Stigma In Winterville

Broadly speaking, it seems true that “members of a social category may strongly support a standard of judgment that they and others agree” which does not directly apply to the ‘normal’ (Goffman 133). At Winterfell, being a bastard was a big issue for Jon while he could be anyone at the Wall. I suggest that Jon does not simply represent the ‘fair unknown’ stereotype. Jon’s journey is far more complex, starting as a confused escapist he recognizes that his options are limited by his illegitimacy and that his power lies in working behind the scenes – as a steward of Lord Commander of the Night’s Watch. He becomes more of a protagonist than others as the epic unfolds. Instead of being stigmatized, he helps Sam – who is more stigmatized than Jon – to deal with the humiliation. Moreover, he confronts his fate and
becomes a complex character: damaged but with the capacity to do better, and able to deal with the prejudices of the society. He bears a stigma, yet Jon perceives that the degree of stigmatization depends on how ‘undesired’ the bastardry is in a specific social group (Coleman 142).
Therefore, regardless of their difference, these three characters help each other to survive, to overcome their disability and stigma. Starting their journey as cursed members of the society, they end up becoming (super)human beings surviving against all odds. Indeed, stigma is a social construct that is normalized by society and the stigmatization process is a powerful and pernicious social tool, which is why Coleman articulates that “[t]he inferiority/superiority issue is a most interesting way of understanding how and why people continue to stigmatize” (143). Some stigmas are more physically salient than others, and depending on their tolerance, some people are more capable of concealing their stigmas or escaping from the negative social consequences of being stigmatized. Therefore, he explicates that despite of discrepancies, stigmatized and non-stigmatized people are “tied together in a perpetual inferior/superior relationship. This relationship is key to understanding the meaning of stigma”
(146). Thus, I propose that superiority and inferiority are two sides of the same coin which the above discussion clarifies. 3. Conclusion
Finding one’s place or likewise, making a space of their own in society is a perilous process. A Game of Thrones introduces a handful of disabled characters who keep searching for their identity. Disabled people are portrayed as the ‘other’ against normative culture based on sociocultural relationships where one group legitimizes certain physical characteristics and those who lack the characteristics are labelled and treated as inferiors. Perhaps the reality of disabled body can be used as an antidote by unveiling an alternate set of narratives, by disavowing these socially and/or culturally constructed fantasy realms as half-truth. One has to agree that rather than focusing upon stereotypes, approaching the intersection between disability, illegitimacy, and medieval chivalry reveal better understanding of the disabled characters created by Martin. As such, it might be insightful to mention that the novel discloses how the disabled characters can achieve cultural recognition on equal terms and work towards upholding sociocultural images where being depicted beyond the dilemma of good/evil, normal/disable is possible for people with impairments as it is for normal people.
It has become evident from the analysis that George R. R. Martin undermines the stereotypes against disability in A Game of Thrones. The re-visioning of traditional fantasies and archetypes engage the reader to stare upon both the disabled and the abled who define and set limits of what should be regarded as disability. Pity often replaces disdain, but Martin goes beyond the evocation of ‘normate’ pity for the disabled. A Game of Thrones confront society’s hypocrisy in labelling, ostracizing, and stigmatizing the disabled while demarcating the binary of normal/other.