miguel sanchez, on 05 November 2012 - 03:14 AM, said:
Great post, Meddler! Very well thought out and reasoned.
I feel those are accurate odds, the only one I'd disagree with is Theon, I feel he is more likely to die than Tyrion (they have the same odds),I think 4:1 or 3:1 fits better. With Theon, he does have a lot to offer the plot, however his death can also offer something to plot (ie. hearttree sacrifice) or he can have some importance just prior to perishing (ie. kingsmoot deemed invalid, revealing he didn't murder Bran and Rickon)
I can see where you're coming from, but I actually don't think Theon is necessarily any more likely to die than Tyrion. The only large mechanical element keeping Tyrion in play is the Valonqar prophecy, and most of us don't even think he's actually a part of that, he's just keeping it ambiguous enough so the reader isn't certain that it's actually going to be Jamie. Meanwhile Theon has the ability to recall the Kingsmoot and dethrone Euron, as not only was he a viable claimant to the seastone chair, he had the strongest natural claim as Balon's son.
I think they're both important characters who yet have a lot left to offer, but they're not quite on the Jon and Dany level of importance. I could see anywhere from 3:1 to 6:1 for them (I gave them 6:1 because it helped the totals as much as anything), but I do think they should be about the same.
Royal Oats, on 12 November 2012 - 04:08 AM, said:
The problem with a strictly POV analysis is that new characters can be written, or existing characters can be elevated to continue with a POV line. Without Jon Snow we still have plenty of good eyes and ears at the Wall. Equally true for Kings Landing without Cersei. I think that the character arc is more significant. I believe that we need to assess character's internal roles and their impact to the overall storyline to determine who goes or remains. Then again, this author is known for suprises. That's what makes this damn story so compelling.
Well, one thing I forgot to mention (it was in intro to the original essay but I cut that for the forum post) was that GRRM has stated that he doesn't intend to add any more POVs. It should have been noted as it allows the geographical analysis elements to work. And of course, GRRM has been known to go back on his word from time to time, but assuming he doesn't add any more (non-prologue/epilogue) POVs, it would be very difficult for him to kill off someone like Cersei or Sansa or Sam and give us direct access to Kings Landing, the Vale, or Oldtown, respectively.