Symbolism In A Song Of Ice And Fire

George R. R. Martin has created a truly moving work in his series A Song of Ice and Fire. We get point of view glimpses from each character rather than an all knowing narrator and rather than focus on one single character the point of view is shifted between characters every chapter, this creates a sense of attachment even to point of view characters the readers do not necessarily agree with. The symbols of his books also give us a real sense of the dire consequences these characters actions can have. The best moments of these novels truly appears when the characters are forced into life changing decisions where they must decide between options that have no right answer. It is though the characters, the symbols, and the choices of those characters
Even the knights of this series aren’t represented in a good way. We hear about Knights in shining armor but the more we see these knights the more we begin to question if they are truly noble and honorable or merely the yes man of the king as summed up quite nicely by Jaime Lannister of the King’s Guard “So many Vows. They make you swear and swear. Defend the king. Obey the king. Obey your father. Protect the innocent. Defend the weak. What if your father despises the king? What if the king massacres the innocent?” (Martin). These questions by Jaime show that being a Knight isn’t as black and white like in all the stories. The quote shows a much grayer world where your loyalty to the king may conflict with his the oaths his knights swore to uphold. In Westoros being a good person is never as easy as following the kings orders, or protecting the innocent. Sometimes, the king orders you kill the innocent and in these moments the characters’ belief of right and wrong can is challenge and truly determined by the choices they make. Those choices are really what the series is
George sets up impossible choices for some of these characters that truly reveal who the characters really are but even challenge the readers to question their own sense of right and wrong. In an interview with Gilmore, Martin commented on character choices being redeemed “One of the things I wanted to explore with Jaime, and with so many of the characters, is the whole issue of redemption. When can we be redeemed? Is redemption even possible? I don't have an answer” (Rolling Stone). Choices like honoring the oath of the nights watch or leaving them to help a brother avenge a fallen father, A Kings guard slaying the king he is sworn to defend or helping him to destroy the capitol city he is sworn to protect, A truly honorable man choosing honor and his death or betrayal and his family’s safety. Decisions like those are truly life changing for the character’s and incredibly revealing of the reader’s own sense of right and wrong and the characters amidst all the extenuating circumstances are forced to make a choice for right or wrong. The good decision can come back to haunt them as only the reader truly knows the characters motivation and the rest of the realm only has their actions to judge them by. It is masterfully crafted choices like these that really makes Martin’s writing a cut above the average