Is there any sympathy out there for Theon?

[Raksha 2014]

He was sent to Winterfell as a boy of 8 or 9, technically as a hostage. He grew up with the Stark children with all the comforts of a home, education and sword training. His father was a giant dick about the whole thing with grown up Theon finally went back to the Iron Islands.

"My son is dressed as a whore. Did you pay gold or iron for those fancy clothes?"

So he goes back to Winterfell and fucks everything up like a giant douchebag, kills Roderik, burns the castle down to the ground, like wtf Theon. Seriously....what are you even thinking? But this kid was given away by his family to be raised by strangers, and Balon resented him for it, even though is was HIS OWN DECISION. Theon made a lot of bad choices, but in his very meager defense he was a lost child...

Now he's not even Theon anymore. He's only got 7 fingers left and a few teeth. He lives in more fear then a beaten dog. He's a shell of who he was. Do you think he would have killed Bran and Rickon if he were able to catch them? He didn't think twice about killing Roderik, depite pleas from Luwin and Bran.

I'm skeptical, Theon pretty much deserves what he gets at this point...but i wonder if there is some sympathy out there for him. Was he just a bad seed, rotting from the inside out?

Theon is still breathing. The miller's two little boys are not, thanks to Theon. (neither is their mother; but wasn't that atrocity Ramsay's idea?) Theon deserved a date with the block. I am sorry that he was slowly tortured and broken; because I don't think he deserved prolonged torment; but he should be executed.

[Lee-Sensei]

Theon is still breathing. The miller's two little boys are not, thanks to Theon. (neither is their mother; but wasn't that atrocity Ramsay's idea?) Theon deserved a date with the block. I am sorry that he was slowly tortured and broken; because I don't think he deserved prolonged torment; but he should be executed.

The whole thing was Ramsays idea.

[ejhawman]

A bit, yeah.

He was trying to earn a place among his people, who respect strength. Taking Winterfell was a great coup for him. But he got stupid; instead of just raiding and retreating, which would have accomplished his goal, he tried to stay, not understanding his father's aims. He basically pays a ridiculously steep price for a strategic mistake. Life in the North is unforgiving.

As Reek... well... I only want him to die. Martin ought to do as Harry Turtledove does and kill off unnecessary POV characters the moment they are no longer useful. If Theon survives much into TWOW, I would have to assume Martin has a Crowning Moment of Awesome planned for him.

[Nymeria Stone]

I pity him, and hope he can make a few things right by the very end.

I also don't want Stannis to burn him, he deserves a clean death.

[mb2518]

Yeah, I think Theon isn't dead yet for a very specific reason.

[Rouge]

Of course, I do. Sure he does something that is completely despicable and he pays the price for it, but what he goes through is beyond terrible and way passed the point of justice and fairness.

I think a lot of his flaws come from his nature, but he's also put in a very harsh place. Sure people can argue that he was treated honorably by Ned Stark, but the fact remains that his purpose at Winterfell was to be a hostage and that his survival among the Starks depended on something that was entirely out of his control. How hard must it be for someone like Theon to feel solid attachment to his foster family, obviously growing up to envy them as an outsider. And then returning home and getting cold shoulders from everyone that never really liked him as a child and dislike him even more for the man who he grew up to be. And that was HIS family, where he wishfully (and delusionally) expected to be treated like Robb Stark was at Winterfell. His folly was always to be just like Robb Stark even though that was never really possible and as he did the madness he did, he was pretty much struck in horror as things continually went from bad to worse and he was digging his own grave that everyone would spit on for the remainder of time.

So yeah, even with all the horrible things the Turncloak did at Winterfell and the fact that he was never a particularly pleasant man to begin with, I feel no sense of retribution in his current predicament.

[Dead Wolf]

I feel bad for Theon, no one deserves to suffer as he did. On the other hand, his actions are why Robb is dead, he got murdered two innocent children, had Mikken killed in front of 8 year old Bran and 4 year old Rickon, and had Hodor beaten without mercy.

[Lee-Sensei]

I feel bad for Theon, no one deserves to suffer as he did. On the other hand, his actions are why Robb is dead, he got murdered two innocent children, had Mikken killed in front of 8 year old Bran and 4 year old Rickon, and had Hodor beaten without mercy.

Give Robb some agency here. He's not a puppet on a string.

[HouseHarrison]

I have huge sympathy for Theon and was rooting for him during the entire escape from Winterfell.

For me, the biggest feel good moment of the series is this:

The old man … no one would ever think him comely. She had seen scarecrows with more flesh. His face was a skull with skin, his hair bone-white and filthy. And he stank. Just the sight of him filled Asha with revulsion.

He raised his eyes. "Sister. See. This time I knew you."

Asha's heart skipped a beat. "Theon? "

His lips skinned back in what might have been a grin. Half his teeth were gone, and half of those still left him were broken and splintered.

"Theon," he repeated. "My name is Theon. You have to know your name. "

[Dead Wolf]

Give Robb some agency here. He's not a puppet on a string.

Roose told Theon it was the fall of WF to him that made him betray Robb

[Lee-Sensei]

Roose told Theon it was the fall of WF to him that made him betray Robb

Again. Give Robb some agency. Had Robb bent the knee when Cat suggested it he'd probably be alive right now.

[iridescence]

I feel some sympathy for him. As bad as some of the things he's done he's really only a stupid kid trying to make his father proud of him and no one deserves to be Ramsay's plaything.

[Reek Havoc]

A bit, yeah.

He was trying to earn a place among his people, who respect strength. Taking Winterfell was a great coup for him. But he got stupid; instead of just raiding and retreating, which would have accomplished his goal, he tried to stay, not understanding his father's aims. He basically pays a ridiculously steep price for a strategic mistake. Life in the North is unforgiving.

As Reek... well... I only want him to die. Martin ought to do as Harry Turtledove does and kill off unnecessary POV characters the moment they are no longer useful. If Theon survives much into TWOW, I would have to assume Martin has a Crowning Moment of Awesome planned for him.

I'm basically of this mindset as well.

I wouldn't call myself "sympathetic" per-say, but I do feel for the guy. He's been going from one captor to the other since he was ten, and when he finally does get that brief period of freedom, he's so drunk on ideas of greatness and the urgency to prove himself to his father that he goes way overboard and screws everything up. He betrays his best friend / foster brother, kills a couple of boys... all out of desperation to be accepted by (to use Arya's words) "his pack", only to find that they a) aren't as welcoming as he would hope, B) aren't who he wants to be anymore, despite his best attempts to convince himself otherwise. It isn't until he really experiences Ramsey that he realizes how good he had it with the Starks. So not only is he dealing with physical torture, he's dealing with the mental torment of thinking, "I deserve this."

But I have to say, now that he's slowly reclaiming his identity, I'm happy for him. I'm even glad it happened to him. His ordeal with Ramsey broke him to the point where he's essentially being reborn. He's smothering Reek and becoming a Theon that he never could have been without the dose of humility that his torturer taught him.... a Theon that isn't a total jackass.

If he had totally given up on life and just dealt with being Reek forever, I'd say yes, quick death. But he's so driven to not just be Theon.. he wants to DIE Theon...

His story definitely isn't over yet. He can't die as Theon until he discovers who Theon really is.

[Lee-Sensei]

I'm basically of this mindset as well.

I wouldn't call myself "sympathetic" per-say, but I do feel for the guy. He's been going from one captor to the other since he was ten, and when he finally does get that brief period of freedom, he's so drunk on ideas of greatness and the urgency to prove himself to his father that he goes way overboard and screws everything up. He betrays his best friend / foster brother, kills a couple of boys... all out of desperation to be accepted by (to use Arya's words) "his pack", only to find that they a) aren't as welcoming as he would hope, B) aren't who he wants to be anymore, despite his best attempts to convince himself otherwise. It isn't until he really experiences Ramsey that he realizes how good he had it with the Starks. So not only is he dealing with physical torture, he's dealing with the mental torment of thinking, "I deserve this."

But I have to say, now that he's slowly reclaiming his identity, I'm happy for him. I'm even glad it happened to him. His ordeal with Ramsey broke him to the point where he's essentially being reborn. He's smothering Reek and becoming a Theon that he never could have been without the dose of humility that his torturer taught him.... a Theon that isn't a total jackass.

If he had totally given up on life and just dealt with being Reek forever, I'd say yes, quick death. But he's so driven to not just be Theon.. he wants to DIE Theon...

His story definitely isn't over yet. He can't die as Theon until he discovers who Theon really is.

That's stockholm syndrome. He didn't have it good with the Starks.

[Lord Reaver]

It isn't until he really experiences Ramsey that he realizes how good he had it with the Starks. So not only is he dealing with physical torture, he's dealing with the mental torment of thinking, "I deserve this."

Theon never had it "good" with the Starks. It's just that it seems a whole lot better than being flayed alive.

If I put you in jail for ten years, then transferred you to a dungeon and started amputating fingers, you'd probably beg and wish for that nice, comfy jail cell again, too. Doesn't make it right for you to be jailed in the first place.

[The Wolves]

I can sympathize with him being taken hostage as a child, but beyond that I don't care enough to sympathize with his current situation because I don't like him. Yeah Theon's situation sucked but he made his choice and it sucks he ended up as Ramsey's bitch but I don't feel much for him but impatience that he's not dead.

[Reek Havoc]

That's stockholm syndrome. He didn't have it good with the Starks.

As far as being held captive goes, he had it fairly good compared to how he could have had it (even without some sick sadist screwing with him). He was a hostage, so in that respect he did not have it good, true. But regardless of why he feels that he deserves it, call it Stockholm Syndrome if you will... he still FEELS as though he deserves it whether we as readers do or not. The fact that he shouldn't feel the way that he does doesn't make him feel it any less.

But good point, nonetheless.

[Lee-Sensei]

As far as being held captive goes, he had it fairly good compared to how he could have had it (even without some sick sadist screwing with him). He was a hostage, so in that respect he did not have it good, true. But regardless of why he feels that he deserves it, call it Stockholm Syndrome if you will... he still FEELS as though he deserves it whether we as readers do or not. The fact that he shouldn't feel the way that he does doesn't make him feel it any less.

But good point, nonetheless.

And Sansa had it good with the Lannisters because she wasn't stuck in a dreadfort dungeon with Ramsay Bolton for half a year. The fact that there are worse things, doesn't mean that his situation was good.

[Queen Sansa Stark]

I feel pity for Theon. His childhood in Winterfell kind of reminds me what Sansa goes through in King's Landing, but instead of having bunch of Joffrey and Cersei he dealt with a lot of Tyrions in Winterfell. Relatively kind, but still a threat to him.

[Reek Havoc]

And Sansa had it good with the Lannisters because she wasn't stuck in a dreadfort dungeon with Ramsay Bolton for half a year. The fact that there are worse things, doesn't mean that his situation was good.

Battles have casualties, and those casualties aren't always death. That's just brutal truth. Hostages are taken, and it's left up to the captors how those hostages are treated. As far as being a captive goes, Theon was treated well. Comparing his situation to Sansa's is hardly a fair comparison. Sansa was verbally, mentally, and sometimes physically abused. Theon was raised (as much as a captive can be) almost as a son, or at least a companion to a son. As far as being held captive goes, that's about as good as it gets.

But the point was never whether Theon had it good with the Starks or not. The point was, is he someone to feel sympathetic towards. The answer in my opinion, sans irrelevant nitpicking, is yes.