Bittersweet Ending?

[HannibalStark]

We have been told already that G.R.R. Martin has said the books will end with a bittersweet ending...what does this mean?

I would assume it means that he will kill off the characters many people like, but after they do something memorable?

We still have not seen anything from Howland Reed....this makes me wonder then, if, in order for the Stark line to continue, and since the 'Northern Rebellion' is already attempting to find Rickon and put him back in Winterfell, I wonder if then Howland Reed will agree to stay with Rickon and raise him, teaching him what Ned never had a chance to.

If Jon took over Winterfell he would have no need for Howland....plus it seems his death is more likely than not.

What ends up happening to Jaimie, Tyrion and Arya?

[SerJonJon]

I've always assumed the kingdoms will be in tatters at the end. Maybe showing heroes only exist in song after all and that there had never been anything these individuals could do to stop or save anything

[Calvin the Bold]

If we consider the Starks as "good" and Lannisters as "bad" just for example, much will still happen to both houses that if the Starks end up with redemption you would also say "but look at the cost."

Such as Sansa becoming a Queen of Winter but Rickon and Arya die, Bran never leaves the trees, and Jon's ending is just as unhappy all the while the Bolton's are extinct, the Frey's are extinct, and the North is its own kingdom again.

Sounds great yet awful at the same time. You could replace similar feelings with those of any house/character.

Its just exactly what bittersweet means.

[KingRhaegar]

We begin the true rule of "Tommen the Great".

[Roughspun]

According to Old Nan, last time round that the Long Night fell, heaps of people died. And the Last Hero sacrificed themself.

Heaps of people dying, I guess, would translate to several (more than expected) much beloved POV characters not making it out alive. (e.g. Bran, I’m inclined to believe.)

Oh, right. Nearly forgot about the sweet part of bittersweet. Well, I expect the Others will be defeated, and a few POV characters will survive and build something new from the ruins.

Btw, the idea once struck me that the last book might have an Epilogue showing that the plotting and scheming will continue, e.g. revealing that Varys or Littlefinger continue playing their game.

[Woman of War]

According to Old Nan, last time round that the Long Night fell, heaps of people died. And the Last Hero sacrificed themself.

Heaps of people dying, I guess, would translate to several (more than expected) much beloved POV characters not making it out alive. (e.g. Bran, Im inclined to believe.)

Oh, right. Nearly forgot about the sweet part of bittersweet. Well, I expect the Others will be defeated, and a few POV characters will survive and build something new from the ruins.

Btw, the idea once struck me that the last book might have an Epilogue showing that the plotting and scheming will continue, e.g. revealing that Varys or Littlefinger continue playing their game.

This probably.

And it would only be realistic: after the end of Eastern European totalitarian systems and the uprise of the peoples the old threads and structures survived under the surface. The old boy network of secret services, political police and corrupt politicians continued to keep their likes in power, made them rich. Varys is the bug in your bed, the cockroach under your table and the spider in the corner. Those always survive every change of political power system because somehow they make themselves indispensable to the next ruler as well. Definitely the bitter in the sweet.

Only here I think that Baelish will not know when to stop and he will perish while Varys may know when to disappear in the shadow for a while before proving his usefulness to the next ruler.

And where is the sweet? No more IT, he seven Kingdoms splitting up? The smallest of many evils will rule? Democracy and human rights? Lemoncake for everybody when the bread is out?

Easy: the sweet in the bitter is when my favorites get a remotely happy ending. :)

[Tall Tyrion Lannister!]

it's like in Harry Potter where the general ending itself was happy but a shit load of fan favorites died. Happy, but also sorta sad at the same time.

[Kienn]

I bet that he could learn to fly too, him and Arya and Sansa, even baby Rickon and Jon Snow. We could all be ravens wolves and live in Maester Luwin’s rookery the Wolfswood.

[joluoto2]

Only a few of the characters will survive. That's probably what it means.

[MountainThatSkates]

Even if only "good" things happen from this point on it would be bittersweet with the amount of people dead. And probably many more to die. I also think some of the theories on these board are possible that we don't really know enough about the Others to call them the ultimate evil that they're portrayed to be. Maybe Dany and the dragons are the true monsters once unleashed on Westeros? Something like that. I can't imagine a good ending in this world.... but hopefully there are things that get resolved!

[Mrs.Grumpy]

I start to think that our epilogue character will be a bard and he will sing/think about the time period during ASOIAF. Some good characters will be remembered as evil, and vice versa. And he will die because GRRM.

[Woman of War]

I hope our last epilogue character will be Tyrion at he age of eighty.......

[Crimson King]

It's A Dream of Spring, so I expect the story to end long before winter does. That would be a bittersweet ending; a few are still alive, but might not see summer in their lifetimes...

[Beathag]

Since we have been told the wolves will return to Winterfell, I suspect what Starks are left will find their way to Wintefell and sheltered in the steam of the pools, begin the plan to rebuild.

Arya has been told the pack must stay together to survive...maybe the wolf dreams will convince her that the Stark pack is viable.

Perhpas unanswered questions will be tied up in short stories.

[boojam]

We have been told already that G.R.R. Martin has said the books will end with a bittersweet ending...what does this mean?

I would assume it means that he will kill off the characters many people like, but after they do something memorable?

We still have not seen anything from Howland Reed....this makes me wonder then, if, in order for the Stark line to continue, and since the 'Northern Rebellion' is already attempting to find Rickon and put him back in Winterfell, I wonder if then Howland Reed will agree to stay with Rickon and raise him, teaching him what Ned never had a chance to.

If Jon took over Winterfell he would have no need for Howland....plus it seems his death is more likely than not.

What ends up happening to Jaimie, Tyrion and Arya?

I have always wondered too.

He has offed a lot of (lets just call them) protagonists and some antagonists.

By book four he is still heaping with characters , I know he has said he is indulging himself with writing what pleases him, but so far it has been linear and conventional story telling (even if it's gotten bloated with some circular sequences)... is he going for a Shakespearian tragedy? Or a shaggy dog story where 'everybody gets run over by a bus'? (Shaggy Dog could be the only 'character' left!)

Right now the question is how bitter is the Bitter?

[Essan]

As the only humans left, Bittersteel's long lost great-granddaughter marries King Sweet Robin and they all live happy every after, in Kings Landing, ruling the land of the zombies?

:lol:

[dios_achilleus]

I took "bittersweet ending" to mean the Elves and Frodo and Gandalf would be going to the Grey Havens.

[Borys of Ur Draxa]

I'm pretty sure the Others are going to overrun the North, and Kingslanding with all the wars going on.

[Sylva Santagar]

I know I will be crying, however bitter or sweet it ends... :crying:

[Han Snow]

I just hope that sweet is not akin to the sweet smell spreading from the puss coming out of Drogo's wound. Because bittersweet in that case means all of humanity is punished for their corruption and evil. Jon becomes the Night's King and WW's descend upon the world with fury. Armageddon comes and passes and everyone becomes ice zombies. The end.