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what is dead may never die: a Theon Greyjoy reread project


INCBlackbird

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I have desided to work on a Theon reread project. I will be rereading an analysing all his chapters. probably adding a quick summary after each arc. I was originally going to try and get a chapter done every week, but since it took me a week just to finish the first analysis, I can't promise that. I will post them as I finish them. I hope you are all willing to join the discussion and feel free to add your own take on the events in the chapter, the more imput the better. I hope that at the end of the road we will all have a better understanding of the character.

A GAME OF THRONES:

Bran I

Arya I

Catelyn III

Bran IV & Bran V

Catelyn VIII

Catelyn IX

Catelyn XI

Conclusions drawn from Theon's AGOT arc

 

A CLASH OF KINGS:

Theon I

Theon II

Theon III

Bran VI

Theon IV

Theon V

Theon VI

Conclusions drawn from Theon's ACOK arc

 

A DANCE WITH DRAGONS:

Reek I

 

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Theon I (a clash of kings)


Summary:


Theon is on his way home, as he watches Pyke grow closer from aboard the ship he notices several long ships from important houses and realizes his father has called the banners, he is confused at first but eventually attributes it to “old men being cautious”.



Theon has been sleeping with the captain’s daughter, although he appears to not particularly enjoy her company, he is preoccupied with thoughts of his future glory while she’s pleasuring him, and when he does spare her a thought, it’s usually an insult. When she asks if he will take her with him, he refuses her.



Upon his arrival, Aeron is there to accompany Theon to Pyke. Theon reflects on how much his uncle has changed since he saw him last.



At Pyke, Theon takes special care dressing to meet his father and inform him of his, according to Theon, ingenius plan. He is, however surprised and dishearten, when his father dismisses his plan and even mocks the very idea of being “given” a crown, instead, Balon wants to attack the north.



Analysis:


For the analytic part, I will not always follow the course of the chapter chronologically but rather pick out certain aspects, focus on those and support them with quotes from all over the chapter.



Theon’s behavior


Theon’s behavior is an attempt to keep the fragile fake identity he created for himself standing. His narcissism is a manifestation of this fake identity and largely the cause of this macho behavior.



“Theon had never seen a more stirring sight. In the sky behind the castle, the fine red tail of the comet was visible through thin, scuttling clouds. All the way from Riverrun to Seagard, the Mallisters had argued about its meaning. It is my comet, Theon told himself, sliding a hand into his fur-lined cloak to touch the oilskin pouch snug in its pocket. Inside was the letter Robb Stark had given him, paper as good as a crown.”



This passage is a good example of how self-absorbed Theon is in this chapter. He has convinced himself that now that he’s free, his future will be bright. “This is the season, Theon thought, the season, the year, the day, and I am the man.” He’s never had his own life in hands and he doesn’t have the experience of failure. In fact, he already considers himself the victor. Thoughts of his plan failing never even cross his mind. While being pleasured by the captain’s daughter he’s preoccupied with thoughts of his future glory, he climaxes to the anticipation of “succeeding where his father failed” Theon has built up this mask of arrogance over the years and convinced himself of his own greatness, as a defense mechanism against all the prejudice he has received at Winterfell. But he has no experience with responsibility whatsoever, he has no idea how hard it is and no way to deal with possible failure so he severely overestimates himself and what the future has in store for him, to the point where he believes a comet, for all the world to see, is the sign that his and Robb’s plan will work out perfectly and he will get his crown. It’s all about him, he never puts himself in other people’s shoes and considers what they might think/do.



Theon doesn’t try to hide the fact that he’s sleeping with the captain’s daughter, although he knows how much the captain disapproves. In fact, he specifically tells him “We’ll be below, in my cabin.” Before taking the girl with him. Theon even finds his disapproval amusing “watching the man struggle to swallow his outrage while performing his courtesies to the high lord, the rich purse of gold he’d been promised never far from his thoughts.” Theon enjoys the control he supposedly has over the captain. That control is probably blown out of proportion by him. He thinks he’s got it all figured out. He also reflects on how he was responsible for getting the girl into his bed willingly “A cup of wine, a few whispers, and there she was.” Treating this also as his control on the situation.



Theon criticizes both the captain and his daughter on multiple occasions, before deeming them good enough. He compares the captain to the ironborn captains and thinks about how much better and braver the ironborn are. Theon chides captain’s daughters body “The girl was a shade plump for his taste” he calls her “stupid” many times but “he had never required a woman to be clever.”



Theon enjoys the authority he has on the ship and relishes every opportunity he has to display his rule. When the captain asks his permission to make for port, “’you may’ Theon said, a faint smile playing about his lips.” The word choice is remarkable. Not simply “yes” or “okay” or even “you can”. He specifically choses words that make it sounds like he’s being generous, words that make his authority on the matter shine. And it’s important to note the way he smiles, Theon likes to feel important.



In the end it’s all an illusion of control, a way for Theon to make himself feel better. He needs to feel like he’s the smartest person in the room, the puppeteer. And he needs to criticize them to make himself feel this way, he convinces himself that he’s got them wrapped around his finger and they are too simple to realize it.



This can all easily be explained by the lack of control Theon has had his entire life. He was a hostage half his life, a mere pawn in the scheme of things bigger then himself. Not even his own life was in his hands. So now that he’s free, he grabs a hold of that feeling of control for dear life.



He thinks he needs to be politically important in order to be valued as a person. So he’s created a false identity where he behaves like he believes an important authority figure should behave in order to get respect. This false identity is very flexible though, it changes according to the situation Theon is in at the time, he always tries to be someone whom he think will be valued by the people around him. “The priest’s manner was chilly, most unlike the man Theon remembered. Aeron Greyjoy had been the most amiable of his uncles, feckless and quick to laugh, fond of songs, ale, and women.” The way Theon describes the old Aeron here sounds very much like the kind of man Theon is, himself. As an extention, does that mean Theon finds himself “amiable” as well? It’s also important to note that since a lot of Theon’s behavior is based upon his fake identity, it could be that he actually adopted some of this behavior from Aeron, as he would be one of Theon’s examples of what an irorborn is like. This would explain why he was so disappointed that Aeron had changed so much. If he sees this kind of behavior as “amiable” it would make sense that this is what Theon wants to be like. The purpose of taking on this fake identity is, after all, to be accepted, respected and loved. And if he finds this kind of behavior amiable, he probably assumes others do to. Theon finds the most “amiable” of his uncles, the one who was exactly like him. That’s what he considers amiable.



Upon arriving on shore Theon notices a lot of longships from important houses like Harlow and goodbrother. His first thought is “Had Lord Balon anticipated him and called the Greyjoy banners? His hand went inside his cloak again, to the oilskin pouch.” Even though Theon and Robb are the only ones aware of the plan, Theon’s thought pattern still starts from there, he’s so preoccupied with this plan that it’s the first thing on his mind. “Yet if the longships are hosting…” deep inside Theon’s knows what this means but he’s in denial. Theon knows that if the longships are hosting his father is planning to attack, he knows that he didn’t even wait for his son to come home to do so, that he was planning it regardless of what that would mean for Theon. But “The thought did not please him. His father’s war was long done, and lost. This was Theon’s hour-his plan, his glory, and in time his crown. “Theon has convinced himself that his family will simply follow his lead, that they will praise him for getting his father his crown. This is the first sign that Theon’s imagination is far from reality but Theon needs to keep believing in his fantasy. He can’t stop thinking about it until he comes up with an explanation he’s ok with. “It might be only a caution, now that he thought on it. A defensive move, lest the war spill out across the sea. Old men were cautious by nature.” Suddenly Theon “knows” that old men are cautious by nature, this statement comes out of nowhere but he needs to believe that he “knows” this in order for his thought pattern to make sense.



This is first sign that Theon’s plan won’t work, but he doesn’t want to see it. This is how Theon deals with problems, he distorts the truth into something he likes to make himself feel better. It’s never really about the actual problem, that’s not important, it’s about how Theon stands towards it. If he can make himself believe there is no problem, he assumes this will become the truth of the matter.



This is probably how he has dealt with emotions of fear and abandonment during his time in Winterfell. In which case this kind of problem solving WAS useful, because Theon had no control over the situation anyway, might as well convince himself his father cared about him and Ned Stark wouldn’t kill him to reduce his anxiety.



Theon’s adopted his macho behavior to foster his false self-identity, because it is of course fragile. His behavior is a shield to keep it intact. He acts tough to avoid feelings of shame for being weak. He is scared that if he is seen as helpless the illusion of being in control will be broken, so he acts tough. He fears being called out on his weakness (that he believes deep down, he has) and tries to measure up to the people in power he seeks to emulate, by acting extremely manly, it’s all overcompensation. He keeps the illusion of his supposed control and strength by showing it off to others every chance he gets, and using this as a way to convince himself this fake identity is real. He’s acting on it, so it must be real right?



The need to act hard, tough and Theon’s general callousness to others are defense mechanisms against feelings of vulnerability. He fears his weakness will be exposed and will go to any length to avoid letting others see how frightened he is. This is something he learned in Winterfell, but when he arrives home he isn’t granted the homecoming he thought he would be and he is afraid of not fitting in and of how much the iron islands have changed during his absence. “It is as if I were a stranger here, Theon thought. Nothing has changed, and yet everything has changed.”



Theon learned most of the behavior he displays here at Winterfell, as a response to his lack of control and the prejudices he had to deal with and couldn’t respond to because he was not in a position of power. But over the years one will start believing their own lies. Theon developed compensatory narcissistic personality disorder.



When arriving ashore Theon paces the deck looking for familiar faces, because surely, after 10 years, his father would send someone to fetch his last living son and heir. “It was not as though they had no word of his arrival. Robb had sent ravens from Riverrun, and when they’d found no longship at Seagard, Jason Mallister had sent his own birds to Pyke, supposing that Robb’s were lost.” This is a clear sign that Theon chose to ignore. It can’t be that his father just didn’t feel the need to reply, because Theon is super important!



“’And I’ve brought your heir back to you.’ The Lordsport men gazed on Theon with blank, bovine eyes, and he realized that they did not know who he was. It made him angry.” The lack of the enthusiastic responses Theon had expected provokes him to anger because it hurt his pride.



“‘Innkeeper,’ he barked, ‘I require a horse.’ ‘As you say, m’lord,’ the man responded, without so much as a bow. He had forgotten how bold the ironborn could be.” Here Theon comes up with an explanation for the lack of respect/ recognition he gets. It’s not because the ironborn don’t consider him important, it is because they are bold by nature.


All of this is a threat to Theon’s illusion of importance, he considers it an attempt to shatter it. And Theon does get angry but before any feelings of doubt can break his feelings of superiority, he comes up with another explanation for the lack of respect. This way Theon never has to deal with the problem of his superiority not being recognized by others (and therefor, the possibility that it’s fake)



Throughout the chapter Theon becomes increasingly more irritated as his perfect fantasy is threatened and it becomes more and more difficult to deny it’s a just a fantasy.


“The door was grey wood studded with iron, and Theon found it barred from the inside. He hammered on it with a fist, and cursed when a splinter snagged the fabric of his glove. The wood was damp and moldy, the iron studs rusted. After a moment the door was opened from within by a guard in a black iron breastplate and pothelm. ‘You are the son?’ ‘Out of my way, or you’ll learn who I am.’ The man stood aside. Theon climbed the twisting steps to the solar.”



As Theon gets more and more agitated, his mood becomes foul and his behavior increasingly unpleasant. He uses a common defense mechanism known as displacement. Displacement involves taking out our frustrations, feelings, and impulses on people or objects that are less threatening. In Theon’s case this starts with the door, which only makes his anger rise and the servant has to take the next blast.



This probably isn’t the first time Theon has used this defense mechanism. In Winterfell he was surrounded by people in a more powerfull position then him and when they treated him unfairly Theon couldn’t defend himself. He must have been finding other ways to work out his anger on for years.



Theon’s insecurities


This fake identity is a way to hide some deep rooted insecurities, feelings of fear and shame that Theon has been dealing with. Those insecurities start to surface when he talks to authority figures, in this chapter those are his uncle Aeron and his father.



“’As to Dagmer, the Cleftiaw is gone to Old Wyk at your father’s behest, to roust the Stonehouses and the Drumms.’ ‘To what purpose? Why are the longships hosting?’ ‘Why have longships ever hosted?’”



Its remarkable how Theon still doesn’t believe it, the idea that Balon is already planning his next move doesn’t fit into his line of thinking because it’s not a welcome thought. It’s a threatening thought, and he refuses to let it in, he hopes that Aeron will have an explanation for him but of course Theon will have to deal with the truth, whether he likes it or not.



Theon lets the matter rest for a while and asks Aeron if his mother and sister are at Pyke. “’You will not. Your mother dwells on Harlaw, with her own sister. It is less raw there, and her cough troubles her. Your sister has taken Black Wind to Great Wyk, with messages from your lord father. She will return e’er long, you may be sure.’ Theon did not need to be told that Black Wind was Asha’s longship. He had not seen his sister in ten years, but that much he knew of her. Odd that she would call it that, when Robb Stark had a wolf named Grey Wind. “Stark is grey and Greyjoy’s black,” he murmured, smiling, 'but it seems we’re both windy.' The priest had nothing to say to that."


Theon makes a joke that his uncle couldn’t possibly understand but he still expects him too. this is another sign that Theon never puts himself in other people’s shoes. He doesn’t question whether or not Aeron will understand the joke, doesn’t stop to think that Aeron probably has no clue that Robb Stark has a direwolf called Grey Wind. And doesn’t question it afterwards. He’s so in his own head that he doesn’t even realize this.



When at last Theon accepts that his father called “his swords and sails” he asks Aeron why. “I would know his plans now.”(With this kind of wording, he’s still trying to sound like he’s the authority figure in this matter) Aeron however, refuses to tell him insisting that his father will do so but he has been commanded not to speak of it to any man. “Theon’s anger flared. He’d led men in war, hunted with a king, won honor in tourney melees, ridden with Brynden Blackfish and Greatjon Umber, fought in the Whispering Wood, bedded more girls than he could name, and yet this uncle was treating him as though he were still a child of ten.” Theon gets angry because Aeron is working in on a deep buried fear and shame of his. And he has to remind himself exactly why Aeron is so wrong about him. Theon also draws a conclusion here, he feels “treated like a child”, thinking that Aeron doesn’t consider him mature enough to share his father’s plans with. Automatically concluding this, getting angry about it and then the excessive denial of there being any truth in it. Also the fact that Theon immediately knows all the reasons why he is not a child. All of this means that Theon’s felt this way many times before and he’s very insecure about it. Theon is protecting his self-esteem by excessively denying the mere existence of his insecurities.



In many ways Theon is still a child, as mentioned before, he has no experience with responsibility because he’s been a prisoner all his life. And in Winterfell he’s probably felt “treated as a child” on multiple occasions when he wasn’t trusted, or when he was chided by people who should have been his equals (the incident with Robb in the woods comes to mind) and he could never defend himself because he was in the position of a prisoner. Yet, society demands him to be an adult. And Theon considers himself to have experience. He is convinced that he knows how the world works, he’s experienced the unfairness himself and the bitterness that came with it is what he thinks he knows about the world. “Boys believe nothing can hurt them, his doubt whispered. Grown men know better”



“’If my father makes plans for war, I must know of them. I am not ‘any man,’ I am heir to Pyke and the Iron Islands.’ ‘As to that,’ his uncle said, ‘we shall see.’ The words were a slap in the face. ‘We shall see’ My brothers are both dead. I am my lord father’s only living son.’ ‘Your sister lives.’ Asha, he thought, confounded. She was three years older than Theon, yet still... ‘A woman may inherit only if there is no male heir in the direct line,’ he insisted loudly. ‘I will not be cheated of my rights, I warn you.’”



Theon forgets himself for a moment here, “You warn a servant of the Drowned God, boy? You have forgotten more than you know.” It has been shown earlier in the chapter, when Aeron made his entrance, that he is a well-respected man. “As the man approached, the smallfolk bent the knee, and Theon heard the innkeeper murmur, ‘Damphair’” Theon should know this, but it’s a part of ironborn culture he has indeed forgotten and what Aeron said made him act out impulsively. Because his uncle basically just spelled out a fear that Theon’s been denying for years. That he doesn’t have a place where he belongs anymore, that they’ve forgotten about him. That whenever he got prejudiced and comforted himself by thinking about his eventual homecoming and how at least there he would be valued, it was all just a fantasy that wouldn’t come true. “Whenever he’d imagined his homecoming, he had always pictured himself returning to the snug bedchamber in the Sea Tower, where he’d slept as a child. Instead the old woman led him to the Bloody Keep.” Theon’s homecoming is not at all as he’d imagined it being.



“’It is the flame the Drowned God brought from the sea, and it proclaims a rising tide. It is time to hoist our sails and go forth into the world with fire and sword, as he did.’ Theon smiled. ‘I could not agree more.’ ‘A man agrees with god as a raindrop with the storm.’ This raindrop will one day be a king, old man. Theon had suffered quite enough of his uncle’s gloom. He put his spurs into his horse and trotted on ahead, smiling.”



The fact that Aeron agrees with Theon’s previous assumption that “the comet is his” makes him happy enough. He probably assumes that Aeron just doesn’t know that the “time to hoist our sails and go forth into the world” points to Theon’s plan. But Theon has been telling himself all along that his plan will work out and this is something he can count as a direct sign that it will. He rides off before Aeron gets a chance to say something that brings back his doubts and fears.


“’Nine years, is it?’ Lord Balon said at last. ‘Ten,’ Theon answered”



Balon doesn’t even remember how long his son has been gone, while I’m sure Theon counted the years carefully. Knowing Balon cared so little must have hurt Theon, though he doesn’t show it. Instead he shows confidence “’Your blood and your heir.’ Lord Balon grunted. ‘We shall see.’ ‘You shall,’ Theon promised. “Theon’s regained his confidence after the joyfull end of his conversation with Aeron and a chance to get dressed in clothes he likes. But it doesn’t last long.



“’It is as I feared. The green lands have made you soft, and the Starks have made you theirs.’ ‘You’re wrong. Ned Stark was my gaoler, but my blood is still salt and iron.’ Lord Balon turned away to warm his bony hands over the brazier. ‘Yet the Stark pup sends you to me like a well-trained raven, clutching his little message.’ ‘There is nothing small about the letter I bear,’ Theon said, ‘and the offer he makes is one I suggested to him.’ ‘This wolf king heeds your counsel, does he?’ The notion seemed to amuse Lord Balon.”


With every word he says the situation becomes worse. Theon was clearly not expecting such disrespect. However, he hasn’t forgotten his childhood he remembers “Chiefly he remembered Rodrik’s drunken cuffs and Maron’s cruel japes and endless lies.” despite everything, he keeps on trying to convince his father of the greatness of his plan. “Lord Balon grunted. ‘Casterly Rock has never fallen.’ ‘Until now.’ Theon smiled. And how sweet that will be. His father did not return the smile. ‘So this is why Robb Stark sends you back to me, after so long? So you might win my consent to this plan of his?’ ‘It is my plan, not Robb’s,’ Theon said proudly. Mine, as the victory will be mine, and in time the crown. ‘I will lead the attack myself, if it please you. As my reward I would ask that you grant me Casterly Rock for my own seat, once we have taken it from the Lannisters.’ With the Rock, he could hold Lannisport and the golden lands of the west. It would mean wealth and power such as House Greyjoy had never known. ‘You reward yourself handsomely for a notion and a few lines of scribbling.’” But Balon only expresses mocking amusement that his son would think his father would let robb stark “give” him a crown. He tosses the letter in the fire and effectively burns Theon’s dreams to the ground. “The parchment curled, blackened, and took flame. Theon was aghast. “Have you gone mad?” His father laid a stinging backhand across his cheek. “Mind your tongue. You are not in Winterfell now, and I am not Robb the Boy, that you should speak to me so. I am the Greyjoy, Lord Reaper of Pyke, King of Salt and Rock, Son of the Sea Wind, and no man gives me a crown. I pay the iron price. I will take my crown, as Urron Redhand did five thousand years ago.”



Theon’s reunion with his dad shows us exactly how far from the truth Theon’s fantasies were. He deluded himself into believing his father is an old man now, who would be grateful to Theon and follow his plan without a second thought. But we can assume from a quote from the beginning of the chapter that he doesn’t exactly have a good relationship with his father.



“‘My father,’ she told him. ‘Once you’re gone, he’ll punish me, milord. He’ll call me names and hit me.’ Theon swept his cloak off its peg and over his shoulders. ‘Fathers are like that,’”



And we have seen that his father indeed doesn’t shy away from physically hurting his son, besides the backhand there was also “His father slid his fingers under the necklace and gave it a yank so hard it was like to take Theon’s head off, had the chain not snapped first.” So we can assume that Theon was referring to Balon in the above quote, he remembers how his father was and yet he seems to have imagined a different version of his father, one that would go along with his plan, and convinced himself that after all these years his father would have turned into him.



The Starks


“’I was a boy of ten when I was taken to Winterfell. As a ward of Eddard Stark.’ A ward in name, a hostage in truth. Half his days a hostage... but no longer. His life was his own again, and nowhere a Stark to be seen.”



Theon thinks a lot about the Starks, he is happy to be free and that there is “nowhere a stark to be seen”. But his relationship with the Starks is complicated. In this chapter he is trying to resent them because he needs to be a hard ironborn and they were his captors. But he clearly holds some inevitable affinity towards them, that he tries to deny at all cost.



Especially after Aeron accuses Theon of being a stark he’s got some very interesting notions on his time spent in Winterfell:


“As if ten years in Winterfell could make a Stark. Lord Eddard had raised him among his own children, but Theon had never been one of them. The whole castle, from Lady Stark to the lowliest kitchen scullion, knew he was hostage to his father’s good behavior, and treated him accordingly. Even the bastard Jon Snow had been accorded more honor than he had. Lord Eddard had tried to play the father from time to time, but to Theon he had always remained the man who’d brought blood and fire to Pyke and taken him from his home. As a boy, he had lived in fear of Stark’s stern face and great dark sword. His wife was, if anything, even more distant and suspicious.”



Clearly Theon has some understandable hard feelings towards Ned that he can draw on now. He even admits to his fear of him. at the moment, he’s hauling up his resentment of the starks though. Aeron has just called him a Stark so he needs to deny their influence on him as much as possible. And yet, he can’t help but Think about Robb.Theon notes that only Robb and his “baseborn half-brother” were “worth his notice” he chides Jon for being jealous but “for Robb, Theon did have a certain affection, as for a younger brother… but it would be best not to mention that.”



“It had been the same with the Mallisters, his companions on the ride from Riverrun to Seagard. Patrek Mallister was not too ill a fellow; they shared a taste for wenches, wine, and hawking. But when old Lord Jason saw his heir growing overly fond of Theon’s company, he had taken Patrek aside to remind him that Seagard had been built to defend the coast against reavers from the Iron islands, the Greyjoys of Pyke chief among them.”



Since he notes how “it had been the same with the Mallisters” this is probably comparable to the treatment Theon occasionally got at Winterfell. He felt prejudiced and on occasions probably excluded simply for being a Greyjoy.



“‘Why is my father not here to greet me?’ ‘He awaits you in the Sea Tower, m’lord. When you are rested from your trip.’ And I thought Ned Stark cold.”


After his disappointment Theon directly compares Ned Stark to his own father and even concludes that Ned Stark was better.



“Ned Stark had killed neither of his brothers, in truth. Rodrik had been slain by Lord Jason Mallister at Seagard, Maron crushed in the collapse of the old south tower... but Stark would have done for them just as quick had the tide of battle chanced to sweep them together.”



This quote is interesting because initially Theon defends Ned Stark when his father blames him for the deaths of his brothers, he considers how Ned actually wasn’t the one to kill them. but as a counter reaction he immediately follows up with “he would have done it” because as a Greyjoy and a captive of the Starks, he thinks he’s supposed to feel resentment towards them, just like his father. But clearly he has to force himself to feel this resentment.



The Iroborn


“hard places breed hard men, and hard men rule the world”



Throughout the chapter we see that Theon’s time in the north certainly left it’s marks on him. he has forgotten much of the ironborn ways, and has a narrow-minded but romantic idea of them though strongly influenced by how the northmen view them, (he even unconsciously refers to them as “ironmen”) Theon’s childhood memories and his own romanticized interpretation. None the less Theon is trying to convince himself he’s ironborn through and through, that it is simply “in his blood”. He spends a lot of time thinking about the ironborn culture and history, probably partly due to the fact that GRRM wanted to properly introduce us to the ironborn and their culture, to give us a better understanding of what kind of people they are. But it is also important to Theon as a character. He is on his way home and he is trying his best to behave like an ironborn so he reminds himself of all the knowledge he has about his people. Theon expresses an interest in ships and connects anything he can think of to the sea. It’s clearly a thought process he has forced upon himself as part of his fake identity, because currently it is all about being ironborn.



“The sea meant freedom to the men of the Iron Islands. He had forgotten that until the Myraham had raised sail at Seagard.” The sea doesn't mean freedom to him just because; it means freedom to him because it means freedom to the Ironborn. And he uses it to remind himself he's also an Ironborn and he MUST consider the sea as freedom, because that’s a part of being an ironborn. Which is what Theon is trying to be. This is a perfect example of how Theon thinks about himself, he doesn’t begin with himself, he begins with “I am a Greyjoy” and then creates a person with certain aspects based on that, then applies those aspects to himself and tells himself that that’s who he is.



Religion


“Theon was more interested in ships than gods.”


Theon is not interested in religion and thinks that ironborn aren’t either. They are however interested in ships (they are hard, brave, confident sailors after all) so Theon extends this to himself.



“’Tell me true, nephew. Do you pray to the wolf gods now?’ Theon seldom prayed at all, but that was not something you confessed to a priest, even your father’s own brother.”


One of the many signs that Theon’s narrow minded idea of the ironborn is far from what they really are. The ironborn value religion a lot. Priests are very well respected and powerful. And the idea of being superior and therefore having the right to reave, rape and pillage comes from the religious belief that the drowned god created them in his own image. The entire ironborn culture rests upon the shoulders of their religious beliefs. If Theon understood this, he would have included that in the identity he created for himself. But he has a warped view of the ironborn culture to begin with. And it doesn’t rest on anything but his own romanticized version of it, and the belief that “that is simply how ironborn are”



Theon’s vanity


Theon’s love for fine clothes gets touched upon a few times in this chapter and I think it’s very important because this is the one thing that belongs entirely to Theon, it’s not something he’s learned as a defense mechanism or something he pushed on himself as part of his fake identity.



“The fool still did not know him. He should have worn his good doublet, with the kraken embroidered on the breast.”


Theon thinks he’ll get recognized if he dresses better, which we find out is not the truth at all. this is a serious misconception about the ironborn that Theon has. He probably always considered he’d get more respected in better clothes as a way of showing off his high born status. Being dressed well is something Theon enjoys so he assumes others do too and he’s added it to his concept of what he thinks people are like.



“Theon knelt. He had a purpose here, and might need Aeron’s help to achieve it. A crown was worth a little mud and horseshit on his breeches, he supposed.”


Theon actually think that getting his clothes dirty is a high price to pay, though worth it for a crown. He’s clearly very attached to his clothes and kneeling down in the mud bothers him.



“Theon stripped off his travel-stained clothing and dressed to meet his father. He chose boots of supple black leather, soft lambswool breeches of silvery-grey, a black velvet doublet with the golden kraken of the Greyjoys embroidered on the breast. Around his throat he fastened a slender gold chain, around his waist a belt of bleached white leather. He hung a dirk at one hip and a longsword at the other, in scabbards striped black- and-gold. Drawing the dirk, he tested its edge with his thumb, pulled a whetstone from his belt pouch, and gave it a few licks. He prided himself on keeping his weapons sharp.”


This whole paragraph shows how much care Theon puts in dressing nicely, thinking his father with appreciate it. Unfortunately he does not:


“’Did Ned Stark dress you like that?’ his father interrupted, squinting up from beneath his robe. ‘Was it his pleasure to garb you in velvets and silks and make you his own sweet daughter?’ Theon felt the blood rising to his face. ‘I am no man’s daughter. If you mislike my garb, I will change it.’”



Observations:


“That was where Robert had made his breach, swarming in over the rubble and corpses with his warharnmer in hand and Ned Stark at his side. Theon had watched from the safety of the Sea Tower, and sometimes he still saw the torches in his dreams, and heard the dull thunder of the collapse.”


Theon apparently witnessed some of the fighting and he still has nightmares about it.



Conclusion:


Theon starts off overly confident but those feelings can’t last when he’s confronted with the truth and has to fight to keep his fantasies alive. The inner struggle of stark vs Greyjoy is clearly visable as well. He can’t stop thinking about the Starks (Robb in particular) and tries to measure up by forcing thoughts about the ironborn and all that is related to them (according to Theon) upon himself.



“A boy they took,” his father said. “What are you now?” “A man,” Theon answered. “Your blood and your heir.”


In a way this is the essence of the entire chapter. Theon is trying to prove himself to be this “man” and hiding all his insecurities, feelings of shame and vulnerability by acting like the macho identity he’s created for himself. But since this personality is fake, it is fragile and he needs to constantly feed it by criticizing and insulting others and acting arrogant. And anything that threatens this fake personality to be destroyed, or seen through by others scares Theon and makes him angry and lash out, in order to keep it standing. He denies everything that doesn’t compute with his superiority and others seeing this superiority and instead comes up with explanations that suit his needs.



Theon is a very unreliable narrator, everything is filtered through his fake identity and he constantly forces thoughts and emotions upon himself and tries to suppress others, but as a reader it’s usually possible to see what is real and what is not, it is however, not easy.


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  • 3 weeks later...

Interesting re-read! I'm still on the fence about Theon, though FfC and DwD have definitely made me more sympathetic. I think you're 100% on-point about Theon's insecurities and his presence as an unreliable narrator. I can't wait to read your analysis of his meeting with Asha.


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Really great analysis INCBlackbird. You really understand Theon and all his insecurities. I think Theon is not one of the most popular characters but certainly one of the most fascinating, so good idea for a re-read. Were you not planning on analysing Theon in AGoT? I know he doesn't have any POV chapters but there are still some key Theon scenes.



You're right about Theon's false identity and I particularly liked the bit about him behaving the way he thinks he should behave in order to get respect from the people around him. We'll see a lot of this in later chapters. Theon reminds me of a freshers student whose just left home and is living in the big wide world all on their own for the first time and goes mad and spends all their money at once and gets drunk every night just because they can.



Theon is disappointed when he arrives in Pyke. Disappointed that they don't respect him, disappointed that his Uncle Aeron isn't the fun man he used to be and disappointed mainly in his father. Not only does Balon show no affection or respect for him, but twice Theon thinks that his father is shorter than he remembered him. Of course he doesn't want to admit this disappointment, he still wants to live in his fantasy. This also highlights the fact that the Iron Islands of his distorted memory does not match reality. His entire plan rested on his warped view of the Iron Islands and his father.



There is also a stark contrast between how Theon is treated by the Starks and by the Greyjoys. This is why I think it would be good to analyse his AGoT scenes because we see the Starks treating him like an adult: Ned takes him to executions, Catelyn and Robb include him in counsels and entrust him with secrets and he leads northmen into battle. He's then surprised and angry (and rightly so) when his own family treat him like a child. Of course, you're right in that he still has a child's mind because he's never had to shoulder responsibility but he has still fought in battles. This isn't how it's supposed to be - his captors are supposed to be the ones who treat him with no respect and his family should welcome him with open arms and accept him as heir. This is why he tries to have negative thoughts about Winterfell, like how 'even the bastard Jon Snow had been accorded more honour', which is completely at odds with Jon's view on the matter.



Poor deluded Theon.


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Interesting re-read! I'm still on the fence about Theon, though FfC and DwD have definitely made me more sympathetic. I think you're 100% on-point about Theon's insecurities and his presence as an unreliable narrator. I can't wait to read your analysis of his meeting with Asha.

thank you so much for reading. i'm really sympathatic towards Theon tbh, but I try to be as unbiased as possible in these analysis cause I need them to be accurate. I'm writing on the second chapter now but I've been having a writers block for some time now. it's annoying.

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Really great analysis INCBlackbird. You really understand Theon and all his insecurities. I think Theon is not one of the most popular characters but certainly one of the most fascinating, so good idea for a re-read. Were you not planning on analysing Theon in AGoT? I know he doesn't have any POV chapters but there are still some key Theon scenes.

You're right about Theon's false identity and I particularly liked the bit about him behaving the way he thinks he should behave in order to get respect from the people around him. We'll see a lot of this in later chapters. Theon reminds me of a freshers student whose just left home and is living in the big wide world all on their own for the first time and goes mad and spends all their money at once and gets drunk every night just because they can.

Theon is disappointed when he arrives in Pyke. Disappointed that they don't respect him, disappointed that his Uncle Aeron isn't the fun man he used to be and disappointed mainly in his father. Not only does Balon show no affection or respect for him, but twice Theon thinks that his father is shorter than he remembered him. Of course he doesn't want to admit this disappointment, he still wants to live in his fantasy. This also highlights the fact that the Iron Islands of his distorted memory does not match reality. His entire plan rested on his warped view of the Iron Islands and his father.

There is also a stark contrast between how Theon is treated by the Starks and by the Greyjoys. This is why I think it would be good to analyse his AGoT scenes because we see the Starks treating him like an adult: Ned takes him to executions, Catelyn and Robb include him in counsels and entrust him with secrets and he leads northmen into battle. He's then surprised and angry (and rightly so) when his own family treat him like a child. Of course, you're right in that he still has a child's mind because he's never had to shoulder responsibility but he has still fought in battles. This isn't how it's supposed to be - his captors are supposed to be the ones who treat him with no respect and his family should welcome him with open arms and accept him as heir. This is why he tries to have negative thoughts about Winterfell, like how 'even the bastard Jon Snow had been accorded more honour', which is completely at odds with Jon's view on the matter.

Poor deluded Theon.

thanks for reading!! :) and OMG! I hadn't even thought about analysing him in AGOT but now I want to do that. I'm not sure where I should put it though, should I edit it into my OP when it's done or just make a new post and have it all be out of order... ?

that's a really good point you make about Theon thinking that his father is shorter then he remembers him. it makes sense since Theon was a little boy when he left, his father would look a lot taller to little 9 year old Theon then 19 year old Theon. but I also think it's a sublte way of Theon noticing that his father doesn't look as imposing as he used to. as a boy he probably had this image (as many kids have) that his father could do anything he wanted and no one could stop him. and that image probably remained all those years, because Theon held on to it and romanticised it, as he romanticized a lot of things. but reality is very different from a romanticized distorted image you have in your head, and this is something Theon learns way too late, he's 19 when he sees reality and it's a shock many people don't go through because they are confronted with it gradually, that sorta goes along with my point about Theon still being a little boy inside who cannot deal with a harsh reality so he prefers to deny it.

I both agree and disagree with the point you made here. it's true that his captors treated him much more as an adult then his own family, this also goes along with the fact that their oldest son is 4 years younger then Theon, so he WAS the oldest and goes back to being the youngest when he goes home. however I do not think that his captors treated him with respect, well not all of them. honestly, I think the starks themselves did, Ned, Cat, Robb... though not Bran and I think a lot of people in winterfell (not all of them of course) would have been like jason Mallister, resentfull and looking down on him for being a greyjoy.

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so, since rainghost suggested to also analyse Theon in A Game of Thrones, I have started doing that. I've collected all parts in which Theon appears and am rereading and analysing them, afterwards I will get back to a clash of kings. in the maintime, here's the first part from AGOT:



Bran I


“The head bounced off a thick root and rolled. It came up near Greyjoy’s feet. Theon was a lean, dark youth of nineteen who found everything amusing. He laughed, put his boot on the head, and kicked it away.”


This is the first time we meet Theon and it’s a very defining moment. Bran remarks that he finds everything amusing and throughout the rest of the book we find that Theon smiles A LOT. But if, with the background information we now have on a reread, we look back at this moment, it’s already been made clear why Theon smiles so much. Theon is a hostage under threat of death, a position he has been in since he was 9. And at this particular moment he has just witnessed an execution knowing that any day it could be him on the block being decapitated with the same sword, by the same man, and he is helpless to do anything to stop it, his own fate is beyond his control.


So Theon developed a defense mechanism, this particular defense mechanism is called reaction formation (Reaction formation is a defensive process in which emotions and impulses that are anxiety-producing or perceived to be unacceptable are mastered by displaying an exaggeration of the directly opposing tendency.) Theon smiles to hide his fear, sadness and feelings of helplessness. And it goes beyond hiding them from others, more so it’s about denying the very existence of them to himself.


I’d like to skip ahead a little to Catelyn’s first chapter in a clash of kings:


When Robb pretty much spells out Theon’s hostage situation, Catelyn notices him smiling again. We can’t know what Theon is thinking but it’s not so difficult to guess.


“’I shall release my own captives taken in the Whispering Wood and the Battle of the Camps, save Jaime Lannister alone, who will remain my hostage for his father’s good behavior.’ She studied Theon Greyjoy’s sly smile, wondering what it meant. That young man had a way of looking as though he knew some secret jest that only he was privy to; Catelyn had never liked it.”



I think these two quotes put together illustrated pretty well what went on in Theon’s mind. I’m pretty sure that this is what it felt like for Theon at times. He had been screwed over by life so much and therefor knew how horribly unfair life could be to a person. He was experienced in the game of life, he’d learned how to play it. How to shield himself from all that hurt and keep on living. And Theon arrogantly believes that he’s figured it all out, while others have not. “Boys believe nothing can hurt them, grown men know better”


Right after the execution Theon is seemingly in an extremely good mood “Theon Greyjoy were the first to reach the boys. Greyjoy was laughing and joking as he rode. Bran heard the breath go out of him. ‘Gods!’ he exclaimed, struggling to keep control of his horse as he reached for his sword.“ this strikes me because although Bran mentioned that Theon “finds everything amusing” he notices this. Probably because it’s rather extreme. It seems like he’s doing it on purpose because he’s just witnessed this execution and the more extreme these feelings of fear and sadness are, the harder it is to deny them and the more he has to laugh.



While on their way back, the party comes across a dead mother direwolf, her 5 pups however are still alive. “’No matter,’ said Hullen. ‘They be dead soon enough too.’ Bran gave a wordless cry of dismay. ‘The sooner the better,’ Theon Greyjoy agreed. He drew his sword. ‘Give the beast here, Bran.’”


There’s not that much to say about this passage, this is just an instant of Theon wanting to be the adult that takes the hard decisions, something he does at all opportunities given, thinking it will earn him respect. In addition it is probably an attempt to appease Ned Stark, who has been teaching him, along with his own children, that difficult decisions sometimes need to be made and it is the lords task to carry them out. Theon correctly assumes that Eddard agrees that these pups are better off death and is trying to show off that he learned the lesson well and that he is strong enough to make these hard decisions as the capable adult he is.



Theon and Jon


It’s clear from the beginning that Jon doesn’t like Theon. After he kicks the head of the deserter, Jon immediately responds with calling Theon an “ass” for it. One of Jon’s best qualities is his ability to empathize with anyone, he understands people very well because he always puts himself in his shoes, but it seems to me like he refused to do this with Theon, he probably did understand him bt because of his dislike for him he denied him the benefit of the doubt. And as we get to the first Jon chapter it becomes apparent that the feeling is mutual: “Theon ignored him utterly, but there was nothing new in that.”


“An albino,” Theon Greyjoy said with wry amusement. “This one will die even faster than the others.” Jon Snow gave his father’s ward a long, chilling look. “I think not, Greyjoy,” he said. “This one belongs to me.”


This is an important incident because Theon probably realized that if there was a 6th pup, it was going to be Jon’s. And both Theon and Jon are the outsiders in their own way but this sets Jon as less of an outsider then Theon is, which is partly where Theon’s resentment of Jon probably stems from “the bastard gets more love and respect then me” though, I think their relationship is a lot more complicated then mutual resentment and jealousy. They’re in a similar situation (both of them are outsiders in Winterfell) but instead of bonding over this they clashed and worked out their frustrations about their situation on each other, this is probably due to their opposite personalities:


  • Jon is observant of others, Theon is very self-absorbed.
  • Jon thinks before he acts, Theon acts before he thinks
  • Jon is more introverted while Theon is more extroverted
  • Jon acts more rationally, Theon acts more emotionally.
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One thing I'd also say about Theon: he is classist, far more than he is sexist.



What you're seeing with the Captain's Daughter (and indeed the Captain himself) is a class system at work. The Captain's Daughter (who, it is often forgotten, has a mind and motivations of her own) sees Theon as a way to escape her status, and climb the social ladder. Theon knows that as a nobleman, he is a gatekeeper to the social mobility of others, but, having been kicked by those higher in the food-chain, he kicks downwards himself.



Accordingly, you'll notice that Theon's treatment of noble women (Sansa, Catelyn) is very different from his treatment of lowborn women.


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I both agree and disagree with the point you made here. it's true that his captors treated him much more as an adult then his own family, this also goes along with the fact that their oldest son is 4 years younger then Theon, so he WAS the oldest and goes back to being the youngest when he goes home. however I do not think that his captors treated him with respect, well not all of them. honestly, I think the starks themselves did, Ned, Cat, Robb... though not Bran and I think a lot of people in winterfell (not all of them of course) would have been like jason Mallister, resentfull and looking down on him for being a greyjoy.





That's a good point about Theon being the oldest, whereas he was the baby of the Greyjoy family and would have been remembered that way. I think Bran treated Theon with enough respect and I don't think he thought less of him for being a Greyjoy. I think Bran just compared Theon to Ned, Benjen, Robb & Jon and thought he was not as good a role model, which is what 8 year-old boys look for in older males. As for the rest of the people in Winterfell, I think they would all have treated him with the respect due his station but you're probably right that some of them would have judged him for being a Greyjoy and he definitely would not have been treated with as much respect as the Starks.



As for the Bran chapter, it's worth noting that Theon says "Gods!" and not "God!" - it's less a sign of religious conversion and more to do with him adopting northern sayings but it shows how he's assimilated to the north without realising it. You make a good point about Theon acting like an adult with the direwolves - I'd never thought about it that way before - and he also wants to kill the pup himself as per northern tradition. Theon here is acting rationally and even mercifully by wanting to give the pups a quick death. Robb, Bran and Jon (the children) are the ones who act abnormally by wanting to keep the pups.



Theon's relationship with Jon is fascinating. It's a shame we don't get more interaction between those two. I'm sure there would have been times when they got on fine and had fun together but I think the reason they could never really bond is that they were both jealous of each other. Theon obviously was jealous of Jon being part of the family, Jon was jealous of Theon's status. Although Jon can empathise with others, he's kind of like Tyrion in that he empathises with cripples, bastards and broken things. Jon grew up with Robb and Theon, trained with them, learned with them etc but they would grow up to be lords and he wouldn't (Theon wouldn't be a hostage forever but Jon would be a bastard forever). He couldn't empathise with either of them because he was jealous of them - he wanted to be in their position, so he couldn't feel sorry for them. He couldn't be resentful to Robb because he treated him well but Theon didn't, so all his bad feelings got vented on Theon. This is similar to what Theon did with Jon and other people socially lower than him, as Roose Boltons Pet Leech astutely pointed out.


The other reason they never bonded is that neither of them were treated with open hosility (Lady Catelyn aside). If they had been treated badly by the Starks, they could have united in their hatred of them but that's not the case. In fact, it was almost a competition between them as to which had the higher place of honour (and they both think the other did) and they definitely competed for Robb's friendship and I think even for Ned's respect, despite Theon's mixed feelings for him.


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will reply to the both of you soon but in the maintime here's the next part of the AGOT analysis (i'm gonna finish that first now, but I'm working on the second Theon clash chapter as well) :



Arya I


Arya spots Theon among Robb, Joffrey and Tommen practicing sword fighting with Rodrik Cassel, she notes “his black doublet emblazoned with the golden kraken of his House, a look of wry contempt on his face.” Two things are very important about this:


  1. Theon has a kraken on his clothes, making sure that no one forgets he’s a Greyjoy of Pyke. There’s a reason he does this. It’s Theon’s counter reaction to not being accepted as a Stark (which we know he wants to be but can’t be) so instead he relates himself to his own house every way he can, the emphasize that he does BELONG somewhere and that he is worth more than the people in Winterfell give him credit for.
  2. Then there’s the look of “wry contempt” on his face. We don’t have Theon’s thoughts here but considering how important it is to him that he’s a grown up he’s probably rather displeased that he has to fight against children (who are probably bossing him around, knowing Joffrey). When Joffrey complains that the game is for children “Theon Greyjoy gave a sudden bark of laughter. ‘You are children,’ he said derisively.” It’s also pretty clear from the next part that Theon likes to take on the role of older brother when it comes to Robb. When Robb and Joffrey get into a fight Theon seizes him and keeps him locked in “an iron grip” until he’s gone, essentially keeping Robb out of some serious trouble. Theon definitely cares about Robb and is concerned for his safety but incidents like this probably add to Theon’s mental image of himself as the responsible grown up, which is a part of the fake identity he’s put on himself and he needs to keep proving the truth of it continuously to keep on believing.
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One thing I'd also say about Theon: he is classist, far more than he is sexist.

What you're seeing with the Captain's Daughter (and indeed the Captain himself) is a class system at work. The Captain's Daughter (who, it is often forgotten, has a mind and motivations of her own) sees Theon as a way to escape her status, and climb the social ladder. Theon knows that as a nobleman, he is a gatekeeper to the social mobility of others, but, having been kicked by those higher in the food-chain, he kicks downwards himself.

Accordingly, you'll notice that Theon's treatment of noble women (Sansa, Catelyn) is very different from his treatment of lowborn women.

that's a very true indeed! and yeah it's interesting to compare his treatment of the captain and his daughter with how he treats Catelyn. there's a great example in AGOT where he helps catelyn out of the water like a true gentleman. he's increadably respectful to her. I'll get to that part though :)

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That's a good point about Theon being the oldest, whereas he was the baby of the Greyjoy family and would have been remembered that way. I think Bran treated Theon with enough respect and I don't think he thought less of him for being a Greyjoy. I think Bran just compared Theon to Ned, Benjen, Robb & Jon and thought he was not as good a role model, which is what 8 year-old boys look for in older males. As for the rest of the people in Winterfell, I think they would all have treated him with the respect due his station but you're probably right that some of them would have judged him for being a Greyjoy and he definitely would not have been treated with as much respect as the Starks.

As for the Bran chapter, it's worth noting that Theon says "Gods!" and not "God!" - it's less a sign of religious conversion and more to do with him adopting northern sayings but it shows how he's assimilated to the north without realising it. You make a good point about Theon acting like an adult with the direwolves - I'd never thought about it that way before - and he also wants to kill the pup himself as per northern tradition. Theon here is acting rationally and even mercifully by wanting to give the pups a quick death. Robb, Bran and Jon (the children) are the ones who act abnormally by wanting to keep the pups.

Theon's relationship with Jon is fascinating. It's a shame we don't get more interaction between those two. I'm sure there would have been times when they got on fine and had fun together but I think the reason they could never really bond is that they were both jealous of each other. Theon obviously was jealous of Jon being part of the family, Jon was jealous of Theon's status. Although Jon can empathise with others, he's kind of like Tyrion in that he empathises with cripples, bastards and broken things. Jon grew up with Robb and Theon, trained with them, learned with them etc but they would grow up to be lords and he wouldn't (Theon wouldn't be a hostage forever but Jon would be a bastard forever). He couldn't empathise with either of them because he was jealous of them - he wanted to be in their position, so he couldn't feel sorry for them. He couldn't be resentful to Robb because he treated him well but Theon didn't, so all his bad feelings got vented on Theon. This is similar to what Theon did with Jon and other people socially lower than him, as Roose Boltons Pet Leech astutely pointed out.

The other reason they never bonded is that neither of them were treated with open hosility (Lady Catelyn aside). If they had been treated badly by the Starks, they could have united in their hatred of them but that's not the case. In fact, it was almost a competition between them as to which had the higher place of honour (and they both think the other did) and they definitely competed for Robb's friendship and I think even for Ned's respect, despite Theon's mixed feelings for him.

I don't think Bran specifically thought less of Theon because he was a Greyjoy, he's too young for that. but there is a part in the first book (a part I'll get to in my analysis) where he screams at him, although understandable that he was scared, I think it's telling that 8 year old Bran can scream at 19 year old Theon and Theon doesn't do anything about it, because Bran is of higher status then him and he knows it. it's because Bran has seen how others treat Theon, and he is influenced by what they think of him. it's pretty clear that he respects Jon a whole lot, but not Theon. I don't blame Bran for this at all, he's a little boy, but his attitude is pretty telling about how Theon is generally treated in Winterfell. I'm not saying they treat him like crap, not at all, and I don't think they would openly mock him or anything like that (although I imagine that would happen sometimes) but being disrespected and made to feel like you're less then others, made to feel powerless.... is often in the little things (I know from personal experience) it's in the general attitude some people have on you, and then that attitude rubs off on others (especially children) because they notice that they can walk all over you and without thinking they start treating you like that as well. Bran considered Theon not a good role model because other people's attitude (and maybe they even straight out told him) taught him that he wasn't a good role model, there lies the problem. it may seem small and if we're only talking about Bran it is small, but this stuff doesn't come out of nowhere and it's not just Bran, Bran has it from somewhere because it's a general attitude the people of winterfell have, and even those who don't think they're prejudiced against Theon (like Ned, Rodrik and Luwin probably) they still have this unconcious prejudice that they're not aware off and it plays into their attitude towards him and you can be sure that Theon felt it!

that's a very good point about him say "gods" indeed! it shows the influences of the north tha Theon probably hasn't even noticed himself. just like him referring to the ironborn as Ironmen, while the Ironborn would never call themselves that!

exactly! and tbh, I think he's pretty focussed on Ned here. on please him, showing him how well he's learned the lessons Ned has taught him. he definitly wants his approval and he thinks he will get it by acting like the responsible adult.

I love what you said about Theon and Jon's relationship and I agree with everything fullheartedly.

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I don't think Bran specifically thought less of Theon because he was a Greyjoy, he's too young for that. but there is a part in the first book (a part I'll get to in my analysis) where he screams at him, although understandable that he was scared, I think it's telling that 8 year old Bran can scream at 19 year old Theon and Theon doesn't do anything about it, because Bran is of higher status then him and he knows it. it's because Bran has seen how others treat Theon, and he is influenced by what they think of him. it's pretty clear that he respects Jon a whole lot, but not Theon. I don't blame Bran for this at all, he's a little boy, but his attitude is pretty telling about how Theon is generally treated in Winterfell. I'm not saying they treat him like crap, not at all, and I don't think they would openly mock him or anything like that (although I imagine that would happen sometimes) but being disrespected and made to feel like you're less then others, made to feel powerless.... is often in the little things (I know from personal experience) it's in the general attitude some people have on you, and then that attitude rubs off on others (especially children) because they notice that they can walk all over you and without thinking they start treating you like that as well. Bran considered Theon not a good role model because other people's attitude (and maybe they even straight out told him) taught him that he wasn't a good role model, there lies the problem. it may seem small and if we're only talking about Bran it is small, but this stuff doesn't come out of nowhere and it's not just Bran, Bran has it from somewhere because it's a general attitude the people of winterfell have, and even those who don't think they're prejudiced against Theon (like Ned, Rodrik and Luwin probably) they still have this unconcious prejudice that they're not aware off and it plays into their attitude towards him and you can be sure that Theon felt it!

I think we're going to have to agree to disagree on this point. I'm sure that to a certain extent, Theon would be treated with a hostage and with less respect by certain people in Winterfell and that would rub off on Bran but I still think this is a view that Bran has mainly formed himself. I know he's very young but he's perceptive and has Robb and Jon to compare Theon to, so he can see Theon's flaws. Remember, Robb respects Theon and he grew up in the same environment as Bran but he had no older brother to compare Theon to and is less perceptive than Bran. You make a good point about though about Theon saying nothing when Bran shouts at him. We can discuss that more when we get to that chapter but it reminds me of the first chapter where Robb gives Theon an order ("Put your sword away") even though he has no right to. This is where Theon's status affects him I think. Robb, as heir, is used to giving orders. Bran I think is just angry and upset when he shouts at Theon but he's still used to getting his own way at Winterfell. But Theon was the youngest son in Pyke and is now a hostage at Winterfell, so he's only used to taking orders, even though he's now heir to Pyke.

On Arya I: I think the other reason Theon wears the kraken is because it emphasises that he belongs in that company. It's a stark contrast to Jon, who would normally spar with Theon and Robb but is now not allowed to because the (*cough*bastard*cough*) princes are there. He may be a hostage but he still belongs to a Great House and is trueborn.

It would have been interesting to see what Joffrey's reaction to Theon was. Theon is 19 to Joffrey's 12 and Robb's 14, so it's possible that Joffrey didn't bother trying to undermine Theon, perhaps being too scared to. Or perhaps Theon was just nonchalant. You're right in that Theon is again trying to act the adult here. On the one hand, we know that Theon is still basically a child inside, so him dismissing the others as children is a bit hypocritical. On the other hand, Joffrey and Robb very nearly cause a political incident here and might have done if not for Theon's intervention. Joffrey tries to claim that he's a man because he carries a real sword (as Theon does, so he can't mock him), whereas Robb only has a wooden sword. Robb lets himself get wound up, which is exactly what Joffrey wants. Theon is able to see how petty their squabble is and how they're both just children, which makes him feel and act superior because he really is a man grown, so he doesn't feel the need to assert his manhood.

I also like your point about Theon acting the older (responsible) brother here by restraining Robb in an "iron" grip (interesting choice of words). I agree with your analysis that this demonstrates both Theon's "adulthood" and his affection for Robb. I think it also shows his understanding of Robb because I'm sure that Ser Rodrik and other Winterfell guards would have restrained Robb before he got to Joffrey but it's Theon who gets there first. I think that Theon here acts like he thinks an older brother should, which is not how his older brothers treated him.

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Catelyn III



Theon is very eager to please Catelyn. Kind of like we have seen him do with Ned in the first chapter, paying special attention to doing/saying what he assumes his captors would want to hear. In this chapter, Cat trusts Theon with some important secrets, this probably makes Theon very happy and so he continuously voices his eagerness to serve “’Lord Eddard is a second father to me,’ said Theon Greyjoy. ‘I do so swear.’” This is something that Theon wants to believe, rather than the truth of the matter. But I’m sure Theon’s deluded himself into believes it in this moment, it’s who he needs to be and is very happy about being at the moment when he’s just been given this responsibility of keeping important secrets. He keeps this behavior up for the rest of the conversation “’Even the Kingslayer would flinch at the murder of an innocent child.’ ‘Oh, would he?’ Theon Greyjoy asked. ‘I wonder.’” This is again, Theon defending Catelyn’s view while simultaneously prejudicing Jaime Lannister, just like Ned and Cat do. “My lady, if it comes to that, my House owes yours a great debt.” Another view that we know is not Theon’s real view on the matter, but one that he gave himself in this moment, it’s the view of his captors he has taken on.



In short this is all one big display of Theon sucking up to his captors, something he does a lot and which is in clear contrast with how he puts people of a lower class then him down in an attempt to make himself feel like he is worth more than them. Catelyn calls Theon “impetuous” and this is pretty much the perfect word to describe Theon, he is rash, emotional and impulsive because he constantly adapts to the situation he is in and the people that are with him, he tries to change his own personality because he’s not emotionally stable enough and doesn’t have enough confidence to believe people will appreciate him as he is. He needs to feed the ever changing lies he tells himself to keep himself content.


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More very on-point analysis. I'm glad you decided to go ahead and look at Theon in GoT, as there's a lot there that shades our later understanding of Theon as a POV character in the later books.



Honestly, I really wish that we could see flashbacks of his time at Winterfell. Yes, he's there as a hostage, but Catelyn (who has some hard-held prejudices) has no issue believing him when he says that Ned was a second father to him. That leads me to believe that Theon wasn't treated very much like a hostage at all. Considering Ned's deeply held sense of honor, I think he would have seen it as dishonorable to allow Theon to be treated as less than the son of a lord, even if he was being held as one to keep the Iron Islanders in line. Theon does seem deeply resentful of his time in Winterfell, however--but that only starts appearing after he returns to Pyke. I can't wait to read more from you.


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I think we're going to have to agree to disagree on this point. I'm sure that to a certain extent, Theon would be treated with a hostage and with less respect by certain people in Winterfell and that would rub off on Bran but I still think this is a view that Bran has mainly formed himself. I know he's very young but he's perceptive and has Robb and Jon to compare Theon to, so he can see Theon's flaws. Remember, Robb respects Theon and he grew up in the same environment as Bran but he had no older brother to compare Theon to and is less perceptive than Bran. You make a good point about though about Theon saying nothing when Bran shouts at him. We can discuss that more when we get to that chapter but it reminds me of the first chapter where Robb gives Theon an order ("Put your sword away") even though he has no right to. This is where Theon's status affects him I think. Robb, as heir, is used to giving orders. Bran I think is just angry and upset when he shouts at Theon but he's still used to getting his own way at Winterfell. But Theon was the youngest son in Pyke and is now a hostage at Winterfell, so he's only used to taking orders, even though he's now heir to Pyke.

On Arya I: I think the other reason Theon wears the kraken is because it emphasises that he belongs in that company. It's a stark contrast to Jon, who would normally spar with Theon and Robb but is now not allowed to because the (*cough*bastard*cough*) princes are there. He may be a hostage but he still belongs to a Great House and is trueborn.

It would have been interesting to see what Joffrey's reaction to Theon was. Theon is 19 to Joffrey's 12 and Robb's 14, so it's possible that Joffrey didn't bother trying to undermine Theon, perhaps being too scared to. Or perhaps Theon was just nonchalant. You're right in that Theon is again trying to act the adult here. On the one hand, we know that Theon is still basically a child inside, so him dismissing the others as children is a bit hypocritical. On the other hand, Joffrey and Robb very nearly cause a political incident here and might have done if not for Theon's intervention. Joffrey tries to claim that he's a man because he carries a real sword (as Theon does, so he can't mock him), whereas Robb only has a wooden sword. Robb lets himself get wound up, which is exactly what Joffrey wants. Theon is able to see how petty their squabble is and how they're both just children, which makes him feel and act superior because he really is a man grown, so he doesn't feel the need to assert his manhood.

I also like your point about Theon acting the older (responsible) brother here by restraining Robb in an "iron" grip (interesting choice of words). I agree with your analysis that this demonstrates both Theon's "adulthood" and his affection for Robb. I think it also shows his understanding of Robb because I'm sure that Ser Rodrik and other Winterfell guards would have restrained Robb before he got to Joffrey but it's Theon who gets there first. I think that Theon here acts like he thinks an older brother should, which is not how his older brothers treated him.

Yes we can agree to disagree of course. And I’m at that chapter now, writing about it. But just for the record I wanted to say that I don’t mean that Theon was actively bullied or anything. But even if it’s just a general atmosphere it's something that people will feel and it will hurt them and they'll absorb it like a fucking sponge and it'll stay with them forever! And I think the effect of this gets severely underestimated. And I think it shows in that moment with Bran. Theon is aware that he is powerless against Bran, despite there being this thing where older people tend to be more respected then younger people, especially in this culture (something I really hate btw) and people have probably told Theon that he is worth less than Bran (despite actually having the same status as him) but even if they haven’t, they don’t have too. The whole demeanor Theon has had to deal with has told him that. he can feel it, like people can very often feel what others think of them. It’s often not even about the words they say to them but the way they say it. I once heard that 70% of the communication is done through body language and I think this is very true! There’s also the thing where Theon has this low self-esteem and as someone who shares this problem with him I can tell you that it’s a vicious circle because it means that you tend to care a lot about what people think of you but you’ll also pay more attention to the negative things they think about you, making your own low self-esteem lower and lower. Theon tries to fight this with this whole “I don’t care” and “I’m such an asshole” and “I totally love myself and nothing you say can hurt me” attitude, but of course it doesn’t work because it’s a complete lie and no matter how many times Theon tells himself it’s not, that isn’t going to make it true.

This atmosphere and even the judgment (that I do think Theon got from time to time) was of course unavoidable. And it’s not anyone’s fault, these people live in a society where prejudice of other cultures is normal, everyone does it. (And frankly they have good reason to judge the ironborn)

And this is why I don’t really blame anyone for this, people always seem to think that I’m blaming the starks but I don’t like to assign blame under any circumstance cause it’s pointless and very counterproductive. Frankly, I hate judgementalness. But I’m getting off topic… my only point is that the time Theon spent at Winterfell had this effect on him, was perceived by him this way, which is what’s important when discussing his character I think.

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More insightful analysis INCBlackbird. Catelyn does Theon a great honour by including him in the secret, which I think promotes all of Theon’s pro-Stark thoughts. I like your idea that Theon adapts his behaviour depending on the situation he’s in and who he’s with. I think Theon has mixed feelings towards Ned. I think Ned is a second father to Theon to some extent and I believe Theon would like to see him that way and would like Ned to see things that way as well but the threat of Ice means that this can never really be the case. This is comparable to his relationship with his real father – he would like to believe that Balon loves him but he knows that his life is in Balon’s hands, which makes him a threat as well.



Rereading this chapter, Theon’s claim that ‘my House owes yours a great debt’ stood out to me. What was he thinking with that? The rest of what he says could be true but I cannot see the thinking behind this claim. Do they owe the Starks a debt for not killing Theon? For not killing Balon? For not completely destroying the Iron Islands? Even for delusional Theon this is a strange statement.



I agree with what you say about Theon’s status as hostage having a subtle but still very real effect on Bran, Theon, everyone else and their relationships with each other. That was inevitable and it definitely has an effect on Theon, even if there was no open animosity towards him. In a way that actually makes it harder to deal with because he can’t openly hate the Starks, he’s just left with this feeling of inferiority.


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I'm very interested in the similarities and differences between Jon and Theon. Both are "outsiders," but they receive different treatment. Jon is involved in most day-to-day functionings of the Stark life (excluding Catelyn's actions), but he's not part of the family for the banquet that welcomes Robert and company. Theon, meanwhile, is a hostage/ward, but as "prince" of the Iron Islands, he's considered a "suitable" guest. Catelyn obviously feels less discomfort with Theon than with Jon because of her assumptions about Jon's origins, so it's interesting to see that from Catelyn's perspective, at least, Theon is more "family" than Jon.


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I'm very interested in the similarities and differences between Jon and Theon. Both are "outsiders," but they receive different treatment. Jon is involved in most day-to-day functionings of the Stark life (excluding Catelyn's actions), but he's not part of the family for the banquet that welcomes Robert and company. Theon, meanwhile, is a hostage/ward, but as "prince" of the Iron Islands, he's considered a "suitable" guest. Catelyn obviously feels less discomfort with Theon than with Jon because of her assumptions about Jon's origins, so it's interesting to see that from Catelyn's perspective, at least, Theon is more "family" than Jon.

One difficulty in analysing their different treatment is that we don't really get an objective view on it. I imagine that the smallfolk of Winterfell treated both with equal respect because they were both of higher social status but they probably treated Jon more fondly because he had Stark blood. Jon was only excluded when the king was there, otherwise he sat with with siblings at dinner and sparred with the others in the yard. Theon may have been a hostage but he was still highborn and therefore had as much right to sit with the royal family as the Starks did.

You make a good point about Catelyn's treatment of Jon and Theon. At least at this point Catelyn includes Theon and treats him like one of them - she would never have included Jon in that discussion - but she still never really trusted Theon completely I don't think. I wonder if Theon was proud of the fact that Catelyn liked him better than Jon. Ned obviously could never let himself get close to Theon but was very close to Jon. Arya and Bran definitely treated Jon as family and Theon as an outsider but Bran still felt safe with Theon, even if he didn't particularly like him, as we'll see later. We don't know what Rickon thought of Theon and Sansa never thought about him either. I imagine Sansa treated them both respectfully if not warmly and we know she only considered Jon half family. Robb was the only one who treated them both like family and trusted both completely but even then, he and Jon had been brothers for 5 years before Theon arrived. And of course Jon and Theon hated each other. Shame.

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  • 2 weeks later...

sorry it always takes me such a long time to update here! I'm slower than I thought! but I will get through it eventually :) here's the next part of the analysis:



Bran IV


Observation:


“Theon Greyjoy had once commented that Hodor did not know much, but no one could doubt that he knew his name.”


This is some very ironic foreshadowing that I just had to mention.



Bran V


Robb spends a lot of time with Theon Bran notes how he “seems to admire Theon and enjoy his company” but how he Bran himself never warmed up to Theon. The wording he uses here is important to note “seems” as if he can’t really believe that Robb really DOES admire Theon and enjoys his company. Of course we can’t really know where these feelings come from but there’s room for speculation:


  1. There’s not really anything behind it but a simple choice of words from GRRM, and Bran simply does not like Theon as a person
  2. Bran is jealous of the attention Robb gives to Theon
  3. Bran has observed how people in Winterfell view/treat Theon and unconsciously concluded that he’s not supposed to like him. He’s partially imitating other people’s behavior/opinions of Theon.


Personally, I think it’s a combination of all three. Especially when combined with the way Bran behaves towards Theon in this chapter and Theon’s response (or rather, lack thereof) leads me to believe that Bran took in some of this from what he’d seen of other people’s behavior towards Theon.



Another topic that’s important to discuss is Theon’s open talk of his sexual activities. “When Theon Greyjoy called out to them, the younger girl turned red and covered her face. Theon spurred his mount to move up beside Robb. ‘Sweet Kyra,’ he said with a laugh. ‘She squirms like a weasel in bed, but say a word to her on the street, and she blushes pink as a maid. Did I ever tell you about the night that she and Bessa-‘‘not where my brother can hear, Theon,’” It’s apparent from this quote that this is a regular occurrence to Robb? Theon regularly boasts about his sexual activities. And this is just another occasion of him trying to prove to himself (and others) that he is an adult. To Theon having a lot of sex is something that should derive respect. Where exactly he learned this from is unclear but he got it from somewhere. The point however, is that Theon has to boast about it because he needs to constantly remind himself of how he deserves this respect. He needs to feed all the aspects of the identity he reinvented for himself, because fake identities are unstable, it’s a constant struggle to keep them standing and Theon will use all the means he has.



“’Theon thinks I should call the banners,’ Robb said. ‘Blood for blood.’ For once Greyjoy did not smile. His lean, dark face had a hungry look to it, and black hair fell down across his eyes. ‘Only the lord can call the banners,’ Bran said as the snow drifted down around them. ‘If your father dies,’ Theon said, ‘Robb will be Lord of Winterfell.’ ‘He won’t die!’ Bran screamed at him. Robb took his hand. ‘He won’t die, not Father,’ he said calmly. ‘Still... the honor of the north is in my hands now. When our lord father took his leave of us, he told me to be strong for you and for Rickon. I’m almost a man grown, Bran.’ Bran shivered. ‘I wish Mother was back,’ he said miserably. He looked around for Maester Luwin; his donkey was visible in the far distance, trotting over a rise. ‘Does Maester Luwin say to call the banners too?’ ‘The maester is timid as an old woman,’ said Theon. ‘Father always listened to his counsel,’ Bran reminded his brother. ‘Mother too.’”


I think this entire conversation is important which is why I’m including the whole thing. I want to mention a few important observations:


  • Bran notices how “for once Greyjoy did not smile” this is important! Theon takes this very seriously, something he does with few things (mostly due to the emotional weight of them) and I think it’s important for him to be taken seriously about this. And Robb does listen to him.
  • Bran starts shouting at Theon, though for understandable reasons, I think it’s important to note that he “can” do this without retaliation (from Theon) and Bran must be aware he can do this. Imagine Jon standing there instead of Theon, I don’t think he’d have responded quite the same way. The point is that Bran is unconsciously aware he can treat Theon like someone beneath him, even though their positions are technically equal and Theon is older.
  • Another point that’s important is that Bran brings up that mother and father listened to Maester Luwin.

“Theon Greyjoy stood beside a sentinel tree, his bow in hand. He was smiling. Ever smiling. A half-dozen arrows were thrust into the soft ground at his feet, but it had taken only one. ‘A dead enemy is a thing of beauty,’ he announced. ‘Jon always said you were an ass, Greyjoy,’ Robb said loudly. ‘I ought to chain you up in the yard and let Bran take a few practice shots at you. ‘ ‘You should be thanking me for saving your brother’s life.’ ‘What if you had missed the shot?’ Robb said. ‘What if you’d only wounded him? What if you had made his hand jump, or hit Bran instead? For all you knew, the man might have been wearing a breastplate, all you could see was the back of his cloak. What would have happened to my brother then? Did you ever think of that, Greyjoy?’ Theon’s smile was gone. He gave a sullen shrug and began to pull his arrows from the ground, one by one.”


This is a very important event in Theon’s time in Winterfell and possibly the most telling. I’m pretty sure that Theon was very proud of saving Bran, understandable since he would probably have been dead if Theon hadn’t been there. Theon definitely saved the day and I’m sure that would have made him feel important if it weren’t for Robb taking that away from him.



Confidence is a social process. Other people contribute to it. Particularly when people are young and have not yet survived a few of life's trials, it is difficult for people to know who they are and what they are made of. Much of what passes for identity is actually what other people tell them they are (but directly and subtly, don’t underestimate the power of body language.) Robb was Theon’s best friend, the one person that appreciated him for who he was (a person rather than a political tool) and I can imagine Theon thinking something along the lines of “even Robb doesn’t really appreciate me” and instead of smiling Theon shrugged, pretending like he doesn’t care, but he definitely cares a lot. Theon thinks back of this moment in a clash of kings when he’s thinking about how the Starks (not even Robb) appreciated him. For someone like Theon who has very little confidence such a onetime event tends to stick and becomes “proof” that he is not worthy of appreciation, which is a notion Theon is constantly fighting as it is.



What’s even sadder is that Robb did appreciate what Theon did, when Cat tells him not to send Theon to the iron islands he tells her that Theon is to be trusted because he saved Bran from the wildlings. But in that moment Robb was scared and angry and he took it out on Theon. But the problem with Robb is that he’s rather naïve, probably mostly due to his lack of life experience. Robb didn’t mean to hurt Theon but he assumed that Theon “just knew” he did appreciate what he did, without telling him. But Theon did not know.



“Theon Greyjoy sauntered closer. ‘Give her to the wolves,’”


I don’t think there’s too much to say about this, it’s just one more case of Theon acting “badass”/ making the hard decisions. I’m pretty sure that Theon thinks this is the kind of person he’s supposed to be in order to gain respect. He thinks he needs to be harsh because if people fear his decisions they will not dare defy him.


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