Even after re-reading the books three times you will still be able to find new connections and clues about what might be coming for the following season. Just a kind advice for all of you who decided to read this regardless of the spoiler advice, George R.R Martin really likes to kill people, so do not get attached to a main actor. In this article we will be discussing several characters from my perspective from both the books and the series although this article will be mostly series based.
So we will start of with the ‘hero’ of season one; Eddard Stark of Winterfell.
Eddard is an honourable man, rarely you will find him making decisions which are not for the good of the empire, regardless of his own health. The character was amazingly represented by Sean Bean (Known from the Lord of the Rings trilogy) every emotion is as you would imagine it to be for a man of his status. Although he is forced into certain situations he never wanted to be in in the first place he always puts the empire before his own good, sometimes making decisions that irritate those who are there for money or power. Digging your own grave you could call it. That being the main reason why the word ‘hero’ is between quotations in the title of this paragraph, Eddard stark is a likeable man of his word, he represents justice, honour and honesty. That is the reason I name him a hero, because so many people took this man for the one who was in an attempt to make the kingdom a fair place without corruption.
And of course there is his bastard son, Jon Snow.
There is a simple reason I put Jon before Robb in this article, and that is because Jon his storyline was more interesting to me. So Robb was playing war games with some of the big shots in town, Jon was basically settling the foundation for the rest of the series. War cannot last forever, the wall has already done that. For that reason we will be discussing Jon Snow.
The bastard with a mother whose identity remains unknown throughout the series, there are rumours, there are myths but his true identity only finds truth in George R.R Martin his notes. Eddard either avoids the question about this or answers sceptical. But let’s leave this to rest, his mother does not look like much of an issue early on in the series anyway. Jon knows that as a bastard son of a lord he will never find much position in the world, but his father tells him that at the wall, people their former identities are forgotten, and even the son of a thief can find great positions on the wall.
His work on the wall does not gain him respect early on, he was trained by some of the best swordsman available to winterfell and basically humiliates his brothers on the wall during training sessions. His protection of Samwall doesn’t gain him any respect either, Sam is considered as a craven/coward who has more fear in his body than fat, and that is rather a lot.
Yet he finds his way in to Lord Mormont his trust, saving his life in the process. You can see that Jon Snow is a man who tries to do good, but the tales he heard about the wall are not as noble as he was told, nowadays the forces on the wall consist out of thieves, scum and general prison inhabitants. Men you might have trouble trusting when they’re supposed to have your back. Yet he grows in position, and slowly finds ways to change to wall for a good cause. Look out for this guy in season three, he will surprise you greatly and it would be a waste to spoil any further.