Characterization in literature and film is an endeavor that the producer must execute cautiously in order to furnish the consumer with a plausible society. Both genders are often brought into the story with every individual described to fit the specific qualities the creator imagines their ideal character should possess. Round characters, in this light, will always stand out because of their diverse attributes that complement each other to help them survive the various conflicts in the story. Sometimes the story will follow a character’s as they develop from childhood, tracking the experiences and adjustments that determine the people they become. In war-themed fiction, various writers have explained the survival of women by bringing on board an iron-hearted maiden who is as good a fighter as her male opponents or even worse. In George R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire, for example, Arya Stark has been described as a heroine who has always been viewed as a tomboy whose boyishness is a factor in her survival. The character has also been highlighted in the motion picture titled Game of Thrones whereby the viewer is gradually enlightened on the offensive side of the character.
As a daughter of Ned Stark, Arya hails from a noble family and is privileged in the Westeros Society to learn a woman’s craft although she ops the sword. In their childhood, Arya and her elder sister Sansa are placed under the care of Septa Mordane in order to learn certain crafts such as needlework. She is, however, depicted as clumsy when compared to her sister. Her stitches are described as crooked whereas Sansa’s are pretty. This is the initial indication that she was not cut to sit around women and do women things. Septa Mordane does not mince her words when she tells Lady Catelyn, Arya’s mother, that “Arya has the hands of a blacksmith.” It is an indication that she may end up with a sword instead of needlework. The author highlights her character when she skips needlework classes to watch the boys train with toy swords.
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In comparison, Arya is compared to her father while Sansa is compared to her mother. Like their mother, Sansa is described as beautiful with fine high cheekbones and lovely auburn hair of the Tullys. In contrast, Arya is much like their father with brown lusterless hair and a long solemn face. She has even earned as nickname Arya Horseface from Jeyne. More so, she is better at riding horses and will excuse herself from needlework and take care of the animals. All these adjustments point to the fact that as a little girl, Arya is developing warrior instincts and characteristics that will enhance her development. More so, his father was one of the best swordsmen in the seven kingdoms and in heredity is anything to go by, Arya is destined to be a great heroine.
Arya picks her idols from warrior women. Her admiration for these women is another factor in her development into a warrior. It is not by chance, therefore, that she has named her pet wolf Nymeria. She deliberates names her after the queen of Rhoyne who had been instrumental in her people’s conquest over land and sea. Arya also gets to meet with Brienne of Tarth, a great swordswoman who is always confused for a knight. Brienne is instrumental in bringing the Hound close to his death. She had always wanted to kill him for killing a friend. His blood thirst ignited hers. There are other people who were instrumental in making the girl hunger for revenge ever since she was a little girl. They were always at the back of her mind as she lay on the ground at night before she went to sleep. She would always recite a list before she slept. They include among others Walder Frey, the Queen Cersei Lannister and her son Joffrey Baratheon and it does not matter whether you are sleeping alongside her, she will not leave it out.
She is present when his father is being beheaded after being framed as a traitor. The bitterness of being losing her father adds to her trauma and although she is spared from watching it her hatred for fellow man is an enhancement to her development as a violent and vengeful woman. Her wrath for people who brand others as traitors to seek selfish gains are later showcased when she kills Petyr Baelish for fanning conflict between her ahs her sister Sansa.
After the execution of Ned Stark, the Stark family is in peril and on the run from the Lannisters. It is a troubling moment for Arya as a little girl because her mother is not around. It is a friend of his father who takes her and dresses her as a boy to pass as a recruit of the night’s watch. Her dress code, therefore, is parallel for a girl who is cut for a woman warrior. She also get her hair cut short to add up to the boyish looks and her profile helps her a lot to survive as a boy in the war torn Kingdom.
There is too much bloodshed along Arya’s life as she changes hands between gang leaders. Torture and murder is order of the day and the girl’s idea of life is people will only survive by killing their enemies. Meeting with Jaqen H’ghar brings her close to her wish when he tells her to name three people she would want dead. Starting with the villain that tortures people the three people chosen are killed in mysterious circumstances. Her admiration for the smooth killer compels Arya to follow the man so that she could learn to kill the people on her list. Arya is to later journey to Braavos where she learns how to change faces and fight from disadvantaged positions.
Arya’s does not get a nice reception on her arrival at Braavos a factor that contributes to her further hardening as a warrior. She spends days and nights at the door of the house of Black and White and is assigned menial chores as a process of initiation into the society of Faceless Men. To become one of them Arya is ordered to strip her identity and assume a new one. She is to take several identities thereafter and is even made blind temporarily to test her resilience as a member of the secret society. Having to fight ‘the waif’ while blind, especially when it is considered that she is a better fighter, is one of the trying moments that define her as a seasoned warrior.
Arya owns a sword that she was given by Jon Snow, her half brother, before he left for the wall. Nicknamed ‘the needle’ it is symbolic of the girl’s idea of needlework. She would rather wield it in war than sit with Septa Mordane with her cloth and needle. Her father is dismayed to find her with the sword after visiting her in her room to cool her anger. The blatantly refuses to be turned into a lady and defiantly snaps at her father who makes note that she has the wildness of a wolf. She is quick, however, to warn her that wildness had sent Arya’s aunt and uncle to early grave. Indeed, Arya is being weaned into a life of swords and violence in knowledge that she has to be the finest in order to survive. The fact that her father allows her to keep the sword is further indication that she is allowed to live her life as she wished. She gets attached to it and painfully loses it to Polliver, a member of the Lannister troops, who looking for his friend Gendry. She is further traumatized when Polliver uses ‘the needle’ to kill another friend of hers. It is a grudge she holds for a long time and her paths crosses with Polliver where she retakes her sword after killing him. It is her only remaining possession after her initiation into the Society of Faceless Men and uses it to kill ‘the waif,’ who would otherwise have killed her, before returning to take her revenge.
At some point, Arya is a captive of Sandor Clegane who intends to collect ransom from the Starks. Their acquaintance is laces with violent adventures as is characteristic of the swordsman. It is Sandor who teaches her to stab at the heart when she means to kill. As a blood thirsty enthusiast, Arya learns fast while under the watch of Sandor and is even commended for her swiftness and efficiency with her sword.
Although Arya is trained to kill, she does not kill for the sheer fun of it. Neither does she intend to kill as many people as she can. It is notable, therefore, that there is still a human heart beneath the hardened fighter she has become. Her human side is showcased when a wounded Sandor is at her feet. Although she has always vowed to kill him she leaves him for the dead, begging to be killed. As a warrior, she feels that it is dishonorable to kill a defenseless man while on the other hand she is hopeful that she would die. It is also understandable that Arya may have gotten to like Sandor for his humane point of view that was beneath his cold temperament. He had saved her and her sister on many occasions and is always against the rape of women. Her elationship with Sandor brings out the heroine in her because she is not out for thoughtless killing just because she can.
Arya’s first mission as a faceless warrior is at the house of Walder Frey. It is at his command that Arya’s mother and brother Robb together with their entourage were murdered. Frey was angered that Robb Stark did not honor his pledge to marry her daughter. Arya, by changing faces is able to reach that Frey’s table while he is alone and kill him. She serves her revenge cold by killing his sons and cooking them for Frey before killing him. After that, Arya assumes the face of Frey and invites his allies against House Stark and kills them all.
In conclusion, Arya Stark as a female warrior has a plausible profile that explains her development and the various encounters that help her survive the hostile environments. As a daughter of one of the best swordsmen in the history of Westeros, there is an explanation that her gift is hereditary. On the other hand, she is always compared to her father and is and would rather work with horses and swords. Her sword gift becomes an accompaniment through her endeavors while her thirst for blood is inspired by those who hurt her friends and family. She also has women role models in history and present, who inspire her to face the world with courage. Her desire to be the best warrior is achieved after travelling to Braavos where she joins the society of Faceless Men and returns to face her enemies.
References
Benioff, D. & Weiss D. B. (2011) Game of thrones. U. S. : HBO.
Martin, G. R. R. (1996). A song of ice and fire. U. S. : Bantam Books.
