Game of Thrones Is Advocating Abuse? Here's Why That's Bullshit
SPOILER WARNING FOR GAME OF THRONES SEASONS 1-8
Okay - I'm pissed off which means it's the perfect time to write. It has to do with "Game of Thrones" and women, two things I'm passionate about.
I came across an article by Variety titled: "Jessica Chastain, Ava DuVernay Call Out 'Game of Thrones' for Treatment of Women".
At first I laughed, for multiple reasons. One, I assumed they were talking about the various rapes and trials the female characters of Westeros/Essos had to endure, and I wondered if they realized that A) it's a show not real life, and B) how do they think actual medieval women fared?
Two, I thought about all the strong, powerful, relatable, compassionate, fiery females the show/book series has given us. From Daenerys (you know, the one with the dragons who can walk out of a bonfire unharmed, who freed millions of slaves and acquired armies and followers in the thousands) to Cersei (a woman who felt underrated and so took her future in her own hands and became queen of Westeros) to Gilly (a girl who went to hell and back just to protect the life of her son, and in the meantime learned to read) to Sansa (a woman who went from naive girl to Wardeness of the North, who endured unspeakable evil yet escaped more powerful than before, and surprisingly sane), the women of Game of Thrones are interesting, inspiring, and influential.
So what on earth could Chastain and DuVernay be complaining about?
To quote Chastain, "Rape is not a tool to make a character stronger. A woman doesn't need to be victimized in order to become a butterfly. The little bird was always a Phoenix. Her prevailing strength is solely because of her. And her alone."
In this case she is referring to the recent scene between Sansa and The Hound at Winterfell, during a celebratory feast after their victory against the army of the dead. It was the first time the two of them reunited properly. The last time they saw each other was years ago when Sansa was 13-14, during the siege of King's Landing. The Hound made the decision to leave King's Landing and head North, but before slipping away during the battle, he found Sansa and begged she come with him so that he could bring her home.
In all their scenes in the first couple seasons, Sansa is continuously petrified by The Hound. It's easy to see why - a shy, young girl without much experience of the world, and a brute of a man with a bit too much experience of the world. They're total opposites at the time. He refers to her as "little bird", a sweet term of endearment to come from such a hard man. Only when he leaves King's Landing does it dawn on her that he would never hurt her. Before that, she could barely meet his eyes.
Now, she approaches him calmly and starts conversation, and gazes steadfast into his half-burnt face. He notices and recalls how there was a time when she couldn't look at him. She reminds him that since then, she has seen far worse than him.
He then expresses guilt and regret that if she had only come with him all those years ago, none of the terrible things that befell her would have come to pass. He mentions Littlefinger - a man who manipulated her, married her off to a rapist, and then tried to turn her against her sister - and Ramsay - the psychotic rapist and abuser who used her in unspeakable ways.
Knowing that this sentiment comes from regret on The Hound's part, Sansa tenderly lays her hand on one of his and says, "Without Littlefinger and Ramsay and the rest, I would've stayed a little bird all my life."
It was this line that upset Chastain as well as others, and their views on it are what pissed me off and caused me to respond.
First of all, may I remind you that Sansa sentenced BOTH Littlefinger and Ramsay to death. Littlefinger's crimes were brought to light and he was executed. Ramsay, who was known for keeping monstrous hounds he used for hunting women he no longer had need of, was devoured by those same beasts on Sansa's orders.
The girl went from a "little bird" who couldn't imagine hurting a fly, to a powerful Lady of Winterfell who brought justice to those who had wronged her. Her transformation is inspiring.
And, as Sansa pointed out, her transformation is due to the trials she endured. Chastain and others seem to have misunderstood Sansa's meaning: she doesn't mean Littlefinger and Ramsay made her who is she is today. She's not saying she owes them. And she's certainly not saying others should be thankful for being raped because it makes them stronger.
She's saying that the things she endured at the hands of abusive men and women changed her. She's saying that if she hadn't found the inner strength to endure the things she experienced, she would've stayed the small, frightened, naive little girl she once was. Without enduring them, she wouldn't have discovered a new layer of herself - the strong, wise, clever, confident Lady of Winterfell. Without enduring them, she never would've discovered that she had power.
As a woman and a person who has endured her own trials, I can confidently say that I would not be the person I am now if I hadn't experienced them. Through pain I discovered resilience, strength, power, confidence, wisdom, and endurance. Through abuse, I discovered self-worth. Though there are times I wish I could go back to the way things were, ultimately I realize that I am better now for what I have endured - and not only what I endured, but HOW I endured it.
Sansa could've become bitter, cruel, and vile just like the people who hurt her. She could've withered away and died. She could've gone insane. Instead, she found her inner strength and nursed it until it was fully-fledged. I could've become manipulative, mean, and narcissistic. I could've given up. I could've lost my mind. Instead, I found my inner strength and am currently nursing it.
Does this mean myself and Sansa are advocating abuse? Of course not! Abuse, in any context, should never happen. Rape is an abomination. However, due to the world we live in, we will be forced to face abuse of multiple kinds, and then we have to decide what to do with that experience. The world forces us to transform and evolve because the world is cruel. Sansa is mature enough to understand that all experiences, good and bad, make us who we are - and perhaps make us who we need to be.
Calling out "Game of Thrones" for it's treatment of women is insulting to not only the author of the books and the creator of the show, but to the characters they've brought to life - powerful women who rise above their abusers and find justice. It's an insult to the women who portray said characters in the show, including Chastain's "Dark Phoenix" co-star, and the actress who portrays Sansa, Sophie Turner. It minimizes the character's journey and story arc, as well as minimizes what real women experience in the real world.
Okay - I'm pissed off which means it's the perfect time to write. It has to do with "Game of Thrones" and women, two things I'm passionate about.
I came across an article by Variety titled: "Jessica Chastain, Ava DuVernay Call Out 'Game of Thrones' for Treatment of Women".
At first I laughed, for multiple reasons. One, I assumed they were talking about the various rapes and trials the female characters of Westeros/Essos had to endure, and I wondered if they realized that A) it's a show not real life, and B) how do they think actual medieval women fared?
Two, I thought about all the strong, powerful, relatable, compassionate, fiery females the show/book series has given us. From Daenerys (you know, the one with the dragons who can walk out of a bonfire unharmed, who freed millions of slaves and acquired armies and followers in the thousands) to Cersei (a woman who felt underrated and so took her future in her own hands and became queen of Westeros) to Gilly (a girl who went to hell and back just to protect the life of her son, and in the meantime learned to read) to Sansa (a woman who went from naive girl to Wardeness of the North, who endured unspeakable evil yet escaped more powerful than before, and surprisingly sane), the women of Game of Thrones are interesting, inspiring, and influential.
So what on earth could Chastain and DuVernay be complaining about?
To quote Chastain, "Rape is not a tool to make a character stronger. A woman doesn't need to be victimized in order to become a butterfly. The little bird was always a Phoenix. Her prevailing strength is solely because of her. And her alone."
In this case she is referring to the recent scene between Sansa and The Hound at Winterfell, during a celebratory feast after their victory against the army of the dead. It was the first time the two of them reunited properly. The last time they saw each other was years ago when Sansa was 13-14, during the siege of King's Landing. The Hound made the decision to leave King's Landing and head North, but before slipping away during the battle, he found Sansa and begged she come with him so that he could bring her home.
In all their scenes in the first couple seasons, Sansa is continuously petrified by The Hound. It's easy to see why - a shy, young girl without much experience of the world, and a brute of a man with a bit too much experience of the world. They're total opposites at the time. He refers to her as "little bird", a sweet term of endearment to come from such a hard man. Only when he leaves King's Landing does it dawn on her that he would never hurt her. Before that, she could barely meet his eyes.
Now, she approaches him calmly and starts conversation, and gazes steadfast into his half-burnt face. He notices and recalls how there was a time when she couldn't look at him. She reminds him that since then, she has seen far worse than him.
He then expresses guilt and regret that if she had only come with him all those years ago, none of the terrible things that befell her would have come to pass. He mentions Littlefinger - a man who manipulated her, married her off to a rapist, and then tried to turn her against her sister - and Ramsay - the psychotic rapist and abuser who used her in unspeakable ways.
Knowing that this sentiment comes from regret on The Hound's part, Sansa tenderly lays her hand on one of his and says, "Without Littlefinger and Ramsay and the rest, I would've stayed a little bird all my life."
It was this line that upset Chastain as well as others, and their views on it are what pissed me off and caused me to respond.
First of all, may I remind you that Sansa sentenced BOTH Littlefinger and Ramsay to death. Littlefinger's crimes were brought to light and he was executed. Ramsay, who was known for keeping monstrous hounds he used for hunting women he no longer had need of, was devoured by those same beasts on Sansa's orders.
The girl went from a "little bird" who couldn't imagine hurting a fly, to a powerful Lady of Winterfell who brought justice to those who had wronged her. Her transformation is inspiring.
And, as Sansa pointed out, her transformation is due to the trials she endured. Chastain and others seem to have misunderstood Sansa's meaning: she doesn't mean Littlefinger and Ramsay made her who is she is today. She's not saying she owes them. And she's certainly not saying others should be thankful for being raped because it makes them stronger.
She's saying that the things she endured at the hands of abusive men and women changed her. She's saying that if she hadn't found the inner strength to endure the things she experienced, she would've stayed the small, frightened, naive little girl she once was. Without enduring them, she wouldn't have discovered a new layer of herself - the strong, wise, clever, confident Lady of Winterfell. Without enduring them, she never would've discovered that she had power.
As a woman and a person who has endured her own trials, I can confidently say that I would not be the person I am now if I hadn't experienced them. Through pain I discovered resilience, strength, power, confidence, wisdom, and endurance. Through abuse, I discovered self-worth. Though there are times I wish I could go back to the way things were, ultimately I realize that I am better now for what I have endured - and not only what I endured, but HOW I endured it.
Sansa could've become bitter, cruel, and vile just like the people who hurt her. She could've withered away and died. She could've gone insane. Instead, she found her inner strength and nursed it until it was fully-fledged. I could've become manipulative, mean, and narcissistic. I could've given up. I could've lost my mind. Instead, I found my inner strength and am currently nursing it.
Does this mean myself and Sansa are advocating abuse? Of course not! Abuse, in any context, should never happen. Rape is an abomination. However, due to the world we live in, we will be forced to face abuse of multiple kinds, and then we have to decide what to do with that experience. The world forces us to transform and evolve because the world is cruel. Sansa is mature enough to understand that all experiences, good and bad, make us who we are - and perhaps make us who we need to be.
Calling out "Game of Thrones" for it's treatment of women is insulting to not only the author of the books and the creator of the show, but to the characters they've brought to life - powerful women who rise above their abusers and find justice. It's an insult to the women who portray said characters in the show, including Chastain's "Dark Phoenix" co-star, and the actress who portrays Sansa, Sophie Turner. It minimizes the character's journey and story arc, as well as minimizes what real women experience in the real world.
Comments
Post a Comment