How do you feel about ASOIAF's central messages?

[forod]

war is bad, violence and death is bad, feudalism and monarchy are futile. Revenge, nationalism, religion all bad, etc etc. 

How have you reacted to these kinds of themes?

[MinotaurWarrior]

I feel like one of the most consistent messages in the books is that hasty action is bad. Rhaegar runs off with Lyanna, Brandon shouts for Rhaegar's head, Aegon burns Rickard, and the realm blows up. Jaime defenestrates a kid, Cat abducts Tyrion, and the realm blows up. Drogo rips off his bandage and the Dothraki sea blows up. Dany decides to become an emancipator, and Slavers Bay blows up.  The Ironborn rebel, and the Ironborn suffer for it. Meanwhile, Mace has pretty much come out unscathed by two major wars, using the strategy of "mass your forces and move very slowly, if at all." Lysa Arryn was doing fine by staying out of the war, until she impulsively married Petyr. Doran has spared his realm from assured destruction by holding back. Tywin came out on top of Roberts Rebellion by making his first act of war the one that ended the conflict, and then in the Wot5K he was killed by the very son he started the war to rescue / avenge. 

On the one hand, I think the way this has all played out in-story is great. And the series wouldn't have been nearly soon good if George hadn't taken his time with it - Tyrion ruling winterfel at the end of the first book would have been lame. On the other hand, the eternal refrain of "two more books" may be why we never get a proper conclusion to the series. 

[Ferocious Veldt Roarer]

1 hour ago, forod said:

war is bad, violence and death is bad, feudalism and monarchy are futile. Revenge, nationalism, religion all bad, etc etc. 

How have you reacted to these kinds of themes?

You are trivializing it.

No, not "religion all bad". "Fanaticism is bad". Fanaticism which may grow on various foundations and feed on various emotions, including religion. Septon Meribald is one of the relatively few unambiguously good characters, and he's honestly religious. There's no hard and fast rule.

[Jon's Queen Consort]

I don't think that what asoiaf is good at is sending a message, there are other book series about that.

[spauldo17]

I agree with Queen Consort, there isn't really a message, or at least not a central one.  There are so many different characters with different world views that there isn't one message.

Varys hates religion, the red priests claim that the entire series is about the lord of light

Ned stark was honorable and simple, he was killed.  Lannisters are conniving and scheming and almost all of them are dead

War has won kingdoms for characters, it has also led to the deaths of many.

There are so many story lines with so many people that there is no message

[forod]

1 hour ago, Ferocious Veldt Roarer said:

You are trivializing it.

No, not "religion all bad". "Fanaticism is bad". Fanaticism which may grow on various foundations and feed on various emotions, including religion. Septon Meribald is one of the relatively few unambiguously good characters, and he's honestly religious. There's no hard and fast rule.

I didn't want to spend ages properly articulating the ambiguity of the series' messages, I just wanted to know what people think.

[redtree]

Absolute feudalism sucks
Love someone but fgs don't lose your brain or become another person
Some people are bad just because they can
All bad people have shite justification

[Clegane'sPup]

Actually I haven’t figured out what this behemoth is about. Sometimes it seems like a bunch of random people bumping into one another along their path of self discovery while dealing with their anger, greed, sloth, pride, lust, envy or gluttony.

What people will do when their need for power, property and prestige takes over.

Believe only half of what you see, and none of what you hear.The best laid plans of mice and men often go awry.

If you can’t run with the big dogs you better stay on the porch.

Do what you can, with what you have, where you are.

Games people play.

Don’t ask the question unless you are willing to hear the answer. You may not like the answer. Then whacha going to do? Decisions. Decisions.

The cliché of the human heart in conflict with itself.

[Lord Lannister]

The only central message that applies across the board that I'm aware of is that all men must die. Which I was actually aware of my forthcoming(hopefully not too forthcoming) death before I ever read ASoIaF.

[Seams]

There are many themes in these books, as there should be for any well-written work of literature. It doesn't mean that people who enjoy the plot alone are wrong, it just means that they haven't learned to appreciate literature.

I think one of the important themes shares some things with this little work of literature from the Scottish play:

Tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow,

Creeps in this petty pace from day to day

To the last syllable of recorded time,

And all our yesterdays have lighted fools

The way to dusty death. Out, out, brief candle!

Life’s but a walking shadow, a poor player

That struts and frets his hour upon the stage

And then is heard no more. It is a tale

Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury,

Signifying nothing.

 

In other words, all men must die.

[BalerionTheCat]

Free Will! The desire to choose your own life. Some like to decide for themselves. Some prefer other to decide for them. The few differences there are between a slave, a man under oaths, a man taken by force in a war he didn't want, a man deceived and induced to do things he would not do otherwise. Power in every form: arms, religion, knowledge, wealth, magic, love, loyalty ...

[Max of the Magic Friends]

I'm not sure we can entirely judge what the message of ASoIaF is until it is finished, just because we won't know until then whether this series has been about completely deconstructing the popular tropes of fantasy, or seemingly tearing them down only to build them back up once again in a new way. For all that people talk about how George R.R. Martin would never have a chosen hero save the world from an evil threat, we currently have several foretold heroes, including an unknown prince, all poised to unite together against the forces of darkness that are coming to end all life. We have dragons, ancient magic, legendary swords, etc. Until that last page, there is no way of telling how straight it will play out, and I think that answer will be the main message of the series.

[Not a kneeler]

I believe there is one central theme to the book that GRRM is developing very slowly, and I think that theme is developed around the central question of what is true power. Is it achieved by physical violence, or is it achieved by clever maneuvers? Is it demonstrated by  grand ideals poorly executed, or by personal sacrifice for those a person cares about? As these massive books come forth, the theme is  slowly revealed in sometimes small actions and sometimes large gestures. Truly we will have to wall until this massive epic tale is told, but if you read between the lines, the central theme is there.

[HoodedCrow]

Black and white thinking is highly suspect. 

[Dolorous Gabe]

Yeah I don't think there are central messages as such.

ASOIAF explores themes and concepts in a fantasy environment. Perpetuating a central message can make things seem heavy-handed. What people take from the story should be ingrained in the subtext, an organic by-product of the story rather than a fundamental goal of it. As a consequence, and considering its intentional moral complexity (which is a great strength), people will likely derive fairly differing meanings from it. We see that all the time on this forum.

[chrisdaw]

The story isn't finished, consider us halfway through, most of what is in the OP is wrong.

Religion has inspired people to do good and bad, we just haven't seen much of the good in ASOIAF, yet.

Monarchy and feudalism functioned ok, basically better than anything before it, good and bad depending on if the wheel stopped on good people in power. It is also perhaps the best form of order for a society in danger of extermination from an outside threat.

Revenge you can have, ASOIAF, particularly through Arya is all about demonstrating the follies of revenge and virtues of orderly justice, even a poor system of justice.

ASOIAF does not push an anti-violence message, not remotely.

[Chib]

Monarchy and feudalism are bad...

[The Marquis de Leech]

I think the root theme of ASOIAF is Varys' riddle about the Swordsman, the King, the Septon, and the Rich Man.

[Ser Tristan Flowers]

Moderation is key, extremism is bad. 

Anything can be perverted if one takes it to the extreme. Nothing is inherently good or evil, not even violence. 

[Seams]

5 hours ago, Roose Boltons Pet Leech said:

I think the root theme of ASOIAF is Varys' riddle about the Swordsman, the King, the Septon, and the Rich Man.

Excellent, excellent point. To remind people of the substance:

In a room sit three great men, a king, a priest, and a rich man with his gold. Between them stands a sellsword, a little man of common birth and no great mind. Each of the great ones bids him slay the other two. 'Do it,' says the king, 'for I am your lawful ruler.' 'Do it,' says the priest, 'for I command you in the names of the gods.' 'Do it,' says the rich man, 'and all this gold shall be yours.' So tell me- who lives and who dies?

We know the Ser Ilyn Payne, a man with a sword, lost his tongue for saying that Tywin was the power behind Aery's throne. So he and Tywin apparently lost that round. Bronn made a choice to support Tyrion (rich man) against Lysa and Catelyn at the Eyrie. I guess Prince Oberyn took a gamble and lost (or so it seems - it depends on whether he achieved a goal larger than preserving his own life). Where else has a single sellsword or man with a sword made a decision about power that has tipped the balance in one direction or another? Have we seen any instances of a sword obeying the priest? Maybe Lancel renouncing his title and lands?

Back to the OP: I suspect that the "words" of the various Houses all point toward themes of the story. "Winter is Coming" seems similar to "All Men Must Die." I am intrigued by the Iron Born, lately, so "We Do Not Sow" becomes an interesting basis for a theme. Will a house with the philosophy of "paying the iron price" be more or less successful in the long run?