Why Did The Hound Have Soft Spots for The Stark Daughters.

[Bowl 'O Brown]

I think Sandor is attracted to Sansa's innocence/naïveté. She really believes the knights are the real heroes. There is no deception in her, she really expects the chivalric code to govern and is continuously shocked when it does not. I think deep down Sandor wants those same things to be true but is too honest to fool himself into believing that they are, hence his refusal to take a knights vow and his insistence on showing people the truth of the brutality in their world. It strikes me as a very human and perversely sensitive reaction to be so disillusioned by the hypocrisy and hidden brutality of the world that you armor yourself in that brutality and try to fling it back in the faces of all the liars and hypocrites and liars you are surrounded by.

He may posture as if he doesn't care but I think his actions reveal that he cares desperately. He sees Sansa as a link to that mythical realm where the knights aren't the monster but rather fight them.

I think Sandor's infatuation with Sansa creates a borderline favorable impression of Arya, but more likely he sees her as a walking pile of gold that he slowly begins to feel is a kindred spirit. The world's veil is torn off at an early age for Arya, just as it wasfor Sandor. I think Sandor also sees that Aryais willing to face that brutal reality and act accordingly, hence his (slight) warming towards her.

[Daniel Snow]

Maybe he misses his actual sister who was killed (by gregor IMO) when he was younger.

He see's alot of his sisters childhood innocence in sansa but also see's her being mistreated by a cruel man like his sister was.

I think he tried to bring Arya back to her family because he thought it would make sansa happy. A token of his love

[Prefiera de Gryfalco]

The Sansa=pre-burn and Arya=post burn comment was excellent.

In some ways, Sandor for all his world weariness and life experience at age 26/27 when the story starts, he is not real emotionally mature. His looks and his fearsome attitude are off putting and I have a feeling he has few if any real friends. There is a Tyrion chapter in ASOS when Tyrion comes across a group of men fighting two dogs and the smaller tears up the larger dog's face, causing Tyrion to joke now he looks like Sandor Clegane and the other men laugh. So the Hound seemed feared, but not particularly well liked.

He also has a way of laughing suddenly when it is not so appropriate. He was formed into this beast on a chain by the Lannisters to serve a purpose but it turns out he does have real emotions underneath. Interestingly, he is one of the very few men who cry not once but multiple times "on screen" in the book.

I think before he met the Stark girls, he was just cruising through life. Probably had a decent paying job as Joffrey's sword shield even though I don't think he had any real love for his employer. He was good at the tourneys too. Women probably always dismissed him out of hand or were downright terrified him, so he likely has never had any sort of relationship other than with whores he paid. But drinking likely kept those feelings aside. He did his job and obviously did it well, so before the Stark girls, his dark world view was never challenged. Sansa challenges his notions of silly, flightly high borne ladies and Arya is almost like his female mirror image at a similar age. I think both are helping him become a better man.

[Lord Damian]

The hound has a soft spot for the Stark daughters for different reasons. Sansa is innocent and is victimized. The hound is in love with her I think but he feels that due to his horrific face he could never be accepted by her. Arya, he appreciates her fierceness and like Sansa, he understands that the Lannisters are evil and full of shit. He has some admiration for House Stark too. He has come a long way since he ran down Micah the butcher's boy.

[Guest]

I think it's different things with both daughters.

With Sansa, he fancies her and thinks she is beautiful, and I think he also sees the side of himself that died so long ago (when his brother pushed his face in the fire) in her. So he sticks up for her a couple times because he feels bad that she is being harshly disillusioned by the notion of Knights and heroes like he was.

With Arya, he does not so much like her as respect her. He acknowledges her as a true she-wolf, a killer like himself. He admires her ferocity, which is so like his own.

In a way if you have both girls together, they kind of add up to the Hound.

On a side note, I've often wondered how he could even survive with his face as bad as it's described in the books. I think at one point they say it has bone poking out of it. I always thought there was no way he could live like that, he'd get infections every other day.

I think the way they made his face in the show makes far more sense.

[Faceless Face]

Seems like to me show and book wise Sandor had soft spots for both Sansa and Arya. Both for i am guessing different reasons. Did Ned show him kindness as child once or is he a secret stark sympathizer

I think a far better question is why/how there are so many book-reader shippers who root for the Hound getting into either of the Stark girl's soft spots?...How anyone in their right mind can imagine a consensual romantic relationship between the Hound and either of these young teen girls is as perplexing to me as it is gross :P

[RobertOfTheHouseBaratheon]

With Sansa I think it goes back to the hounds childhood dream of becoming a knight. He hates knights like his brothers and all the rest because they are nothing like the stories he cherished. They are no true knights, true knights dont exist. Sansa is like one of those princesses from the stories. He half wants to open her eyes to the real world and half wants to protect her like a true knight which I think explains how he treats her.

He treats Arya less kind though cannot disregard her. He may have grudging respect for Ned for his honour or see in Arya's wildness some of his own self.

[Khal Shaggydog]

Burning Candle nailed it - there is a lot to admire in both Stark girls, and clearly for very very different reasons. The thing about the Starks is that they are all somewhat "pure" or "innocent", each in their own way.

It always struck me, first read and re-reads, of how dangerous it would be for everyone around this guy to continue to heap the shit on him every chance they got. Joff called him dog, tyrion called him dog, people made fun of him to his face, etc etc - shouldn't someone be concerned he might just flip one day and kill a couple of the nobles? As it was, they were lucky he just left them in KL, and didn't decide to go out in a blaze (pun) of murderous restitution.

It also struck me during that first tourney, when he said that "he might have to kill his brother today", correctly anticipating the fact that his brother might go berserk and he would have to step in and contain the situation. What a strange family they were.

[Guest]

I think a far better question is why/how there are so many book-reader shippers who root for the Hound getting into either of the Stark girl's soft spots?...How anyone in their right mind can imagine a consensual romantic relationship between the Hound and either of these young teen girls is as perplexing to me as it is gross :P

I can explain it to you easy - we're mentally aging them up. I have forgotten Sansa's age waaay more times than I would think possible. The way they describe her always makes me think of a beautiful 18 to 20 year old woman, not a little girl. So I guess we're really hoping a few years down the road when she's actually a full grown woman she'll be able to look past his problems.

I also think there is alot of "Phantom of the Opera" appeal which also causes ppl to forget Sansa's age.

Burning Candle nailed it - there is a lot to admire in both Stark girls, and clearly for very very different reasons. The thing about the Starks is that they are all somewhat "pure" or "innocent", each in their own way.

Awww thanks :D

[Le Cygne]

The hound has a soft spot for the Stark daughters for different reasons. Sansa is innocent and is victimized. The hound is in love with her I think but he feels that due to his horrific face he could never be accepted by her. Arya, he appreciates her fierceness and like Sansa, he understands that the Lannisters are evil and full of shit. He has some admiration for House Stark too. He has come a long way since he ran down Micah the butcher's boy.

This.

Although interestingly, there don't seem to be bad feelings between Jaime and Sandor. At least I never came across anything.

[Stark Wolf]

He starts by protecting Sansa and trying to educate her on life at court. He sees in Sansa this sweetness and goodness that he secretly longs to possess. When he comes to Sansa's room during the Blackwater before he leaves KL, he feels a great need to comfort himself with Sansa's sweetness and goodness.

In the beginning Arya was a hostage to ramsom for money, nothing more. He came to admire her for her fighting spirit, he is aware she has suffered even more than Sansa. He doesn't love her, but admires her.

[thepooperthatwaspromised]

I think the Hound wished that he could be a good man. He's scarred and twisted, mostly because of his brother. He never really had a lot of chances being good. Not to excuse him or anything. But I think that was why he was drawn to Sansa/Arya. They were lost and weak, and he could be their White Knight. More of a Soiled Knight, for sure. He would not admit this, of course, but that's how I saw him.

Basically I think Sandor saw in Sansa himself pre-burn and in Arya himself post-burn.

:agree:

I actually read an interview with Rory McCann (and he's read the books) where he says:

Re: His soft spot for Sansa - "He's seeing the similarity to his own upbringing. There are memories being brought back of being bullied by his brother and he hates that. And she's everything that he isn't - there's a purity there."

Re: a romantic interest in Sansa -"A fondness and stuff...I don't think there's any of that really. He's protective and frustrated at seeing her living in airy-fairy land."

and also this little gem:

Re: him being cast - “Though it was meant to be. You know, my name McCann actually translates from ‘canis,’ or ‘canine.’ I am a hound.”

[Lord Boltons flaying knife]

Because killing is the sweetest joy therr is and he respected Neds skills as a cold hearted murderer. He must know that somewhere within the girls Neds demons are lurking. Id be willing to be Ned was somewhat of a hero to a young Sander.

[Le Cygne]

The official app says Sandor becomes "infatuated" with Sansa.

It's interesting that Sandor leaves Sansa and runs right into Arya. Like it was meant to be, this connection to the two Stark daughters. And there's the connection of Sandor to Arya and Sansa in Bran's dream:

He saw his father pleading with the king, his face etched with grief. He saw Sansa crying herself to sleep at night, and he saw Arya watching in silence and holding her secrets hard in her heart. There were shadows all around them. One shadow was as dark as ash, with the terrible face of a hound. Another was armored like the sun, golden and beautiful. Over them both loomed a giant in armor made of stone, but when he opened his visor, there was nothing inside but darkness and thick black blood.

Here, Bran is seeing Eddard plead for Lady’s life. The shadows are interesting. The first and second are obviously Sandor and Jaime, respectively. Sandor has played a major role in both girls’ lives, and Jaime also played a role in the fact that Catelyn sent him away in exchange for Sansa and Arya. The third shadow merits a bit of discussion. One theory is that this represents Gregor Clegane, because he is taller than the others. His nickname, the Mountain, is why his armor is made of stone. And the black blood inside his armor may foreshadow the poison that Oberyn uses on him in SoS.

However, Gregor has not played a major role in Sansa’s life, as of yet, and it may not be him after all. Others have suggested that the third shadow is bigger because it will play a bigger role in the girls’ lives. Suggestions have included Tywin and Robert, but neither seem to fit. For now, Gregor seems like the best bet.

http://www.angelfire...prophecies.html

Also the crow flying from tree to tree when Sandor was "dying" ("river" suggesting Brynden Rivers):

Arya glanced over her shoulder, but there was nothing behind them but a crow flitting from tree to tree. The only sound was the river.

[Queen Regent of Westeros]

I think the Hound isn't really a bad guy, he's just tired. He does what he's told and no more until he goes rogue, and even then, he doesn't do more than necessary...I mean, he could have very well tied Arya up and gagged her if he wanted 100% to make sure they'd make it, but he didn't. He thought he could ride with her freely and he could, so he did.

I don't think he has any ulterior motives for being nice specifically to Arya and Sansa, he just was because he could.

[Booknerd2]

Totally agree and the gap is is narrowing and things are setting up and have been.

Brienne looking for Sansa and Arya and the Hound and running into Gendry and the BWB and the "lame novice" or the Hound on the QI. Joining up with Cat then Uncat.

The Hound was with Sansa in KL and later Arya and ran into Gendry and the BWB and I believe Brienne as the "lame novice"

Sansa is Arya's sister and was also with the Hound in KL and is being sought by Brienne and the BWB.

Arya is Sansa' sister, was with the Hound, and with Gendry and the BWB, and is being looked for by Brienne and the BWB.

Uncat is the er, mother of Arya and Sansa and she is with Gendry and the BWB and sent Brienne out looking for her girls. And since the Hound was last known to have them, he is tied to Uncat too.

Jaime knows all of them and is getting tied into this too, and that is apparent because Brienne went to fetch him on Uncat's orders.

This is like six degrees of the Hound or something. Take out Kevin Bacon.

These characters' storylines are tied. Especially Sansa, Arya, and the Hound. I totally agree that the Hound's future is tied to the Starks as well as his improvement and bettering of himself.

[ARYa_Nym]

He does tie Arya up at one point.

"After that, he rolled her in his horse blanket every knight when he went to sleep, and tied ropes around her top and bottom so she was bound up as tight as a babe in swaddling clothes."

Threatening to cut her tongue out was enough though. Roose, Weese, and Pink Eye also made the same threats. She said she didn't think the Hound would really do it but then again he was no Pink Eye and he's dangerous so she has cause to fear that he would make good on his threat.

Jamie has a connection to Arya in that he wanted to murder her before for Cersei and he let Jeyne Poole go North to be married so the Boltons can steal the North. Catelyn mainly freed Jamie for Sansa since she already suspected that Arya was dead.

Bran's dream is often misinterpreted. Gregor is looming over Sandor and Jamie not Arya and Sansa.

[Booknerd2]

And actually, let's throw Gendry into that web also.

Gendry was with Arya and is still with the BWB. He is with Uncat and the BWB are her guys. Gendry met the Hound.

Funny how the BWB has had contact with the two males that were closest at one time to the two Stark girls.

Arya with Gendry and the Hound with Sansa. And now the mother, Uncat, is working with them.

[Le Cygne]

Funny how the BWB has had contact with the two males that were closest at one time to the two Stark girls.

Arya with Gendry and the Hound with Sansa. And now the mother, Uncat, is working with them.

Oh my goodness, that's right! Wow, interesting.

[Booknerd2]

You should have seen me reading the series through each book as the web unfolded further and further.

"Come on, you have got to be kidding me now?" Or I blurted out something like that. LOL!