Why does everybody hate Sansa?

[Wesel Soup]

I've read and re-read the SoIaF series (thus far) several times, but I never thought to join any communities until now. Sansa was one of my favorite characters, she was naive and foolish and a little stupid, but I felt so sorry for her, and she was a refreshing change to the world-weary views of many of the other characters, even Arya and Bran being more cynical than her.

When I discovered that she was a very unpopular character, even more so than the murderous Jamie Lannister or turncloak Theon Greyjoy, I was speechless! Catelyn Stark I can just understand the dislike for ( Though I disagree with that too), but Sansa? It seems unjustified. She made many foolish mistakes, she was vain and blind, but I don't think she deserves death like so many seem to think. Sadly I don't think Sansa will last the series (GRRM loves killing people) but I was under the impression I would not be the only one who was sad to see her go.

[Alexia]

Sansa is my favorite character. Her character arc is about a naive child becoming a cynical woman. I think she'll survive (her arc would be pointless, otherwise) and come out in a position of significant political power. I'm hoping she'll become the next Queen (Iron Throne, not North) and cast Cersei down.

As for why Sansa is hated, Lady Blackfish has an excellent link in her signature: Glad I got that off my skinny, hairless, adolescent, chest.

[Ser Silly Cat]

I think most people don't really care about her much until she lies about Arya and Nymeria attacking Jeoffery. I myself didnt like her again until the end/middle of SoS.

[Wesel Soup]

I think most people don't really care about her much until she lies about Arya and Nymeria attacking Jeoffery. I myself didnt like her again until the end/middle of SoS.

I was pretty annoyed when she did that, but she felt bad about it, so that made up for it. I wouldn't like the character if they were perfect, it's why I like SoIaF so much, everybody is flawed and makes mistakes, does cruel things, etc.

[Ser Silly Cat]

Exactly. I think it makes her character -now- as Alayne Stone all the more interesting. I mean her whole attitude on life is so changed; its pretty remarkable to look back on how Sansa used to be. I like her

[Ser_not_appearing_yet]

You kidding? Sansa is a rapist, murderer, and overall sadist. And she disfigured Tyrion. Bitch.

[emmank]

It seems like there are a lot more fans in the last 6 months or so that have come out and said they like her, or at least find her character interesting, where even a year or two ago there were lots of threads/discussions floating around that were extremely distasteful, with death/rape wishes and the like. She is also one of my favorite characters; I find her more realistic than a lot of the other female characters. I'm hoping she doesn't turn out too cynical, maybe a mixture of Marg and the QoT and Dany.

ETA: Haha, SerNAY, isn't there a thread somewhere around about that? I think the title was "Sansa is the worst person in Westeros. Not even kidding."

[Raegar]

I don't care about Sansa, I only found her chapters in AFFC good because Littlefinger was there. If she becomes more like her "father", she'd be a lot more interesting.

[Ser Silly Cat]

I don't care about Sansa, I only found her chapters in AFFC good because Littlefinger was there. If she becomes more like her "father", she'd be a lot more interesting.

She seems to already be undergoing that kind of transformation. Petyr himself has been encouraging her to use her brains the way he does.

[emmank]

It's interesting, though... Sansa puzzles things out on her own long before Petyr's interference. She figured out that Joff+Marg+Loras = disaster early in aSoS, and Petyr later validated the theory for her. And her little quip to Joffrey about Robb always going where the fighting was thickest made me laugh. Sansa has good instincts, but needs someone to tell her so and give her a little boost of confidence. I wish Petyr could do that for her without all the caresses and leading statements.

[Ser Silly Cat]

I wish Petyr could do that for her without all the caresses and leading statements.

yeah...that and without kissing her....

[Mad Monkey]

Sansa's alright. I hope she turns out like Catelyn.

[Wesel Soup]

I'm pleasantly suprised to find I may not be the only one who likes her as a character, however, I'd still like to hear somebody who dislikes her explain why, I don't really understand it currently.

[Lady Blackfish]

Sansa is a character that a lot of people dislike at first, and then a good number of people change their minds on later, coming to various opinions ranging from "not as bad" to "promising" to "love her OMG". She gets a lot of flack but she does have her fans, and there's enough debate about her to prove that not everybody hates her.

I like her, but some of the reasons cited for dislike:

- she's a traitor to her family (not backing up Arya, giving away Ned's plans to Cersei)

- she's stupid/naive, believes things that are obviously untrue

- she's passive, relies on others for protection/rescue, only observes other characters

- she's spoiled, and shallow

Generally she suffers in comparison to Arya in the first book and is seen as opposed to the imminent good guys like Tyrion and Jon as well, and is blamed for Ned's death, sometimes wholly and sometimes partially. Her archetype is very feminine and princessy, and she's a normal teenage girl.

[Wesel Soup]

Thanks for the post, but It still doesn't make sense to me. Jamie Lannister and the Hound, for instance, are both murderous, but are both popular characters (I like 'em a lot myself >.>). I found Sansa's lack of prowess refreshing, as all the other characters have strengths to draw from, where it be skilled warging from Bran or excellent martial abilities like Brienne or Jamie, it was good to see a slightly more feeble charcater that wasn't really very skilled at anything at all other than being unskilled.

I regret to say that I neve really disliked Sansa, I've found her so easy to empathise with from the get-go, I don't really no why.

I guess the amount of debate she's sparked has at least proven she's a very well written character.

[Lady Blackfish]

There's a realistic kind of bad and there's a bad so extreme that you're able to write it off, because it doesn't evoke as personal a reaction. Sansa is simply realistic, teenage girls that absorb some of their society's standards for them, that can be shallow or unconfident, etc, are more like people we know. Jaime and Sandor are more grand scale, you probably don't know as many of them and so you can react to them from a greater personal distance.

I never disliked Sansa either. She had visible bad traits, but it didn't strike me as more than other characters, although hers may have been displayed with a particular and more visible intent. It's undeniable that her characterization takes a turn at the end of the first book, so I won't say that everything that is there to like was there from the start. Still, I didn't dislike her, I found her as interesting as anyone else, proportionate to the few chapters she had.

[Liadin]

I think a lot of people look for wish-fulfillment when they read fantasy books, and suspect that a majority of ASoIaF readers, at least the ones seen on fan communities, are male. Sansa is a character that very few people would want to be, and she gets in the way of the characters they do want to be. I've never really understood the wish-fulfillment-seeking fantasy reader myself, but these folks only like characters who can be aptly described as "badass." Sansa, thus far, can't be so described.

But a lot of people don't pay any attention to morality when they read; thus, murder is okay as long as you don't have an emotional investment in the victim. They want to read about characters who are "cool" instead. I don't understand the Hound thing at all--I mean, the fandom is big enough to spawn fan clubs for any number of secondary characters, but he seems to be far and away the most popular of the non-POVs and that I don't get. At any rate, Sansa is not the kind of person many readers--especially the young males--want to read about. For the reasons enumerated already by Lady Blackfish.

[Peaches]

People hate her because she's the worst person in Westeros.

She's evil! Don't touch her!

[Tywin Lannister]

Personally, I liked Sansa from beginning to an end (of the Feast for Crows).

In the start of the series, I actually found Sansa's naiveté and innocence rather endeariing. And while I can't help feeling a bit sorry to see it gone, I find her development vert interesting indeed and "new" Sansa very likable. "Maester Colemon cares only for the boy, though. Father and I have larger concerns." Ah, a woman after my own heart!

[Kimera757]

Here and try here if that link isn't working

I didn't like her when she got Mycah killed and kept calling Jon "bastard". (I didn't come to dislike Jon either.) Catelyn gets bad press for hating on Jon too.

In the start of the series, I actually found Sansa's naiveté and innocence rather endeariing.

There's already a character like that in the books though. Her father.