Game of Thrones, Book 3, Part 1
For some weird
reason, Book 3 of Game of Thrones is
split into 2 parts. So what’s the central theme of this book? There are two
themes actually. The first one is building the foundation of what will follow,
writes author George RR Martin in his acknowledgments:
“If the bricks aren’t well made, the wall
falls down. This is an awfully big wall I’m building here, so I need a lot of
bricks.”
The second theme
is about how wars are fought not only on the battlefield but also by
intelligence, alliances and marriages. Anyone who thinks that wars are won
(only) on the battlefield is left fretting like Tyrion Lannister:
“I thought I won the bloody battle. Is this
what triumph tastes like?”
One shouldn’t be
too moralistic about the means, says Tywin Lannister:
“Every lord has need of a beast from time
to time.”
What’s the point
doing all the right things and ending up like Rhaegar, says Ser Jorah Mormont:
“Rhaegar fought valiantly, Rhaegar fought
nobly, Rhaegar fought honorably. And Rhaegar died.”
War is messy, and
often, everyone seems to be a frenemy, as Jon Snow says:
“You ought to thank me for killing your
enemy and curse me for killing your friend.”
Regardless of the
confusion, pick your enemies wisely, warns Daenerys:
“A wise man never makes an enemy of a
king.”
You can say what
you feel, but always act rationally, says Robb Stark:
“I know what I said, Uncle. It does not
change what I must do.”
Wars are about
intelligence too, says Ser Jorah Mormont:
“Clever men launch ambitious schemes.”
No one understands
both brawn and brain better than Tywin Lannister:
“Some battles are won with swords and
spears, others with quills and ravens.”
In the monogamous
world of Game of Thrones, people need
to marry carefully because, hey, they marry only one person. Pick the right
person, and their army will fight for you. But marry for the wrong reason (like
love!) and you might as well throw in the towel, as Catelyn berates Robb Stark:
“It is swords you need, not gentle hearts.
How could you do this, Robb? How could you be so heedless, so stupid?”
Later, Robb
acknowledges his folly:
“I’ve made a botch of everything but the
battles, haven’t I?”
Catelyn laments:
“If you had to fall into a woman’s arms, my
son, why couldn’t they have been Margaery Tyrell’s? The wealth and power of
Highgarden could have made all the difference in the fighting yet to come.”
An older person
would have acted differently than Robb, notes Tywin:
“At that age, sense weighs for little,
against lust and love.”
Jamie Lannister
puts it bluntly… and accurately:
“He (Robb) won the war on the battlefield
and lost it on a bedchamber, poor fool.”
For those go deep
into enemy territory as spies, blending in can lead to an identity crisis, as
happened to Jon Snow:
“How do I play the turncloak without
becoming one?”
After a point, one
can be totally disoriented in the role:
“Jon did not know that he could tell honor
from shame anymore, or right from wrong.”
If all this sounds
like very cynical yet practical advice, perhaps we should heed Ygritte’s words:
“All men must die, Jon Snow. But first
we’ll live.”
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