(Original rereading Sansa links)
Welcome to the new thread everyone
As these threads have developed, our focus has shifted towards considering the larger themes in Sansa's story: identity, appearance vs.reality, love/sexuality, power/authority and autonomy/agency. We've seen that the journey from pawn to player doesn't necessarily mean that Sansa needs to assume a Queenship of either the North or the Seven Kingdoms at the end of the series; however, having control over her own life with the ability to fulfill her personal desires is absolutely vital to this development.
The overarching question then that we want to bear in mind for this new thread is just how we might see Sansa gaining access to this greater agency. Is the key to her independence to be found in Alayne Stone, Sansa Stark or dare I say, Sansa Lannister? What precise strategies will Sansa use to afford her power that is outside of Littlefinger's influence?
The last thread centred on a critical analysis of the female role models in Sansa's life and these insights remain relevant to a consideration of how Sansa will negotiate her way to power using the lessons she's learned directly or indirectly from the women she's encountered. Further, we've seen the other prominent female characters - Daenerys, Asha, Arianne - experience similar struggles when it comes to power, duty, and desire. Focusing on these women's experiences and their successes/failures would therefore assist in shedding light on Sansa's story. Kittykatknits also made the great suggestion that women like Mel, Alys Karstark and the Mormonts should be included in the discussion.
Sandor Clegane is important as ever to this discussion of Sansa and agency. Sansa's continued thoughts of him, and her developing feelings for him reveal an independent desire that continues to flourish in secrecy. What he's taught Sansa and her appreciation of his honesty strikes me as illustrating how Sansa can realise and utilise love as an empowering force instead of the destructive impact she's seen it have on the lives of women around her.
To end, I'd just like to make an appeal to those interested in participating in the thread to be mindful of its serious nature and to respect that this isn't a place for Sansa hate speech. If you suspect someone is trolling or looking for attention, please ignore them or send a report to the mods.
Finally, our work here will necessarily involve speculation at times, but these opinions should still reflect an engagement with the text.
xx






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