who is the truest hero, if there is one, in this very grey series

[Nevets]

On 1/24/2016 at 8:17 AM, the Greenleif Stark said:

IMO, a "hero" is easy to define...its a person who displays bravery while directly putting themself in harms way at the benefit of others, its an impulse, seeing and reacting, its the guy that jumps on a grenade to save his buddies, or the guy running into a fire to save someone, protecting others while disregarding your own health. That's a hero, that's heroism. Choosing to do the morally correct things doesn't automatically make you a hero. Black, white or gray, all characters can do heroic things, it all depends on situations and reactions. I think its obvious Dunk is the closest we get to "truest hero" in this world.

How about Beric Dondarrion, Syrio Forel, Brienne (at the Orphans' Inn), or Davos (hiding Edric Storm, knowing Stannis will be  pissed).  I'm sure there are other, these just popped into my head.

[FuzzyJAM]

On 14/01/2016 at 1:19 AM, mankytoes said:

I think Davos was a more grey person pre Stannis- it's easy to forget he was a career criminal as well. He didn't really believe in much, until Stannis came along. I agree that our Davos, as in the Davos whose thoughts we read, wouldn't cheat on his wife. However, pre series, pre character development Davos? He's an opportunistic criminal, keeping company with thieves and pirates, in a culture where male cheating isn't a big deal.

When Stannis took his fingers, I think Davos saw it a bit like a baptism. He isn't going to obsess about all his wrongdoings from back then- he paid the penalty. That was Davos the smuggler. He is Davos the knight, the Lord, the King's Hand.

I don't think someone like Davos just comes into being as a great person post-knighthood.  Even if he was more grey, he still has to have had an extremely strong moral code to be the character we later see.  That he flaunted customs in a "victimless crime" (much easier to argue for them in a non-democracy) is a totally different kind of wrongdoing to cheating on your wife IMO - it's relational, apart from anything else, and it wasn't paid for by his fingers.  His baptism was into the laws of men surely, not into being a good person - that had to have already been there.  

I can believe Davos would cheat on his wife.  I just can't believe he'd feel no guilt for it.  Not obsessing, sure, but he shouldn't be so casual about it either.  

[mankytoes]

On 26/01/2016 at 1:03 AM, FuzzyJAM said:

I don't think someone like Davos just comes into being as a great person post-knighthood.  Even if he was more grey, he still has to have had an extremely strong moral code to be the character we later see.  That he flaunted customs in a "victimless crime" (much easier to argue for them in a non-democracy) is a totally different kind of wrongdoing to cheating on your wife IMO - it's relational, apart from anything else, and it wasn't paid for by his fingers.  His baptism was into the laws of men surely, not into being a good person - that had to have already been there.  

I can believe Davos would cheat on his wife.  I just can't believe he'd feel no guilt for it.  Not obsessing, sure, but he shouldn't be so casual about it either.  

I don't know if there was an implied time scale on his cheating, but I assume it was when he was much younger. You'd probably be shocked at what a lot of nice seeming forty year olds did in their youth. I guess he could have thought about it a bit more, but he's living a pretty crazy life. Cheating on your wife is bad, but he's had four kids die, he's a king's hand... you can see why he has bigger priorities.