04-17-2012, 11:31 PM
It's possible I'm reading more agency and depth into the female characters than Martin intended to bequeath them, but it seems to me that neither Cerci nor Arya are simply reacting to circumstances - a trap many fantasy writers fall into when writing women (nor is Daenerys, but why she is my most favorite character is a rant for another time). They both deserve to be examined on their own terms; Cerci as trying to reclaim the power, dignity and safety she was promised as a child then never found and Arya [spoiler]actively seeking to kill those who wronged her and robbed her of her family.[/spoiler]
But it's exactly that agency that makes it easy for me to sympathize with both of them. They want something and they are working towards getting it.
But it's exactly that agency that makes it easy for me to sympathize with both of them. They want something and they are working towards getting it.
You don't win the Game of Death by dying first. The name is misleading.