![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
May. 21st, 2013
I thought that was a neat point in the Cultural Leanings Game of Thrones Review for the episode "Second Sons". Ostensibly, the title "Second Sons" refers to the sellswords that Dany bargains with in the episode, but there are several "second sons" being focused upon: Tyrion (black sheep second son), Sam (not technically, but he is anyway), Sandor, and Gendry (again, perhaps not technically, but his father's "son" is a king and he's no-one so... yeah.) The review notes that the episode revolves around issues of agency, and how second sons are given limited leave to exercise their own. Of course, the only person with less agency than a peasant a second son is a first daughter.
Women in Westerosi society are always at a disadvantage, given limited agency (that many of the female characters fight against and a few succeed). Sansa must submit to arranged marriages and the only agency allowed her is that which is granted to her by a man (poor dear). [And, no, she does not need to 'thank' Tyrion for granting her agency. Good on Tyrion for recognizing that she should have her own agency, but she does not need to thank anyone for what should be her right.] Even Cersei, who is quick to brag about her family's lethal power, has no power in her own life. Her father commands her to marry and, like Sansa, she is given no choice. And, when she tries to deflect her psychopathic spawn, Joffrey utterly ignores her. Dany has come a very long way, but she has a bit of a mental block in that she completely romanticizes Drogo while also feeling that she herself was sold into slavery when she was forced to marry him. The weird mix of psychology that produces is a shallow insta-attraction to a good-looking long-hair barbarian delivering severed heads... probably because on some level she relates him to Drogo (remember when she was to be sold to Drogo she sank into the scalding bath. Here she emerges from the bath, far more powerful. She has far more agency now, but there are echos of how this relates to when she didn't.)
Anyway, Cultural Leaning's review of the Game of Thrones ep 'Second Sons':
“Second Sons” opens with a choice. Arya wakes up to discover that her captor has fallen asleep, and picks up a rock with which she intends to kill Sandor Clegane, a man she believes to be taking her back to King’s Landing. However, as she grows closer, it turns out the Hound isn’t sleeping at all, and he gives her a choice: she can put the rock down, or she can take one shot at killing him with it. The catch is that, should she choose the second option and the Hound remains alive, he’ll break both of her hands.
[Me: Seems to be a theme for GoT as a whole, doesn't it. If you're going to attack, you better have the power to win, because the retribution to losing is inevitably terrible.]
It’s not really a choice when you think about it, as Arya’s trust in her own strength isn’t quite enough to make her hands worth the risk. It’s also not much of a choice given that she’s his captive, even if he...( Read more... )
Women in Westerosi society are always at a disadvantage, given limited agency (that many of the female characters fight against and a few succeed). Sansa must submit to arranged marriages and the only agency allowed her is that which is granted to her by a man (poor dear). [And, no, she does not need to 'thank' Tyrion for granting her agency. Good on Tyrion for recognizing that she should have her own agency, but she does not need to thank anyone for what should be her right.] Even Cersei, who is quick to brag about her family's lethal power, has no power in her own life. Her father commands her to marry and, like Sansa, she is given no choice. And, when she tries to deflect her psychopathic spawn, Joffrey utterly ignores her. Dany has come a very long way, but she has a bit of a mental block in that she completely romanticizes Drogo while also feeling that she herself was sold into slavery when she was forced to marry him. The weird mix of psychology that produces is a shallow insta-attraction to a good-looking long-hair barbarian delivering severed heads... probably because on some level she relates him to Drogo (remember when she was to be sold to Drogo she sank into the scalding bath. Here she emerges from the bath, far more powerful. She has far more agency now, but there are echos of how this relates to when she didn't.)
Anyway, Cultural Leaning's review of the Game of Thrones ep 'Second Sons':
“Second Sons” opens with a choice. Arya wakes up to discover that her captor has fallen asleep, and picks up a rock with which she intends to kill Sandor Clegane, a man she believes to be taking her back to King’s Landing. However, as she grows closer, it turns out the Hound isn’t sleeping at all, and he gives her a choice: she can put the rock down, or she can take one shot at killing him with it. The catch is that, should she choose the second option and the Hound remains alive, he’ll break both of her hands.
[Me: Seems to be a theme for GoT as a whole, doesn't it. If you're going to attack, you better have the power to win, because the retribution to losing is inevitably terrible.]
It’s not really a choice when you think about it, as Arya’s trust in her own strength isn’t quite enough to make her hands worth the risk. It’s also not much of a choice given that she’s his captive, even if he...( Read more... )