Sam & Davos.

[Areya]

Hi guys, only my second or so post here, am currently reading AsoS: part 2.

My question is this: Do Sam and Davos really get on your nerves too?

What i mean is, Sam: IN every single Sam chapter, we are reminded, again and again,That he is a coward and a craven. seems to me that only half of a Sam chapter is actually new content, and the other half is him telling himself, and others, often, that he is a coward....

and then he goes and kills an Other

. that is just really cheesy.

Its the same principle with Davos, he spends so long going on that he is a smuggler, and he has risen too high etc....and reaching for his Luck that isnt there, (and tbh, it didnt exactly bring him much luck in the first place.

[andrew_]

I dont like Sam either but I like Davos, he's a boss

[Crown]

You're alone here. Davos and Sam are fan-favourites.

[KhaleesiDany]

Not alone. I think Sam it's kind of ironic, he says he is craven all the time, but in something like p200 of GOT people are already calling him Brave. By the later books, I don't really have this picture of Sam as a fat coward loser anymore, though it is obviously how he still pictures himself.

Davos, sigh. I think Davos himself is all right, but I'm getting tired of feeling sorry for him. Ever since his four sons died at the end of ACOK, I feel awful for him and his family. Is what he gained really worth all that he's lost to climb so high? Having to serve Stannis definitely has it's downsides.

[ivor the swine]

Sam is lovable tho. Im reading his 1st Chapter in aFfC and im really excited to read about his new path. Davos tho... I think he would have been a better character if he found another way off the rock and ended up in Braavos, Valyria or even Eastwatch before finding Stannis. I hope he finds his 'Luck' tho. They'll probably wash up on Blackwater Beach.

[Azureguy]

I tolerate Sam, but I love Davos.

[LordofSunspear]

I see what you mean, but it's not just them. Most characters have thoughts they repeat at least three times a page:

Sam: 'I'm a coward'

Davod: 'I hate Melisandres god and I lost my sons because of her, but I love my king'

Catelyn: 'My family is dead'

Arya: 'I want to kill [the person currently next to her]'

Sansa: 'I love lemon pies! I love knights! I love songs!'

and I can't remember any time when Brienne wasn't talking about oaths...

Even those, who don't repeat their stuff constantly like Tyrion or Jon have recurring motives like 'I love whores' or 'Am I a traitor now?'.

So the reason why I don't like Sam isn't the repeated 'I'm a coward' thought, it's just the fact that he doesn't interest me enough as a person to become a POV character. Just like Sansa.

I like Davos, even though his POV chapters can get boring and depressing sometimes, he is a really realistic character.

[Loerwyn]

As LordofSunspear said, it's something that's not a problem with those characters but more about Martin's inability to not bash the reader over the head with the obvious (which is bizarre considering how good he is at subtle things). You don't have to look far for proof, either - how many times a chapter does Martin remind us that Brienne is ugly or Tyrion is short?

As for me, I'd say Sam and Davos are characters I quite enjoy. Sam is kind, loving and gentle, yet in the Night's Watch that's generally a set of weaknesses, but Sam turns them into strengths. Also, it's easy to forget that the style changes with each character. Bran's chapters are written differently to Dany's, and hers are different to Jon's. We get told Sam is a coward and craven so many times because he's telling himself that. With Davos, I think he's the only character who can influence Stannis to any real degree aside from Melisandre. No-one else will stand up to Stannis and tell him he's wrong or that he's doing something he shouldn't. This is very obvious near the end of the book when Stannis explains, um, why he's where he is.

[King of the Road]

I love both characters. They both deserve to live through this series although I think Davos is destined to die.

[YuvalTheVal]

I agree Sam is a little boring, but I love Davos, for 2 reasons:

- He reminds me of Ned

- We get to see what's going on with stannis through his eyes, and I think stannis is a complex and fascinating charcter.

[Bad Hound!]

Yes I agree with you YuvalTheVal - I like Davos chapters, not necessarily because of Davos (who's a bit too one-dimensional for me: he's a straight, loyal, guy, OK), but because this is the only way we have to get close to Stannis

[Ser Skuall the Wolfheart]

I admit, the Sam chapter could get a little annoying. There are times when I just want to scream out, "Grow some balls SAM!!!". But for all the cowardice emulates, Sam is a pretty damn smart guy with a good heart. Just wait until you reach aFfC... there's one particular chapter (and then some) where Sam will truly make you proud.

As for Davos, I love the guy. In a book dominated by mostly highborn perspectives, we get to see a man who is literally and figuratively rising from the Flea Bottom.

[PetyrPunkinhead]

I enjoyed the Davos and Sam chapters in SoS immensely! Especially Sam's last few chapters. I love how GRRM takes characters that would be nothing more than sidekicks or supporting characters in other novels and fleshes them out in to complete characters and gives each their own "heroes journey."

[MR92]

I think its a nice breather to read underdogs personally and not in the traditional sense...sam and davos are actually sometimes more interesting than most character in the series

[theJoker501]

The repetitiveness of their shortfalls or what have you is a reminder of how most people are. Say something embarrassing happened to you, or something tragic even, you would want to forget it but deep down it's always there. Sam grew up under his mothers wing, when his father decided to make a man out of him it was very abrupt. Always being told you're not good enough by the people you look up to and even admire, is bound to have lasting effects.

Davos is a smuggler turned somewhat civilized, all he knows is family and loyalty. In Westeros and the trying times they are accustomed to, what else do you have?