the title says: A Game of Thrones. Multiple families constantly fight for power over the Seven Kingdoms, which is their home. The Northern part of the kingdom has an enormous wall, “The Wall,” that’s purpose is to protect the Seven Kingdoms from the Wildlings(people beyond the wall) and anything else that lurks out there…

Everybody inside the kingdom hates anything beyond the wall. They think they are savage, horrible people, hence the name “Wildlings.” Despite the brutal rivalry that lies between the inhabitants of the kingdom and the people beyond the wall, the rivalry between the inhabitants of the Seven Kingdoms may even be worse. The main rivalry amongst the kingdoms is between the Starks(North) and Lannisters(South). The two have had beef since the beginning of time and it really escalates in the book. It escalated when Eddard Stark(Warden of the North and Winterfell) was serving as King Robert’s hand in Castly Rock(Southern Capital). He discovered that the Robert’s son who was heir to the thrown was actually the product of incest between Jamie and Cersei Lannister. Eddard never got the secret out but he approached Cersei about it and it eventually resulted in him being beheaded. During this time the Starks and Lannisters had been fighting all throughout the kingdom trying to acquire allies and gain territory. Much land, villages, and men are killed over their savage hunger for power over the realm.

We don’t know much about the Wildings from reading the book, other than perceived notions told through inhabitants of the kingdom. We also meet a wilding girl, Osha, who is taken captive by the Starks after found wandering the woods. She at first is bitter towards the Starks, obviously because she is their captive but she grows very found of Bran Stark(Second youngest son of Eddard Stark). She takes care of him and loves him as her own child. As I was reading the book I often found myself curious about the Wildlings. All that we know about them is that they are savage inhabitants beyond The Wall. After finishing I asked myself, is that really true? All we know is that the people of the Seven Kingdoms consider themselves the good guys and anyone beyond The Wall savage. We don’t learn much about the Wildings, but we do meet Osha, who turns out to be a good-hearted woman. After some thought it seemed to me that maybe the people of Seven Kingdoms are the savage ones and the people beyond The Wall are actually pretty good people who just earned a bad rap for being isolated. If we look, the Seven Kingdoms is a bunch of families who will do/kill/or betray anyone or anything to gain power over the realm. They’re constantly at war with each other, hence the title: Game of Thrones. Maybe Robert R.R. Martin made the characters develop the stereotypes of the Wildlings to shroud the truth that the people of the Seven Kingdoms are actually the savage ones.

Overall, great book. Really glad I chose it. I recommend to anyone who loves a thrilling war drama with a little hint of everything.

 

 

A Reader Response to A Game of Thrones from Jay Pi.

A Game of Thrones is the first in the epic A Song of Ice and Fire book series

written by George RR Martin. The first novel in the series follows the journeys and

stories of many of the noble families in the land of Westeros. While many are named

and are talked about in A Game of Thrones four main noble families are at the center

of the action. The Starks who are the Wardens of the North ruled By Eddard “Ned”

Stark and are represented by a direwolf. The Starks are the major protagonists in

the novel. The Lannisters, who are the richest of the noble families, include the

Queen Cersei, Jamie Lannister “The King Slayer,” and the Imp or Tyrion Lannister

among others and are represented by a lion. The Targaryans are the ex-royal family

who were overthrown by Robert Baratheon and Ned Stark and live on in exile

through Dany Targaryan and are represented by a dragon. Lastly is the new royal

family, the Baratheons who are lead by King Robert and are represented by a crown

What makes A Game of Thrones truly a unique novel is the manner in which

it is presented. The story is told in third person multiple with every chapter a

different character is the limited voice. The uniqueness of this is intriguing and fun

to read. It allows the reader to engage more with the characters and relate to their

perspectives. The use of this kind of story telling blurs the lines between who is

good and who is bad and the interpretation of what is occurring. All four of the

major houses are represented by at least one character except for House Baratheon.

Jon Snow, Ned Stark, Arya Stark, Sansa Stark, Bran Stark, Catelin Stark, Tyrion

Lannister, and Dany Targaryan all have chapters with their own unique

perspectives. This leads to a truly unique experience reading the novel. For example

one arc in A Game of Thrones was that Catelin Stark abducted Tyrion Lannister

under suspicion that he conspired to murdering her son Bran. While I won’t reveal

whether he was innocent or guilty the arc culminates in the Imp winning his

freedom through a trial by combat in the Vail. During this particular arc the

chapters rotated between Catelin and Tyrion. Reading in the minds of Tyrion then

Catelin and back again to Tyrion really allows the reader to be completely engaged

and more connected to the characters in turn blurring the lines of good and bad.

There are chapters where Tyrion is one of my characters even though he is a

Lannister and they are supposed to be the main Antagonist in Westeros. While,

there are others where Sansa and Catelin Stark are my two least favorite characters

due to their stubbornness and ignorance.

Overall I would suggest anyone who enjoys violence, sex, and a lot of complex

characters to give A Game of Thrones a try. It is a quicker read than 660 pages sound

and is truly an enjoyable read.

 

A Reader’s Response to Game of Thrones (SPOILERS)

The novel A Game of Thrones, by George RR Martin is the first book in the on-going A Song of Ice and Fire series. This book follows the stories of many different noble families in the fictionalized setting of Westeros, and their on-going struggle for control of the throne. The thing that sets this series of books apart from other fantasy novels is its grisly reality. In this book, the good guys don’t win. More often than not they die terrible deaths. The characters that would be identified as the “good guys” in another series are bested by their corrupt and vile counterparts. In fact, most of the conflicts in the book can be summarized with a quote from one of those terrible people, “When you play the game of thrones, you win or you die, there is no middle ground.”

Anyways, moving into analyzing the admittedly limited symbolism in this book one is drawn to the direwolves, basically bigger, and better wolves, of the Stark family. The Starks are the leading family from the north of Westeros who would be considered the good guys in this book. They serve as the moral beacon in this book by being highly honorable in a very dishonorable world, the readers are naturally drawn to them. Brief aside done with, the direwolves of the Stark kids represent their Northern pride, and honor. Whenever one of them no longer has their wolf, they immediately drift away from the Stark values. For example on the way to the capital with their father, Ned, Sansa and Arya, his two daughters get into trouble which causes the Lannister family, these are the bad guys, to kill Sansa’s direwolf and force Arya to drive hers off. Following the death of her wolf Sansa abandons any notion of honor and wants nothing to do with the Starks and will do anything to please her betrothed the Crown Prince Joffrey, who is a grade A dirt-bag by the way. Arya, whose wolf isn’t dead, drifts from her family, specifically Sansa, and her family’s values but doesn’t completely abandon them like Sansa. Meanwhile Robb, Ned’s oldest son,  Jon, Ned’s bastard, and Bran all maintain their Northern identity, this is represented by the fact that their wolves are constantly at their sides. For example when Robb is commanding an army his wolf is always at his side and is a critical part of his success. And Robb maintains the Stark legacy of honor. Jon whose wolf travels with him to the Wall, an ancient structure protecting the realm from the savages that live beyond it, stays by his side, and this is reflected in the way in which he deals with his fellow brothers of the Night’s Watch, very fairly and honorably.

To conclude, I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys Lord of the Rings, or anything similar to that. While this book may focus more on having its characters play politics, there are still symbols to find if one looks deep enough.

 

 

A Readers Response to Game of Thrones: Stark Family

Game of Thrones, the first book in the endless series known as A Song of Fire and Ice, is loosely inspired by the War of the Roses. Families from all corners of the realm create alliances and feuds in pursuit of one common goal: control of all the seven kingdoms.This story is so complex and there are many moving pieces that make up the entertaining and persistent fight for the throne. In this blog post, I will primarily focus on the most morally renowned of these families, which is the Starks. The Starks are the wardens of the North and protectors of the wall. The wall is a vast an ancient ice wall stretching thousands of miles from coast to coast created by the ancestors and protected by the Knights Watch to keep both the wildlings, a tribal people, and the white walkers, a zombie army believed to have been destroyed thousands of years ago, out of the kingdoms. The Knights Watch has hundreds of castles along the wall and was once a prominent and honorable profession but as time passed and the white walkers were believed to be gone, the castles along the wall began to be abandoned as less volunteered their lives to the wall. Now the Knights Watch is made up of criminals who were faced with the decision of life on the wall or death by execution. The Stark family lives in the famous Northern stronghold Winterfell, and is led by Eddard who is married to Catelyn of Riverrun and has two sons named Robb and Bran and two daughters named Arya and Sansa. In addition, Eddard has a bastard son named Jon Snow, who proves to be strong but hated by Catelyn as he is a constant representation of a mistake made early in their arranged marriage. Robb is the heir to Winterfell and future leader of the North. Bran is an expert climber and good fighter, but when the royal family visits Winterfell he sees an incestuous act and ultimately he pays the price. As a bastard, Jon Snow’s life will be dedicated to the protection of the wall as member of the Knights Watch. Sansa is a beautiful young women who is a spitting image of her mother Catelyn, and when she is of age she will be arranged to marry the future king of the realm Joffrey Lannister. Arya is a tom boy, who enjoys fighting and absolutley despises the idea of becoming a courtly woman. Eddard and the Stark family are the one family in the realm that do not aspire to take the throne as they enjoy leading the North and living in Winterfell. But after the unexpected death(suspected to have been an asassination) of the King’s Hand Jon Arryn, King Robert Baratheon, who was in love with Eddard’s sister and who once fought alongside him to take the throne from the evil Targareyon family, asked Eddard to be his new hand. They call it the kings hand because the hand essentially is the second most powerful in the realm, as he cares for the realm while the king worries about “greater” matters. As Eddard reluctantly accepts this position, forcing him and his daughters to move to the capital Kings Landing, the narrative arc of the Stark family begins. Each member of the family will soon be split up and dealing with his or her own tragedy. Ultimately the Stark family represents the one constant in a morally unjust world, respecting nature, alliances, and the ways of their ancestors before any throne or amount of power. But just as in our world, the Stark families redeeming qualities and powerful moral compass lead to their demise. Their belief in the good of people is exemplified through their trust of others throughout the novel, but this trust ultimately leads to a heartbreaking betrayal and endless tragedy for the Stark family and all readers. This blog is just scratching the surface of a much more complex universe created by George Martin.