From Pawn to Player: Rethinking Sansa XIX

[Alistair's Pantaloons]

Towards the end of the first book, Sansa seemed like she was beginning an arc that would end with her becoming an intelligent manipulator, perhaps a smarter version of Cersei or even someone like Tyrion. Since then, however, she's more or less been a framing device for what goes on in Kings' Landing and with characters like Joffrey and Littlefinger who don't get POV chapters. I hope she will start her growth again because she actually became interesting when she was considering shoving Joffrey off the battlements.

[sastelise]

I've shared much of the outrage and disappointment concerning Sansa's portrayal in the show, but I really do believe that we cannot allow the show's depictions of these characters to influence how we perceive them in the books. \nt.

Thanks for the links to GRRMs discussion. I recognize that the TV show will be different than the books, but since the producers have been given insight into GRRM’s end game plan for his main characters, I think it’s valid to wonder whether they are characterizing Sansa based on that knowledge. As a result, the show has made me go back to the books to see if I have missed something in my initial reading. I’m especially struggling to make sense of this exchange:

Instead, he [LF] smiled and said, “I have brought my sweet girl back a gift.”

Alayne was as pleased as she was surprised. “Is it a gown?” She had heard there were fine seamstresses in Gulltown, and she was so tired of dressing drably.

“Something better. Guess again.”

“Jewels?”

“No jewels could hope to match my daughter’s eyes.”

“Lemons? Did you find some lemons?” She had promised Sweetrobin lemon cake, and for lemon cake you need lemons.

Peter Baelish took her by the hand and drew her down onto his lap. “I have made a marriage contract for you.”

I think this is an interesting exchange indeed. On the one hand, this is an Alayne chapter, so we might take it as an act on Sansa’s part to make LF underestimate her (in which case, mission accomplished, she’s a player!). On the other hand, the thoughts that accompany her words and her subsequent reaction to the idea of another marriage contract reflect that she’s truly surprised that LF’s gift would be anything but benign. I could be dwelling on this part too much – it’s fresh in my mind, having just finished the series.

If we assume that this exchange is an expression of her actual thoughts, it’s disappointing to learn that she’s still thinking about and wishing for dresses and lemon cakes at this point. The transition from pawn to player is predicated on the need for a character to acknowledge that she has been a pawn and to express a desire to be a player. Since these were among the last words of her last pov, I found them troubling in terms of her development. But I could be wrong….perhaps she’s teetering between the two extremes. This is what I find so exciting about her character.

[brashcandy]

If that exchange indicates anything to me, it's that Sansa is still concerned with keeping her promises to Sweetrobin, despite her frustrations with his bratty behaviour, which may be a good sign given what LF supposedly has planned.

I don't see how her asking if it's a dress or jewels suggests that she's not thinking deeply or doesn't appreciate her pawn status. It's the standard assumption anyone would make when told that someone has brought them back a gift. She's still a young girl who enjoys fine things, but she can easily do without them, as we see her dressing simply as Alayne. There's considerable evidence in all three chapters of AFFC which highlights Sansa's steady growth towards becoming a player, and her grasp of the complex and dangerous situation unfolding around her.

Thanks for the links to GRRMs discussion. I recognize that the TV show will be different than the books, but since the producers have been given insight into GRRM’s end game plan for his main characters, I think it’s valid to wonder whether they are characterizing Sansa based on that knowledge. As a result, the show has made me go back to the books to see if I have missed something in my initial reading. I’m especially struggling to make sense of this exchange:

Right now the show's characterization of Sansa is actually at odds with what we know of her at this point in the books, so I'm afraid that I cannot see the benefit of this exercise.