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Becoming No One: Re-reading Arya


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Well Ludd and Ragnorak! I am simply Shocked! And Appalled with regard to your reading! There I was imaging young women in their sunday best while the two of you are busy filling the kings highway with naked women! What ever next!

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Those of you shocked by Ned's neglect are clearly of the 80s generation (or younger)

I think the point with Ned's parenting is not primarily that it's too permissive, but that he's so inconsistent. He makes rules and then lets his children break them. Granted, he may realise that they were silly rules and his children's freedom to express their own interests is more important, but as this is a continuing pattern, he might want to think more closely about the rules he makes in the first place. We see that this vacillation has pretty dire consequences when Sansa begins to wonder why she should always be so obedient, if Arya can get away with anything, and eventually this forms part of her decision to go to Cersei. In no way do I want to imply that Ned was a bad father; as others have mentioned, he had a deep, important impact on his children's lives, and almost entirely for the good. But I do think that we have to understand Ned's role in the Arya/Sansa dynamic in these chapters to explore it properly.

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I think the point with Ned's parenting is not primarily that it's too permissive, but that he's so inconsistent. He makes rules and then lets his children break them. Granted, he may realise that they were silly rules and his children's freedom to express their own interests is more important, but as this is a continuing pattern, he might want to think more closely about the rules he makes in the first place. We see that this vacillation has pretty dire consequences when Sansa begins to wonder why she should always be so obedient, if Arya can get away with anything, and eventually this forms part of her decision to go to Cersei. In no way do I want to imply that Ned was a bad father; as others have mentioned, he had a deep, important impact on his children's lives, and almost entirely for the good. But I do think that we have to understand Ned's role in the Arya/Sansa dynamic in these chapters to explore it properly.

I agree with this. Criticism of Ned's parenting style seems more levelled at it being all over the place, and also perhaps culturally insensitive in the south, where his more permissive style certainly wasn't the norm. Not saying Ned should have adhered to southern values necessarily, but at least been aware of them and made a conscious decision to either follow them, or not. Instead it's no coherent strategy. Obviously, this is more a failing on the macro scale, as we see that both Sansa and Arya love and value Ned as a father, and miss him deeply when he is gone.

Hence I think Ned was a good father to Sansa and Arya. He managed to convey to them that they were loved, wanted and valued. On top of that he also seem to have managed to imprint a lot of his moral code into them, which I think will end up being a very positive thing. We have already seen how Jon has drawn strength and guidance from Ned's honour and moral code, and it's reasonable that Sansa and Arya will be able to do the same (in fact I think they do in the text as well, but that is for later).

However, Ned still could have had a more coherent strategy in his parenting, especially since he was taking Arya and Sansa south and putting them in an unfamiliar place with unfamiliar surroundings. The cultural restraints in the south also seemed different than in the North, which nobody really seemed to have grasped fully. I actually think that Cat could have done this better, but she had to remain in Winterfell.

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This may have already been discussed but when Arya sees Varys in her third chapter she describes him as follows:

A round scarred face and a stubble of dark beard showed under his steelcap, and he wore mail over boiled leather, and a dirk and a shortsword at his belt. It seemed to Arya there was something oddly familiar about him.

Is it possible that he was on the Kingsroad at some point on the trip from Winterfell to Kings Landing and Arya recognizes him? Has she simply seen him at court and thus he seems familiar? Hard to believe that Arya would pick Varys out with all the mulititude of characters in the court at Kings Landing.

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Just wantd to point out

“The tournament was magnificent,” she sighed. “You should have come. How was your dancing?”

Even at the Trident Sansa wanted Arya to come in the Queen's carriage and Arya wanted Sansa to come riding with her. Their conflict is circumstantial and somewhat normal for same sex siblings so close in age, but the underlying family bond is clearly there and strong.

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This may have already been discussed but when Arya sees Varys in her third chapter she describes him as follows:

Is it possible that he was on the Kingsroad at some point on the trip from Winterfell to Kings Landing and Arya recognizes him? Has she simply seen him at court and thus he seems familiar? Hard to believe that Arya would pick Varys out with all the mulititude of characters in the court at Kings Landing.

I doubt it because the same issue would apply ie how does she recognise him from the multitude of characters travelling with the king from winterfell to kings landing.

What is clear is something very odd - she shares her ability to (almost) recognise Varys with Shae who attribute's her skill to a whore's need to stay alive and not wind up dead down some alley.

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Even at the Trident Sansa wanted Arya to come in the Queen's carriage and Arya wanted Sansa to come riding with her. Their conflict is circumstantial and somewhat normal for same sex siblings so close in age, but the underlying family bond is clearly there and strong.

This is a really good point. It shows that part of their animosity is that they feel frustrated in not being able to share perhaps what they used to, and that there is a strong underlying wish to be together as sisters and as family.

I often read that Sansa hated Arya, or Jon hated Sansa or X hated Y of the Stark siblings, but we never see that in the text at all. Compare them to the Lannister family and they come off as extremely well adjusted and loving.

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Dear All apologies for the delay in this chapter going up. Life etc. Anyway below are the mentions of Arya inbetween her last chapter and this and the Summary of Chapter 4.

Eddard 10

After Ned awakes from his injury he asks about his daughters. He is told they have been with him every day. Sansa praying quietly “but Arya…” He hesitated. “She has not said a word since they brought you back. She is a fierce little thing, my lord. I have never seen such anger in a girl.”

Jon 6

In reference to Sam

“My sister Arya could tear him apart, and she’s not yet ten.”

Sansa 4

Jeyne tells Sansa she saw Arya:

“I saw your sister this afternoon,” Jeyne blurted out, […] “She was walking through the stables on her hands. Why would she do a thing like that?”

Most men have gone out and at breakfast the girls are discussing Ser Gregor’s atrocities. Arya arrives and wants to know where everyone is and asks if father had sent men to hunt down Jaime Lannister. Sansa says they have gone after Gregor’s men. Arya asks what Gregor did and Sansa tells her about the murdered people.

“Arya screwed up her face in a scowl. “Jaime Lannister murdered Jory and Heward and Wyl, and the Hound murdered Mycah. Somebody should have beheaded them.”

Sansa defends the Hound and Arya calls her a Liar and “Her hand clenched the blood orange so hard that red juice oozed between her fingers. Sansa and her begin to argue further and Arya flings the orange at her. “It caught her in the middle of the forehead with a wet squish and plopped down into her lap.

“You have juice on your face, Your Grace,” Arya said." They both end up being sent to their chambers.

Eddard 11

Eddard tells his daughters that they are leaving for Winterfell.

Sansa tries to get her side of the story out first, but Eddard tells her enough. “Arya raised her eyes. “I’m sorry, Father. I was wrong and I beg my sweet sister’s forgiveness.” Sansa is startled to hear Arya apologising. Talking about her dress, Arya thinks.

“Maybe … I could wash it,” Arya said doubtfully. (Sansa says washing would not help)

“Then I’ll … make you a new one,” Arya said." (Sansa again rebukes her telling her she couldn’t sew a dress fit to clean a pigstie.)

Eddard interrupts this to tell them that they are returning to Winterfell.

Both girls are shocked and both don’t want to leave. Ned smiles that at least they can agree on something. Arya asks if they can take Syrio with them and Ned says if he agrees then yes. Sansa then says she must marry Joff. Ned tells her that Joff is not worthy of her. Sansa goes on about him and says she’ll give him a son who is as proud as the Lion.

Arya makes a face at this and say. “Not’ if Joffrey’s his father,” she said. “He’s a liar and a craven and anyhow he’s a stag, not a lion.” After Sansa continues and Ned realises about Joff’s parentage. Both girls are taken away from Ned by the Septa, Sansa in tears.

Arya tries to comfort Sansa.

“It won’t be so bad, Sansa,” Arya said. “We’re going to sail on a galley. It will be an adventure, and then we’ll be with Bran and Robb again, and Old Nan and Hodor and the rest.” She touched her on the arm.

Hodor!” Sansa yelled. “You ought to marry Hodor, you’re just like him, stupid and hairy and ugly!” She wrenched away from her sister’s hand”

Eddard 12

They are all at breakfast and Arya asks if she has time to leave before they leave. Ned says yes but that they will need to be ready by midday. Sansa asks why if she can have a dancing lesson, then why can’t she say goodbye to Joff. Eventually Sansa runs off.

Arya Chapter 4 Summary

“High” Syrio’s opening word sends the tone for this chapter, which is high tension. Arya is at her lesson with Syrio and it is obvious that she is becoming skilled and through hard work and natural ability she has progressed far.

“She almost touches him, almost, , so close it made her grin”

Then

“The wooden blade caught her high in the breast, a sudden stinging blow that hurt all the more because it came from the wrong side.”

Syrio tells her now she is dead and she says that Syrio tricked her by saying he was going one way and then going another. Syrio tells her,

“My words lied. My eyes and my arm shouted out the truth, but you were not seeing.”

He goes on to tell her watching is not seeing. He tells her the story of how he became the first Sealord of Braavos. Arya says that it was because he was the finest swordsman in Braavos, and he says yes, but asks her why he was.

“The seeing, the true seeing, that is the heart of it.”

He then tells her of the wonderful menagerie of exotic animals the Sea Lord kept. The old first sword had just died and the Sea Lord sent for him. Many others had been there before him. When Syrio meets him, the Sea Lord has a fat yellow cat on his lap. He told Syrio that the Cat was a gift from an island beyond the sunrise and asked if Syrio had ever seen anything like her. Syrio responds “Each night in the alleys of Braavos I see a thousand like him.” The Sea Lord then laughed and he was named first sword. Arya says she doesn’t understand so Syrio explains:

“The cat was an ordinary cat, no more. The others expected a fabulous beast, so that is what they saw. How large it was, they said. It was no larger than any other cat, only fat from indolence, for the Sealord fed it from his own table. What curious small ears, they said. Its ears had been chewed away in kitten fights. And it was plainly a tomcat, yet the Sealord said ‘her,’ and that is what the others saw. Are you hearing?”

Arya thought about it. “You saw what was there.”

Syrio is smiles and says when they get back to Winterfell, it might be time for her to start practising with Needle. Arya is excited and begins talking about how she can’t wait to tell Jon, when the doors of the small hall crash open and Ser Meryn Trant and 5 Lannister Soldiers appear. Ser Meryn demands Arya come with him. Arya is uncertain about this and chews her lip, asking them want they want. Ser Meryn tells her, that her father wants to see her. Arya begins to move forward, but Syrio stops her and asks him why Ned would send Lannister soldiers and not his own men.

Ser Meryn tells Syrio to mind his own business, but Arya is convinced and snatching up her stick sword, says her father would never send them. Ser Meryn tells her to out the stick down as he is the Kingsguard.

“So was the Kingslayer when he killed the old king,” Arya said. “I don’t have to go with you if I don’t want.”

Ser Meryn Trant ran out of patience. “Take her,” he said to his men.

Three guards advance on her and she is suddenly afraid, but thinks

Fear cuts deeper than swords, she told herself to slow the racing of her heart”

Syrio stands between her and the guards and asks them what sort of men they are to frighten a child that way. One of the guards tries to push Syrio out of the way and Syrio hits his helmet with a stick and then hits him again breaking his hand.

Ser Meryn banters with Syrio and then commands his men to kill the Braavosi and bring him the girl. The other four guards unsheathe their swords and the guard with the broken fingers takes out a knife with his other hand.

“Syrio Forel clicked his teeth together, sliding into his water dancer’s stance, presenting only his side to the foe. “Arya child,” he called out, never looking, never taking his eyes off the Lannisters, “we are done with dancing for the day. Best you are going now. Run to your father.”

Arya does not want to abandon him, but she had also learnt to obey him.

Swift as a deer,” she whispered." Just so replies Syrio. Arya begins to retreat, her stick sword still in her hand. Looking back she realizes that her previous efforts had been because Syrio let her achieve them.

“Watching him now, she realized that Syrio had only been toying with her when they dueled. “

Syrio then proceeds to defeat the five guards with the wooden stick in such an effective manner that by the time Arya gets to the back door of the hall that joins the kitchens, all 5 guards are dead or dying.

The better armoured Ser Meryn then attacks Syrio. Syrio not even looking at Arya, repeats his instruction for her to run. Arya “sees” that unlike the guards, Ser Meryn in full plate and with a steel sword, will get the better of Syrio eventually. She screams at Syrio to run, but he responds that the first sword of Braavos does not run. Ser Meryn begins to have the advantage in the fight and Arya, sobbing, turn and runs.

She plunges through the kitchens and surrounding pantrys etc, weaving in and out of people “blind with panic”. She bumps into a portly butcher who gaps at her, with a cleaver in his hand and bloody arms up to the elbow.

She thinks of all Syrio’s lessons.

“Swift as a deer. Quiet as a shadow. Fear cuts deeper than swords. Quick as a snake. Calm as still water. Fear cuts deeper than swords. Strong as a bear. Fierce as a wolverine. Fear cuts deeper than swords. The man who fears losing has already lost. Fear cuts deeper than swords. Fear cuts deeper than swords. Fear cuts deeper than swords.”

Arya gets to the turret stair and wonders whether she should go up to the covered bridge that spanned the small court to the tower of the hand, but then realises that would be expected and that Syrio had told her Never do what they expect” so she runs down into the vaults. There is no way out of the cellar apart from the narrow windows 20ft up. She thinks that she has to leave and can’t stay there: “She had to find her father and tell him what had happened. Her father would protect her.”

She climbs up casks and manages to wriggle up through the small window. She looks back at the Tower of the Hand and see the door broken down and a dead man lying in the doorway. She realises in horror that he is wearing grey and white and must be one of her father’s men. She is terrified.

She wonders what is happening, where her father is and then remembers

“what the man with the yellow beard had said, the day she had found the monsters. If one Hand can die, why not a second?

Arya begins to cry, but holds her breath and listens. She can hear the sounds of slaughter from the Tower. She thinks about her father, but then thinks that they had killed Jory etc and they could kill her father too and her. Then she remembers Syrio’s words “Fear cuts deeper than swords” but then thinks that Syrio was a water dancer and she is only a frightened little girl with a wooden sword.

She goes through the window into the yard and realises it is deserted. It is never normally deserted and this worries her. A group of gold cloaks runs past her. She sees Hullen slumped on the ground and sees he has multiple stab wounds. She thinks he’s dead, but when she gets near he whispers Arya Underfoot and with his last breath tells her to warn her father. Inside the stable are more bodies including the body of a groom who was friend of hers, and another Desmond who promised to protect her father and told her 1 Northman was worth ten from the south. She kicks his corpse with a sudden fury, calling him a liar.

Initially Arya begins to saddle a horse in order to flee. She thinks if she stays on the Kingsroad, she can ride all the way to Winterfell. As she begins to prepare to saddle the horse, she sees her belongings tipped out of the chest they were in. She recognises the fine dresses that she never wears and decides she will need some warm clothes. She takes a woollen cloak, a velvet skirt, a dress her mother had embroidered for her and a small silver baby bracelet to sell. She to her relief she finds needle.

Someone behind her says there she is. Arya finds a stable boy behind her with a smirk on his face. Arya doesn’t recognise him, but he knows her. Initially she tries to get him to help her, saying her father will reward him. He says her father’s dead and the Queen will reward him. He tries to grab her and Arya tells him to stay away, but he goes for her. All Syrio’s lessons fly from her memory and the only thing that she thinks about is what Jon said about stick them with the pointy end. Needle goes up through his belly and out between his shoulder blades. When she removes the blade he drops dead at her feet.

Arya is still and frightened. Arya rushes to get away, but as she saddles the horse she realises that the gates will be shut and the guards would have orders not to let anyone out.

Then she remembers there is another way out of the castle. She puts on her cloak and taking her belongs she had bundled up, heads for the room with the monsters. She realises that the way down the Serpentine steps will take her past the gold cloaks barracks and she can’t go that way. Then she thinks she can get there another way, but that involves crossing the yard where the guards could easily see her. She thinks that some of them would know her.

“She had to leave now, she told herself, but when the moment came, she was too frightened to move. Calm as still water, a small voice whispered in her ear. Arya was so startled she almost dropped her bundle.”

There was no one there.

Quiet as shadow”, she heard. Was it her own voice, or Syrio’s? She could not tell, yet somehow it calmed her fears."

She steps out of the stable.

“It was the scariest thing she’d ever done. She wanted to run and hide, but she made herself walk across the yard, slowly, putting one foot in front of the other as if she had all the time in the world and no reason to be afraid of anyone.”

She keeps focused and not looking up in case seeing them makes her panic and cry and run, slowly reaches the Royal Sept at the other end of the yard. She is cold with sweat, but no one has noticed her.

Inside, the Sept was empty, but candles burnt everywhere in fragrant silence. Arya thinks the gods would never miss a couple and takes two. She makes her way to the dungeon where she’d seen the monsters. She doubles back to the room with the fire and manages to get her candle lit before someone finds her, climbing out the window as they are going in the door.

This time the monsters don’t frighten her and in fact seem like old friends. Arya held the candle above her head.

“With each step she took, the shadows moved against the wall, as if they were turning to watch her pass. “Dragons,” she whispered. She slid Needle out from under her cloak. The slender blade seemed very small and the dragons very big, yet somehow Arya felt better with steel in her hand.”

It is dark and she wants to run but realises she will snuff out the candle if she does. There are rats around her, but other things scare her. She thinks about when she hid in the dark and wonders if the stable boy is waiting for her in the dark. Then

Fear cuts deeper than swords, the quiet voice inside her whispered. “

then she remembers the crypts at Winterfell and how they were much scarier. She remembers when she first saw them with Bran, Robb and Sansa.

“Robb took them all the way down to the end, past Grandfather and Brandon and Lyanna, to show them their own tombs. Sansa kept looking at the stubby little candle, anxious that it might go out. Old Nan had told her there were spiders down here, and rats as big as dogs. Robb smiled when she said that. “There are worse things than spiders and rats,” he whispered. “This is where the dead walk.” That was when they heard the sound, low and deep and shivery. Baby Bran had clutched at Arya’s hand. That was when they heard the sound, low and deep and shivery. Baby Bran had clutched at Arya’s hand.

When the spirit stepped out of the open tomb, pale white and moaning for blood, Sansa ran shrieking for the stairs. “

Arya had punched the spirit who was Jon in disguise and said he had scared Bran. Then they had all laughed.

The memory makes Arya smile and “after that the darkness held no more terrors” . She thinks if the stable boy jumps out, then she will kill him again.

She thinks she will go home. Everything would be better when she was safe behind the walls of Winterfell.

“Her footsteps sent soft echoes hurrying ahead of her as Arya plunged deeper into the darkness.”

Analysis

Character Development

Following Brashcandy’s analysis of the last chapter

I think her attempt to balance on one leg is a nice metaphor for her finally finding balance via Syrio’s influence and training. Syrio does not make an appearance in the chapter, but his words are constantly in Arya’s head, serving to guide her actions and give her courage to face her fears.

In the in between chapters and in Arya chapter 4, we really see how Arya’s confidence has increased with Syrio’s lessons and that she is more comfortable with being herself as seen when Jeyne comments that “She was walking through the stables on her hands. Why would she do a thing like that?” We can see that she no longer feels under the constraints to be like her sister and the ladies at court and more importantly seems a lot happier for it. She still grieves for Mycah and sees the injustice that the Hound has not been punished and that obviously wants Jaime punished. In her lesson with Syrio at the beginning of the chapter we really see the progress she has made and how she is taking his lessons to heart. She has finally found something she is good at and more importantly, a teacher who gives her confidence and actually makes her feel good about herself. In return we see Arya paying attention and actually listening and taking in his lessons. She wants to do well and also respects Syrio, so actually obeys his instruction. This is a stark contrast to her relationship with Septa Mordane, where the Septa’s dismisivness undermined Arya in every way and largely contributed to her disobedience. With Syrio the lesson are more than taken to heart, the words and phrases become part of her in the same way as her sword. They are shaping who she is.

We also see the amount of strength and focus that Syrio’s lesson’s have given her. In previous chapters we have Arya acting impulsively and not thinking about the ramifications of actions, but in this chapter we really see her focusing; taking Syrio’s lesson of “seeing” to heart. She reflects on her actions and Syrio’s words echo through her head when she tries to make her choices and feels scared. Then we also see the bond with her and Jon repeated here: her excitement at showing him what she’s learned and also Jon’s recollections of her and her fierceness. Indeed while we see Jon appreciating her fierceness, we also see how others are worried about the amount of anger in her. While Arya’s fierceness helps her, it also hurts her.

“but Arya…” He hesitated. “She has not said a word since they brought you back. She is a fierce little thing, my lord. I have never seen such anger in a girl.”

“My sister Arya could tear him apart, and she’s not yet ten.”

and “Her hand clenched the blood orange so hard that red juice oozed between her fingers.

However each of these instances are started by looking at the injustice of each situation. Indeed Arya seems to have an innate sense of justice and does not understand why others don’t. I know recently there have been a lot of Sansa / Arya, and which is more like Cat / Ned comparisons. I do think that they both take after both parents and the fierceness does remind me of Cat, but the sense of justice reminds me more of Ned.

Then we also get a strong sense of Arya’s bravery in this chapter and clear thinking under stress. The walk across the Yard is for me the most tense scene in the chapter and possibly the book.

“It was the scariest thing she’d ever done. She wanted to run and hide, but she made herself walk across the yard, slowly, putting one foot in front of the other as if she had all the time in the world and no reason to be afraid of anyone.”

The strength and focus to walk and not run would be remarkable for an adult let alone a 10 year old child. The fact she can think clearly enough not to try and escape because she realises the castle will be locked is also insightful. The human urge for flight is huge. we see her desperation and urge to run, and yet she fights it. Syrio’s words echo in her head and give her the composure to calmly collect what she needs and make her way to the dragons.

Never do what they expect”

Fear cuts deeper than swords, she told herself to slow the racing of her heart”

She had to leave now, she told herself, but when the moment came, she was too frightened to move. Calm as still water, a small voice whispered in her ear.

Fear cuts deeper than swords, the quiet voice inside her whispered. “

However it is not just Syrio she gains stregth from. When she is in the dark with the Dragons, she thinks of Winterfell and of the Crypts and of Robb, Sansa, Bran and Jon. She gains strength from this memory and it makes her carry on through the dark, despite what terrors may be there.

Foreshadowing

Arya and Water

Again we see mentions to water dancers and Arya’s association in her mind with wanting to be a water dancer.

Arya and Death

Again we have several references to Arya as a Dead girl:

“Watching is not seeing, dead girl. The water dancer sees.”

“Just so. And now you are a dead girl.”

I again wonder if there is some foreshadowing here. Will Arya’s death come from a source she doesn’t expect. She says Syrio tricked her and because of that she is a ‘dead girl’. I have to say that there are a lot of images of Arya associated with death, even at this point in the story.

The Escape

The imagery in Arya’s escape is highly tense the butcher with

“She heard shouting behind her as she spun around a portly butcher who stood gaping at her with a cleaver in his hands. His arms were red to the elbow.”

The above passage foreshadowing the imminent slaughtering of the Stark household. Again she is symbolized with blood and slaughter which is also interesting as it is in this chapter Arya kills for the first time. Her reaction was completely understandable and the stable boy is vile in his depiction. While we can see her fear, the exceptionally negative portrayal of the stable boy, minimizes our sympathy for him: the callous way in which he tells her about her father being dead and describes his reward from the Queen.

I again wonder if there is a slight bit of author bias her, to make sure we do not question Arya’s actions. This strikes me as unesscessary as it is very obvious why Arya strikes out with Needle. Her actions are sympathetic and understandable. She had to escape and it was purely self-defense as, as far as she was aware, she was going to be killed like the rest of the household. Therefore why does the author go out of his way to make the stable boy vile. I sometimes wonder if this is a bit of author manipulation in regards to the reader here.

Covered Bridges

Again we have a covered bridge and we see Arya make a choice whether to cross it or not.

Going back to Ragnorak’s point a couple of weeks ago

When I was looking at the symbolism for Snow Winterfell, I considered this meeting on the covered bridge.

There seem to be very meaningful exchanges between the Stark children on or around these bridges and they are a specific focus of Sansa's symbolic rebuilding of Winterfell. I think this serves to highlight the importance of the exchange between Arya and Jon here.

I wonder if Arya not choosing to go up to the bridge (as well as being a bloody sensible move) signifies her current separation from Winterfell. She chooses a different fate, by not crossing the covered bridge. She is no longer attached to House Stark in terms of fate, but forging her own path. Although as Jon said, it may indeed lead back to the same Castle.

Arya and the Red God

One of Arya’s last lines struck me as very interesting given what we later learn from Melisandre about R’hollor.

Compare

“The night is dark and full of terrors”

to Arya’s statement

“after that the darkness held no more terrors”

Does this foreshadow something about Winterfell, or Jon being the thing that negates the terror of the dark?

The Crypts of Winterfell

There seems to be lots of foreshadowing concerning the Crypts of Winterfell and the ghostly Jon joke.

There are several things that could be seen as foreshadowing in Arya’s description of the journey into the crypts. Firstly Arya, Robb, Sansa and Bran go to see their tombs. Could this foreshadow that all four will be ‘dead’ by the end of the novel. While Arya and Bran may not actually be dead, they will never regain their identity as Starks, or that Arya may die and Bran will go beyond life and join with a tree like Bloodraven. Sansa running away I (very narrow-mindedly) seem to think might symbolize the idea that she will be presumed dead, but actually go on to life her life as Alyane, not Sansa. Rickon hasn’t been born and Jon the ghost (and ghost of the past) are not their to see their tombs, so they may end up being the ‘living’ members of the family in the eyes of Westeros. In fact Jon’s appearance singles a rising of the dead or the past. Symbolizing his Targ heritage, or him coming back to life after being stabbed, or him being resurrected as a conscious Wight / the Night King come again.

Arya and Varys and Illariyo

Again we are reminded of Arya seeing Varys and Illariyo. Going back to Butterbumps point;

Arya III! I've been spending a lot of time with this chapter lately given my "research" on Varys (lol), and I'm of the opinion that it might be one of the most important chapters in the entire series (we don't at first realize how much of an endgame is actually being revealed here, there's a likely clue of a Northern presence wearing "dragon skin" [bloodraven + Balerion], it contains themes/ political foreshadowing between all the families that will play out as Varys suggests). And how interesting is it that it's Arya who sees this.

I think it is important that we are again reminded that Arya has a very clear memory of “seeing” Ilaryio. She can actually recognise him. She also partially recognised Varys. Should (f)Aegon take the throne and Arya return, I wonder if she will see the link between Varys and Illyario and remember their conversation.

Arya and Dragons

We again have a reference to Arya and Dragons.

“With each step she took, the shadows moved against the wall, as if they were turning to watch her pass. “Dragons,” she whispered. She slid Needle out from under her cloak. The slender blade seemed very small and the dragons very big, yet somehow Arya felt better with steel in her hand.”

Given her later involvement with the FM and their history with Valyria, I wonder if this foreshadows Arya being a force of opposition to the Targs and the Dragons.

Arya’s Journey

The last line in the chapter echoes many of Tyrion’s lines in ADWD

“Arya plunged deeper into the darkness.”

Are we beginning a dark path ladies and gentlemen? Or does her holding on to the candle suggest that there is some hope in her path through the dark path?

Arya and Sansa

“It won’t be so bad, Sansa,” Arya said. “We’re going to sail on a galley. It will be an adventure, and then we’ll be with Bran and Robb again, and Old Nan and Hodor and the rest.” She touched her on the arm.

Hodor!” Sansa yelled. “You ought to marry Hodor, you’re just like him, stupid and hairy and ugly!” She wrenched away from her sister’s hand”

I thought this passage was lovely as we see Arya really trying to make her sister feel better about having to leave. Unfortunately the reasons Arya gives for appreciating going home, are not ones that currently appeal to Sansa.

Syrio and the FM

Okay, worth investigating if there are any hints here as to Syrio being a Faceless Man and the possibility that Arya was being targeted as a recruit even from the first book. There are a couple of things Syrio says, including referring to himself in the third person and the reference in the previous chapters to Arya not being a boy or a girl but a weapon, that could be linked to the theory, however that does seem to be stretching the point.

So below are some of the gestures and characteristics Syrio displays. Like Arya biting her lip, it is possible there may be some give always which will either add further evidence to the Syrio theory or reduce evidence. So as I don’t want to get ahead chapter wise, I’ve listed several things I noticed below. When we get to the relevant future chapters, we can go back and see if there are any similarities.

Arya Chapter 2

The bald man clicked his teeth together.

He moved closer and peered at her hand, prying her fingers apart, rearranging them.

He clicked his teeth together.

while Syrio clicked his teeth together and told her what to do.

Arya Chapter 4

He touched the tip of his little finger lightly to his eyelid.

Syrio clicked his teeth together.

Syrio Forel allowed himself a smile.

Syrio Forel clicked his teeth together, sliding into his water dancer’s stance

Syrio Forel resumed his stance and clicked his teeth together.

Reference to people in the third person rather than the first:

Syrio Forel was first sword to the Sealord of Braavos, and are you knowing how that came to pass?

NB. How does the man have any teeth left! his main description is teeth clicking!!!

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I always assumed that Syrio was clicking his teeth because they were false teeth and so he could click them, my maternal grandfather did something like that much to my mother's annoyance with his false teeth.

Anyhow enough of my family's teeth...

I've always really liked the powerful sense of anger from Arya in this chapter - it seems very true to me when she kicks Desmond's corpse. The child has been betrayed and lied too. Her security and effectively, although we don't know it yet, her childhood end in this chapter.

This is also a great moment for GRRM's realism and throwing aside the heroic northman trope. The Ned's men have just been overwhelmed and slaughtered. In that light I never considered the stableboy to be particularly vile. He's just a stableboy who knows which side his bread is buttered on. Why should he help Arya? Does a King's Landing boy want to be dead like all those northerners? Who doesn't want a rich reward from Queen Cersei? I suppose I see this as part of GRRM's realism. There is no reason for everybody to be nice to our heroes, in fact that seems rather unrealistic.

Somebody was pointing out in another thread what a contrast this is with Brienne who has been properly taught and trained to fight - she's also become sensitised. Arya, by virtue of her lack of a through going weapons training is acting on instinct and just kills the boy making her one of the youngest, if not the youngest killer in Westeros (not quite a badge of pride, unless you are Sandor Clegane of course).

last random point. There is a lot of red in the chapter, cloaks and blood, but also plenty of black. Targaryen colours.

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@ Lummel

Great point about the black and red. Again tying Arya and the Targs together.

The stable boy was just a bit OTT IMHO. I wasn't expecting him to help, but his vitriol seems excessive.

Also so true about kicking Desmond's corpse. She has effectively been lied to by adults. Actually it reminds me of Aliens when Newt asks Ripley's why adults say there are no monsters, when there actually are, and she says normally it is true. Equally no one in the Stark household saw any of this coming, sadly and least of all Ned.

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I'm probably reading the stableboy as somekind of would be sans culotte grabbing his chance to get his own back on an aristocrat :commie:

Ha ha very true. The history of Westeros through a Marxist perspective could be very interesting!!!

Edit: But who would be the Westerosi Robespierre? Tywin certainly had a reign of Terror in the Riverlands, but I'm not sure he fits the mould. The Antler men?

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Hmm well the ideology of the ruling class is the dominant ideology - yes, I can see that, class struggle has always existed...not really seeing it in Westeros, not much sign of insurrection, just a bit of banditry...Also it depends which of Marx's writings you are drawing from I think.

Interesting switch from being told by Syrio to be an observer to feeling herself observed when crossing the yard and by the dragon skulls. There's an awareness of the world rather than just being a participant if that makes sense.

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Hmm well the ideology of the ruling class is the dominant ideology - yes, I can see that, class struggle has always existed...not really seeing it in Westeros, not much sign of insurrection, just a bit of banditry...Also it depends which of Marx's writings you are drawing from I think.

Lummel I confess I was thinking of historical interpretation from a Marxist perspective, but you are right. There hasn't even been an event similar to the Wat Tyler rebellion. Also the structure of society and the fundemental basics of production would have to change before that would become an issue.

Interesting switch from being told by Syrio to be an observer to feeling herself observed when crossing the yard and by the dragon skulls. There's an awareness of the world rather than just being a participant if that makes sense.

Excellent point!

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First, a salute to one of the greatest dancing instructors to ever to grace print. The man went out with style.

I would like to point out that his lessons to Arya, go far beyond sword fighting. In a way he is telling her to not allow her preconceptions to colour her perceptions which is an extremely valuable lesson. It is in fact a reccurring theme in the series that people see what they expect to see and believe what they've been told and Syrio is specifically telling her not to do that. This goes along with telling her that she is a dead girl. She got struck during the lesson because Syrio cheated. As he pointed out however the end result is the same. She got struck. In conjunction these two lessons have kept her alive so far and it seems to me that her parents and her brother could very well have avoided their fate if they had a Syrio in teaching them that.

"... Arya plunged deeper into darkness." Arya did not stroll, or drift. She plunged. Head on. To me, this can be taken in two ways. As Lummel pointed out this is Arya's official end of childhood. While the previous chapters lead to this, the journey begins now in earnest. From this point on Arya largely forgoes the protection of being a highborn noble and fends for herself (though her social status will still come onto play later on). It starts with her protector, mentor and rolemodel giving his life to afford her a chance of escape to another mentor, protector, and rolemodel (her father), only to find out that the place she could retreat to (the Tower of the Hand) has been compromised and the protector is nowher to be found. This pattern will repeat itself until its culmination at the Twins. This the beginning of the journey that leads to Arya losing anything external that defines her. Whatever is left she carries within herself.

It also ties in with her first kill. I think it will be important to make note of her kills and how she progresses through them in terms of motive, her emotional state as she does them and the impact they have on her. Here Arya's initial reaction was to try and get the stable boy to help her in accordance with the confidence the relationship she had with the common folk of Winterfell allowed her. Instead the stableboy presents himself as an enemy and Arya, reduced into a state of blind panic, kills him out of pure instinct. The murder litereally haunts her as she expects to see the stableboy's accusing eyes in the dungeons as she makes her escape, she sees however these feelings of remorse as an obstacle and wills herself not to let them stand them in her way.

Arya, past this point, never really trusts anyone and carries through her intended course of action, no matter what. We see, however that the guilt never really goes away.

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Eddard VII (I think)

Much later, after he had taken the girls back through the city and seen them both safe in bed, Sansa with her dreams and Arya with her bruises, Ned ascended to his own chambers atop the Tower of the Hand.

The bruises are related to realism, as opposed to the dreams. This foreshadows the actions and attitudes of Arya (already decisive and able to act according to hard necessity) and Sansa (dreamy for knights in shining armour) later on in aCoK. I think the bruises can also be linked to the marks Syrio leaves on her (both literally and memory-wise).

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