Parallels between Sansa and Sandor and Beauty and the Beast 1946

[sennitakala]

So I thought I'd make a post of my favourite dynamic of Sandor and Sansa.

The Beauty and the Beast (1946) is one of GRRM's favourite films if not his ultimate favourite and it's clear it's had an effect on his writing. 

• The beast in the film has statues of dogs around his castle. I don't really have to explain the parallel here. 
• Beast says to her "I won't hurt you". Sandor says to Sansa "I could keep you safe. Nobody would hurt you again or I'd kill them"
• Beast is described as warring with two halves of himself. Sandor is described as a man in torment. 
• Beauty told her family how gentle he is. During most of Sandor's physical interactions with Sansa he is described as gentle/delicate
• Beast's eyes are always sad. Sandor's eyes are full of anger. 
• Both the Beast and Sandor became "beasts" at very young ages and impacted the way they interact with other people

There's also the portrait by John Picacio which bears a similar resemblance to the 1946 film which I just adding a photo of but apparently my laptop doesn't want to do that. 

[The Weirwoods Eyes]

Not read yet, but am about to go to the gym, so just commenting so I can find this later. 

[zandru]

6 hours ago, sennitakala said:

• The beast in the film has statues of dogs around his castle. I don't really have to explain the parallel here. 
• Beast says to her "I won't hurt you". Sandor says to Sansa "I could keep you safe. Nobody would hurt you again or I'd kill them"
• Beast is described as warring with two halves of himself. Sandor is described as a man in torment. 
• Beauty told her family how gentle he is. During most of Sandor's physical interactions with Sansa he is described as gentle/delicate
• Beast's eyes are always sad. Sandor's eyes are full of anger. 
• Both the Beast and Sandor became "beasts" at very young ages and impacted the way they interact with other people

Okay - not all of your parallels are that good.

"I won't hurt YOU" vs "I won't let ANYBODY ELSE hurt you" Not quite the same.

"Sad" eyes vs "angry" eyes. Nowhere near the same.

Moreover, I'd like to remind y'all that George RR may take a lot of his storylines and story elements from historty and older stories, but he's made a point that he will not slavishly follow the established arc; otherwise, everybody would know what the outcome would be.

I've seen extended parallels between Sandor Clegane and the Beauty Beast (much more elaborate than here) as well as between Sandor and Ivanhoe(!) But I strongly doubt that there'll be a B&B ending with Sansa rescuing Sandor or causing his ugliness to fall away, revealing a handsome prince. Nor that he'll find happiness with her, as so many have "shipped." Just my opinion - I'm continuing to wait on The Winds of Winter like everybody else.

 

[The Fattest Leech]

7 hours ago, sennitakala said:

So I thought I'd make a post of my favourite dynamic of Sandor and Sansa.

The Beauty and the Beach (1946) is one of GRRM's favourite films if not his ultimate favourite and it's clear it's had an effect on his writing. 

• The beast in the film has statues of dogs around his castle. I don't really have to explain the parallel here. 
• Beast says to her "I won't hurt you". Sandor says to Sansa "I could keep you safe. Nobody would hurt you again or I'd kill them"
• Beast is described as warring with two halves of himself. Sandor is described as a man in torment. 
• Beauty told her family how gentle he is. During most of Sandor's physical interactions with Sansa he is described as gentle/delicate
• Beast's eyes are always sad. Sandor's eyes are full of anger. 
• Both the Beast and Sandor became "beasts" at very young ages and impacted the way they interact with other people

There's also the portrait by John Picacio which bears a similar resemblance to the 1946 film which I just adding a photo of but apparently my laptop doesn't want to do that. 

There are several within the story. Off the top of my head, I know @Le Cygne is rather fluent with the parallels.

[foxberlin]

I won't argue this romance isn't already there. It is.. as for Jaime and Brienne, Tyrion and Penny. This is something GRRM seems to like, repetition, so the reader can't be sure which of his eggs will actually hatch. And in which way is also interesting, since a real twist would have to add something to the Beauty & Beast theme.

 

Sandor and Sansa

If the Beast never transforms into a beautiful prince, the Beauty has to accept an inner change only. Sandor humanizes when he the dog doesn't obey his master Joffrey, but abandons the dog helmet and restrains from further killing by becoming gravedigger. As little bird Sansa becomes dehumanized by the Beast. A bird just sings what it had learned, there is no message. Sansa needs to change here, since Sandor already had.

Maybe this Beast won't need the Beauty in the end? Can this be GRRM's twist?

 

Jaime and Brienne

Two Beasts actually. Brienne declared Jaime as Beast the first time they talked because of all the wrongs he did. But in those wrongs she discovers the hidden beauty of a man whose deeds gain him no honor, who loves against all odds and who wins in a situation others would see as loss. Brienne, compared to sows, cows and other beasts, is far from serving her purpose as a woman. Her lack of beauty is even troublesome for rapers, who draw lots who'll have to look at her face. Other than Sandor and Sansa there are two POVs for this pairing. Jaime becomes a corrective to Septa Roelle's (or: real) thesis that truth comes from the looking glass and not the tongues of men. As it happens Jaime admires Brienne's special features more than any other man would and more than she knows.

Maybe GRRM likes to explore an deep inversion of the B&B theme here? If the hints are right, Jaime is a Targaryen, becoming ever so more shiny. Brienne on the other hand became even more disfigured by Biter and maybe more brutalized if she's indeed already undead. This would be Twilight for grownups, dark stuff... and a challenge to describe sex equally from two perspectives, male and female, which is a topic in the fandom.

 

Tyrion and Penny

Miniature Beauty and the Beast. Tyrion is damaged outside and inside when Penny meets him, a loving and beautiful little woman. Their dynamic resembles the classic theme the most, since Tyrion believes he has to force himself unto women, whereas she gives love willingly. Beauty and the Beast, as I understand it, is about belittling expectations to be able to love another person truely. Even if both of them weren't literally little, that dynamic fits. Tyrion's father cursed his heir with the idee fixe that women are just looking for his money and this turns Tyrion into a monster. No woman fell for him or his wealth in years. Without love he had nothing to give but money... and that sex slave got not even that. Only loosing this gold and Lannister pride by playing the fool earned Tyrion Penny's affection.

Spoiler

Her kiss moves a lot in him, but we'll have to see if it also changes him.

It won't change into something other than being a dwarf, though, something Tyrion still can't embrace.

Maybe GRRM wants to make a big theme little, since the Beast here is one of the most beloved characters of the series and the Beauty is close to a joke?

 

Note also that all three pairings are connected in several ways. It's going to be interesting how these parallel romances work out in the end.

 

[sennitakala]

 

20 hours ago, The Fattest Leech said:

There are several within the story. Off the top of my head, I know @Le Cygne is rather fluent with the parallels.

Thank you for sharing I'll check out her page. Also, thanks for pointing out my typo I never noticed it