Disclaimer: Trigger Warning Sexual Assault
Disclaimer: I am not a proponent of the sexual abuse of women
Disclaimer: Some expletives may be present in the text below
Disclaimer: Trying to be as objective as possible
Spoilers: Duh!
So like many people that love George R.R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire book series I’ve obsessively followed the HBO show Game of Thrones that has brought the series to life. Game of Thrones is no sunshine, sugar and rainbows world and it’s obviously not the story of good triumphing over evil. The series (book and show) is a continual punch to the gut for all of us who are believers in “love conquers all” or that the hero always wins; clearly that’s not what this is about nor should we have any inclination hat the story is going to play out in such a manner. Apparently though, some fans are abandoning ship in the wake of punishment dealt by Season 5’s episode 6 “Unbowed, Unbent, Unbroken“, which, in fact, should be titled “Sansa; unchanged, underdeveloped, unbelievable“.
I’ve read the book series, but the show is so well done that I love binge watching episodes instead of having to wait week to week. Through my recent foray on the interwebz, I discovered people were livid over the most recent episode, many claiming it to be the episode to end their viewership and love of the show. Whats more bizzare is that many of these fans are also avid fans of the books. I saw a link posted by a friend and at first I assumed it was “fishing for clicks” with the title “We Will No Longer Be Promoting HBO’s Game of Thrones” (posted on TheMarySue.com).
- #1 I know I should have just walked away after seeing the website was titled “Mary Sue”
- #2 Trigger warning disclaimer on the article
- #3 Writer states they are an enormous fan of the Song of Ice and Fire Book series
Since airing, Game of Thrones has been surrounded by controversy most of which I’ve paid no attention to, until now. After reading the disclaimers and spoiler warning, I decide to just go and watch the episode before reading any further, but I was pretty sure of where the article was headed.
43 minutes into the episode we arrive at Sansa’s POV she’s given a bath by the jealous lover of Ramsay who tries to terrify her with stories of Ramsay which Sansa rebuffs. Next scene Sansa marries Ramsay. Next scene Sansa is raped by Ramsay and Theon is made to watch. Credits.
Now, I come back to the article at hand. The author is outraged and disgusted by the creators decision to have Sansa raped. Claiming that the creators are solely using rape as a plot device.
Though the author is reader of the books and a well-informed viewer of the show, she just thinks that rape is used a plot device…really? Sansa’s rape is not a plot device but an actuality. No matter what, Sansa is now also the character Jeyne Poole; Sansa’s best friend and the daughter of the Winterfell’s steward, Vayon Poole. Jeyne Poole travels with Sansa to Kings Landing and after the massacre of the Stark household is given to Little Finger. After the Bolton’s take over Winterfell Little Finger sends Jeyne to Bolton disguised as Arya Stark to help solidify his hold on the North. Upon arrival Jeyne recognizes Theon and seeks his help to escape; Theon, so broken by Ramsay is just unable to even fathom thinking about trying to escape for fear of the consequences. Ramsay then tortures and or beats Jeyne as it’s later indicated when Theon rips off her dress on her wedding night and is ordered by Ramsay to perform sexual acts on her. Jeyne is then further sexually abused by Ramsay as the story continues. As the reader of the series I was disheartened to learn they simply merged the character this situation happens to (Jeyne Poole) with Sansa, but as executives/creators/writers stated for the show, they did so to give more screen time to Sansa’s actress Sophie Turner and they didn’t want to introduce another character (but frankly speaking it’s because Sansa’s character is boring and does nothing.)
Here’s where my issues with the author’s sentiments and those that share them lay.
- Is a fan of the book series.
- Believes creators used the rape of Sansa as a plot device
- Believes the show focuses on the sexual abuse of women
- Believes the rape of Sansa is unfair because she’s already “survived” abuse by men
- Believed that the setup of Brienne and Stannis’ proximity and Ramsay’s promise to Little Finger means nothing bad should have happened to Sansa
- Acknowledges that the character they have merged Sansa with, Jeyne Poole was indeed “horrifically sexually abused” by Theon and Ramsay on her wedding night
- Deluded by Sansa’s “Inner Strength” and alleged character development
If the rape of Sansa was such a problem how did you even get through the first book (or season)??? Daenerys was sold to the Dothraki leader Kahl Drogo at the age of 13 (she may be stated as around 16 in the show) who is in his late 20’s to early 30’s. Dany was raped on her wedding night (it’s at least statutory regardless of how she was coerced into it. Before her discussion with Iri sex with Drogo was written as him coming in, taking her, then leaving. That’s not consensual sex //also she’s clearly depicted as being raped in the show//). Either way she was a timid 13 year old girl forced to marry a man almost twice her age. She had no notion of his language, cultural and customs, who he was as a person, or sex for that matter. If rape was an issue for someone, they would have stopped reading (or watching the show) there. Stripping away the romanticized view of Dany and Drogo’s relationship, //most would say “clinically speaking”// she developed Stockholm syndrome to deal with her situation. During A Clash of Kings after Myrcella’s departure, a riot breaks out in King’s Landing, Sansa was sexually assaulted and nearly raped before being saved by the Hound, though the noble Lady Lollys Stokeworth wasn’t so lucky. Lollys was raped by several men several times over and left to wander the streets naked. //that was not the page where you put the books down???// She later gives birth to a baby sired by one of her rapist and names the child Tyrion Tanner (Tanner after the shop she was raped behind). Her marriage to the sellsword turned knight Bronn is deemed adequate because she’s been “spoilt” (and because she’s not particularly pretty or smart). Then we come to Cersi and Jamie’s encounter as depicted by the show, I can’t really remember how it was done in the book but I do believe it was quite similar //though yes it was more shocking to see in the show than read//. Jamie and Cersi’s relationship was at the breaking point in the book and I do believe Jamie did in fact rape her because after his arrival back and King’s Landing she was completely turned off to him because of the loss of his hand. Either way the author states that there is debate about it’s portrayal in the show verses how it is in the book but I don’t want to get into that at the moment. If someone doesn’t support the use of sexual assault in media you’d think that would also be breaking point but it yet people continued to watch it. //Though there’s more// In the book and now in the show we come to Jeyne’s situation. She’s shipped off to pretend to be someone she’s not and then is beaten and horrifically sexually abused. //by some one who beat, flayed and sexually mutilated another character prior as well as many others// After all that how did you even begin to start watching the show?!?
The author also states that the creators of the show used her rape as a plot device. //I’m going to debunk this rape-as-plot-device theory// Everyone crying foul due to plot device is misconstruing the term plot device. A plot device can be anything which moves the plot/story forward i.e. Lyanna’s “kidnapping”, the Direwolves, Little Finger’s dagger, the white walkers, the dragon eggs, the obsidian, the poisoned wine and so forth. If anything the rape of Sansa would just be an unnecessary situation but it is not a plot device as the story can still continue without it. The fact that she’s now with living with and married to a sadist will still culminate to her getting saved/escaping or killing Ramsay regardless of being raped by him especially since from this point him being or not being in the story as it continues doesn’t seem likely to attribute to much. The story can still progress with or without Ramsay at this point// They could have also just skipped to the next morning and we’re still likely to surmise that Sansa did not “enjoy” her wedding night //BECAUSE THAT DUDE IS CRAZY//. But again Sansa is the merger of two characters, one of whom gets raped. Rather than being a plot device isn’t it just the organic progression of events; a young girl stricken with naiveté, no prior experience in sex, married to a psycho then made to consummate a wedding in order to legally validate it as per Westerosi law not going to want or enjoy the experience… (though albeit a completely fucked up situation that I myself did not want for the character but did not deny would happen.) Not to mention Ser Jorah is merger of Griff or rather Jon Connington (this article is getting too long so I won’t go into it). Griff is the one who rescues Tryion from the people inflicted with Greyscale and contracts it himself (spoilers maybe?). Though there’s no indication the Ser Jorah is going to die anytime soon according to the books or even the character Griff for that matter as he states should be able to live for a couple years with it anyway. //Also no, I’m not equating getting greyscale to rape just fyi just stating is it really necessary for Ser Jorah to contract greyscale is that going to “move” the plot//
The bottom line Sansa is not the character you want her to be but imagine she is. Sansa is a Mary Sue. She’s strikingly pretty, tall, graceful, well-spoken and has a bunch of superficial talents (mostly comprised of sewing) that have done nothing to help her thus far. // Furthermore, she herself has yet to participate in the “game of thrones” but merely be a pawn in the game//. If she was truly the survivor we wanted her to be she would have done something up to this point to at least improve her situation. One does not simply overcome obstacles they have to have a goal first and Sansa has none.
Case in point Joffery forces Sansa to stare at her father’s decapitated head, a moment that I personally thought was when she was going to “harden”, you know, become a badass, start playing the game because shit just got real… Nope. Hell the mostly like course of action would have push him of that ledge //to anyone with a backbone put in that situation// while she was made to gaze at her father’s head… nope. Arya saw shit coming she ran, Sansa saw shit coming she stayed…(Boondocks reference) BUT OH WAIT! Sansa IS the actual cause of this whole situation! Then she does nothing to win over the boy king who was clearly demented when she is still betrothed to him. When Dontos provided Sansa with a plan for escape she does not capitalize but simply reacts as she has always done. Then when Margarie was betrothed to Joffery she’s one who manipulates him. While Sansa still swoons over Loras Tyrell and waits to be safe guarded away by the Tyrells and wed to the crippled heir Wilas. It’s Granny (and Baelish…mostly Baelish) who nips that Joffery shit in the bud… Even after Little Finger and Tyrion’s CONSTANT counsel before AND after the ruin of her family seemed to have fallen on deaf ears she never even tried to see the prospect of her taking control of her situation or using and manipulating those around her though they do the same to her.
Evidence of a “major” player in this series, especially players based in King’s Landing, is someone who has little “birds” or spies providing them information and using said information. Sansa attempt to know shit, and as pretty as she is, it would not taken much effort to get a guard, and some servants in her pocket feeding her info, helping her plan her own escape or even her own way to overthrow the Lannister’s whom have destroyed her family. She was even MARRIED to Tyrion. One of the SMARTEST most manipulative and powerful men in Westeros, who just so happens to be a good person and she squanders the opportunity to learn anything from him that she could use to better her current situation or even just form a relationship with him. And I don’t even want to get into the creators dropping the protection of Breanne into her lap and she did NOTHING WITH IT… a woman sworn to you, trakcing you up until this point or a man enamored with you so much so that he let you get beaten by Joffery, manuiplated and humiliated by Cersi, and nearly raped in the streets while under “his care”. Then engaged to a well-known lunatic and a recently legitimized bastard //He was a bastard…she barely wanted to even acknowledge Jon because he was one//. So WHERE is the hardening, the character growth, I will tell you, it is imagined… it’s like saying Theon is stronger now after his ordeal with Ramsay, when we know he is just broken shell of a person. The likely hood of her character to reasonably have done anything better after all these opportunities for potential growth is hoping for a damn plot device…
Even Sam killed a white walker…
If you really and truly don’t support something, then don’t support it. Though TheMarySue.com seems to have a large following and can be a proponent for better writing overall. Don’t just say that you’re angry at something then dip out, demand change, encourage your website’s supporters to demand better writing (though if the writing and direction was so bad would you have even continued to watch it up until this point?) not just get pissed off and abandon something they loved because something offends what seem to be bias views. It’s also not just the show’s creators, if there’s anyone you should have been offended by, it’s George R. R. Martin, he wrote the books (that a lot of you claim to love) with these horrific situations you claim to hate and not support. The views of the article’s author and many of its supporter just come off as bias ranting about the abuse of women in a story where fucked up shit happens to EVERYONE fueled by the tragic events happening to Mary Sue character who’s done nothing to earn your affection and admiration. Through the events of the book and show, the sexual assault of ANY person male or female (other) you would have stopped at book 1 or episode 1.