The Dreaded Dollsbane Sisters

[The Sleeper]

At the final chapters of ASOS both Stark sisters simultaneously develop a deep enmity towards dolls. Arya, in her penultimate chapter, after being continuously pestered by a daughter of an elder of the village they were residing with Sandor after the RW, seizes the child's doll and viciously eviscerates it before unceremoniously discarding the remains in a brook. Sansa, in her final chapter, after her memorable snow castle scene violently seizes Sweetrobin's doll, destroying it in the process, then proceeds with the decapitation of the doll and displaying its head upon a spike on the wall of her castle to the horror of the onlooking servants of the Eyrie.

Please discuss the possible relevance and symbolism of this wanton aggression against toys.

[Mladen]

On the first guess, it could mean the end of childhood.

But, in Sansa`s scene, it`s much more. Doll represents actual person and it`s a long list of those whom that doll might have been represented. As for Arya`s scene, it` just irritation that naivite and childish behavior still exists.

[Syphon the Sanitator]

Maybe it's a token of their taking down a bigger man. Sansa will destroy the talkative Petyr Baelish, Arya will take down the Hound (who is totally still alive)

[Strongest Of All Belwas]

Maybe it's a token of their taking down a bigger man. Sansa will destroy the talkative Petyr Baelish, Arya will take down the Hound (who is totally still alive)

You think she'd still try to kill The Hound? Maybe it's just me, but if the Gravedigger is indeed The Hound, and Arya finds that out, I think she'd let him go. Especially if it's him who takes down Robert StronGregor, and ruins Cersei for good.

[Corvo Attano]

It probably signifies the end of their childhood

[mrunderhill]

On the first guess, it could mean the end of childhood.

But, in Sansa`s scene, it`s much more. Doll represents actual person and it`s a long list of those whom that doll might have been represented. As for Arya`s scene, it` just irritation that naivite and childish behavior still exists.

Yeh both probably show how they are no longer little girls, hints at the brutality they have witnessed and how cold they have become themselves. Sansa's though could mean more. It could be an actual fulfillment of the old lady's prophecy about the maid slaying the giant in the snow castle or maybe further foreshadowing of Sansa killing a 'giant' at Winterfell.

[Lady Nastja]

On the first guess, it could mean the end of childhood.

But, in Sansa`s scene, it`s much more. Doll represents actual person and it`s a long list of those whom that doll might have been represented. As for Arya`s scene, it` just irritation that naivite and childish behavior still exists.

:agree:

[Mladen]

Yeh both probably show how they are no longer little girls, hints at the brutality they have witnessed and how cold they have become themselves. Sansa's though could mean more. It could be an actual fulfillment of the old lady's prophecy about the maid slaying the giant in the snow castle or maybe further foreshadowing of Sansa killing a 'giant' at Winterfell.

As for Ghost of HighHeart`s vision of Sansa slaying a giant in the castle of snow, I think it was pointer towards her snow castle scene, and that snow castle scene was foreshadowing of Sansa finishing with someone `Giant` - LF, Tyrion etc.

[ARYa_Nym]

Jon mentioned that Arya used to swing her dolls like a morningstar.

Arya's scene is usually taken out of context but it's soon after she realized her mother was dead. She's angry and showing the little girl that war kills people. She told the girl to leave her alone and she wanted to be left alone to her grief but between the Hound and the little girl neither would allow her.