The recent kerfuffle over Game of Thrones has brought up an unrelated oddity to me. I read posts and articles where the writers liked Sansa, worried about her agency and journey.
That threw me. Like her? I dislike Sansa. It never occurred to me that you are supposed to like her. Unless the books are wildly different, I find it hard to imagine that Martin intended that. (I did recognize that you were probably supposed to like Eddard Stark, who I despised and find his beheading to be one of the great moments of television). Sansa’s only positive trait is that she’s more fatalistic than her asinine older brother, and so, has not gotten a lot of people killed and tortured. Yes, I pretty much hate everyone named Stark in the show (cheers for the Red Wedding), except Arya, who I wouldn’t invite for tea.
Articles further used terms like “beloved” to describe the characters in GoTs. Beloved? These folks? They are all horrible. When one of the very best of them strangled his love to death because he felt hurt, we are setting the bar pretty low for humanity. Not that real humans have done so much better. Still, thinking of these people as beloved boggles the mind. As for identifying with that–that’s frightening.
After all, for all I loath the Starks and their righteous way of getting everyone killed (or are they just supposed to be that stupid?), they are still rungs up the ladder from everyone named Baratheon, Bolton, and most everyone named Lannister. I’m sure there’s been polls: who’s the worst, Cersei, Joffrey, Tywin, Stannis, or Ramsey? (OK, these aren’t all equal up on the scum factor, but Pol Pot’s got nothing on these folks.), It’s not that the lesser characters are great either. Baelish, Theon, Brienne, Bronn—not a lot to recommend them.
Perhaps that’s why I stick with the show. Everyone has terrible things happen to them, and usually, they die. Since generally I figure the best outcome is that they die, I am not shocked or upset. Season 4 had a few particularly fine moments in that respect.
I only really like two people (and like them at a great distance): Daenerys and Tyrion. If they bite it, I’ll probably quit, but as he’s a semi-Richard III, and she’s a semi-Henry Tutor, I suspect they’ll be around for a while. Eugie was there with me, though she was losing interest in Tyrion. She read the books, but began to only read the chapters of worthwhile characters, which in the end, meant Daenery.
So, do you actually like some of these people…as people? If so, who? And…why? For all that’s holy, why?