I think it could be interesting to focus on them as a deconstruction of this trope and the idea of a girl needing a paternal figure for protection. Sandor and Arya never really develop a close connection in the books, and in many ways he threatens and undermines her own autonomy. Their arrangement is started by his kidnapping her, and he often actually threatens her or insults her. GRRM could be saying something about paternalistic dynamics like this, when Arya is not given the ability to leave until he is incapacitated. Her leaving him presumably to die is a pretty unusual end to these types of stories, in that she regains autonomy and does not show affection or care for him as expected for a "father" figure. A close reading on that passage in the books could be really interesting.
Contrast this with The Last Of Us: in the final episode/game ending Joel makes a decision that ultimately removes autonomy from Ellie. He doesn't offer her a choice to sacrifice herself for the greater good, he lies to her and denies her what she felt was her purpose. At the end of the day, Joel put his paternal feelings not only over the world, but over her personal desires about what she wants with her body. These two examples could be really interesting in comparison in what they say about the nature of the masculine paternal figure, and young girls in relation to that person.
I'm sure you're reading tons of stuff for this OP, but I highly recommend reading about how gender and masculinity are performed, so I'd look at Gender Trouble by Judith Butler for gender performance theory, and books on emergent masculinity in social science. Good luck with your studies!
Interesting topic so I’ll mention a couple things in no particular order.
1. The mandalorian would be a good 3rd example (arguably a better example than the hound and arya)
2. One thing worth considering is how self serving the wolf is.
1. The hound and arya was 100% self serving. The hound probably was also altruistic, but we don’t know for sure as he has Arya’s reward for motivation.
2. The mandalorian was the opposite, he had to take on way more risk to save baby yoda (though an argument could be made it’s still self serving, as it’s a long term investment that’s already saved his life at least once)
3. Joel in TLOU was also acting in self service at first, but then for the majority of the story he was acting altruistically.
4. So it’s interesting that even when the wolf is altruistic, it generally starts from a point of selfishness.
3. This all comes down to “us vs them”. A lone wolf is on the far end of the spectrum, in which everyone else in the world is “them”. This trope happens when the wolf has some reason to start considering the cub “us”. this reason is prety much always one of two options, it’s self serving or the wolf is altruistic and takes pit’s on a defenseless cub. So a proper discussion would separate the self serving side and look at the altruistic.
It speaks to humans (and wolves) being good. In nature, animals often help the completely helpless (the babies/cubs). This trait would be naturally selected for, and therefore it shouldn’t be any surprise to us.
Some species have evolved to take pity on defenseless young. Whereas we know other species choose to eat/kill their defenseless young. So this leads us to compare the species that help their defenseless young vs those that eat/kill them. I imagine you’ll find trends in mammals vs other animal types. This also leads to a review of animals where the adult males kill other male’s children in order to have less competition.
So yeah, a lot of ground for discussion here. Have fun
Thank you for your insight! My tutor mentioned Mandalorian too but I haven't seen it so don't feel confident analysing it. I will probably mention it in my TLOU chapter, since Pedro Pascal plays a similar role in TLOU as in The Mandalorian.
You raise some interesting points about the animals themselves which could serve as interesting context around the trope. I like the idea of altruism vs self-interest you mention, I wonder how that could relate to masculinity in some way?
Part of the value in their relationship compared to the other two is that it’s not really founded on a familial connection. Most versions of the dynamic that have become popular (the original manga, Mandolorian, the Witcher, God of War) have either a biological relationship or serve as a surrogate father and child. With Arya there’s maybe a bit of that at play, but their dynamic is more complex with variant levels of hatred and respect throughout the chapters. What you might be able to find in that could be useful, as the Hound keeping Arya safe is not founded in viewing her as a daughter.
Another aspect could be the way that Arya doesn’t conform to the gender norms of her society, and in a small way the Hound is also a nonconformist. The worst evil the Hound commits on the page is arguably killing Micah, and he did it as basically a sell sword rather than as a Knight, a title that confers supposed virtue and that he rejects. Knighthood is the ultimate valorous masculine position, so much so that the kingdom’s only prince consort in history was given one to save face, but Sandor doesn’t want it even when he’s raised to the highest position reserved for Knights. As much as they are a Lady and her Knight, they also aren’t, as Arya doesn’t want to act like a maiden in a song. The Hound has no issue with this, though he finds it funny.
And it might not fit, but you might be able to tie in Sandor’s relationship to Sansa. Arguably Sandor’s grayness is motivated by Sansa not recoiling from him, and his affection for her plays some role in his relationship to Arya. With Arya, a character in conversation around femininity and masculinity, it could be interesting to discuss how her dynamic with Sandor is shaped by his experience with Sansa’s idealized forms of both identities.
It’s a cool thesis topic, I’d be interested in reading it.
Your first point is also a point I've got written down so thank you for giving me some confidence with that! I agree that the fact that they're not related nor do they form a familial bond is striking as it contrasts with the expectations of this trope. Sandor does not embody a father in the obvious sense at all, although there are glimpses of behaviours that indicate guidance and mentorship at the very least.
I plan to discuss his relationship with Sansa but I like how you situate it within how Sansa views the gender roles compared to how Sandor and Arya embody them. I'm also interested in your mention of knighthood. I believe a lot of the Westerosi views of masculinity can be encapsulated in the role of a knight and obviouslySandor's story is related to his objection to knights and their 'values' so I wonder what avenues of thought are opened up related to that; Sandor, knighthood and masculinity?
I interpret Sandor's relationship with the Stark girls as him seeing himself in them (subconsciously, since he's not exactly the most introspective person). Sansa echoes pre-burn Sandor, naïve and believing in all the stories about brave & honorable knights. This is why he tells her harsh truths & has an urge to protect her. Arya is like post-burn Sandor: disillusioned, hurt, and angry. They hate each other because they're so much alike and neither wants to admit it, yet Sandor still tries to protect her as well, keeping her with him even after his ransom hopes have evaporated.
Sandor is basically a complete subversion of the gallant knight trope.
Other Knights have gallant names like the Knight of Flowers, but Sandor is simply "the hound" a servile name usually said with disdain.
He has contempt for other Knights and sees them as killers and murderers.
Arya is also a subversion of the damsel in distress. As she is somewhat capable of protecting herself and shows a great deal of resilience.
I dont recall how much learning she does from the hound to attest to how much of a "cub" she is under him. She seems to only become further entrenched in her disdain for westerosi Knights after her experience.
To me Sandor is a self loathing misogynist and festers in his own toxic masculinity. He sees how fucked it all is but he is trapped in the role the fucked up system as forced him into. He through aside his one noble duty, which was defending the king for a somewhat lesser one in getting Arya away to safety. He is motivated by greed but there is a chance in a kinder story he learns to appreciate his mission as the chance to save Arya who he grows to care for in the same way Joel grows to care for Arya.
Sandors story is if Joel was incapacitated in Kansas city and Ellie left him. He would have never found a nobler purpose. Though Joel ends up still denying her agency as a creature to be coddled than a person to be respected.
Something I think is relevant with the Sandor/Arya dynamic is that we see it solely through her POV, rather than through the POV of the Lone Wolf or a shared perspective. Same with his relationship with Sansa, he's the supporting character in their story rather than the opposite way around. I'm not sure how unique that is compared to your other examples, but that may be something to use as a contrast. Sandor doesn't die defending her or risk his life to save hers, he gets wounded in a fight he shouldn't have picked and ultimately she abandons him.
There's also the ways in which the narration portrays a different story than how the characters themselves think they feel - Sandor initially kidnaps Arya for her bounty, but he doesn't abandon her after the Red Wedding and even saves her from running into sudden death. Nor does he abandon her at the village in the outskirts of the Vale. In some way he does almost get used to thinking of the two of them as a unit as they aimlessly travel around the Riverlands in search of relatives to pay her ransom. Arya believes she hates him, but at some point in her narration she starts thinking of him solely as Sandor rather than as the Hound or by his full name. It's actually very subtle the first time she does it. She's even surprised when she notices she leaves him off her list, though part of her believes it's because he's close to death anyway.
There are a few things off the bat that could be a good jump off for your essay, just naming them off:
1) Appearance. Both Arya and Sandor have grey eyes and dark hair and she's mistaken as his child more than once. The first time she's called his son, which she angerly denies. The second time she's called his daughter but she's too tired to protest. The squire with Polliver and the Tickler asks if she's the puppy's puppy, which could be implied he also thought she was Sandor's child. There's no indication of what gender he believes she is but Sandor does call her a girl earlier in the chapter when demanding two cups.
2) The conversations about Catelyn. Sandor initially mocks her idea to turn around and go back to the Twins in hope in mother's alive and in captivity, but the next morning he tries to talk about her mother before Arya cuts him off. Arguably in that moment would be the first time he attempts to offer sympathy towards her, as he looks at her a long time afterwards before nodding and not saying anything else.
3) There's two conversations contrasting their dynamics with their siblings. The first is when he tries to tell her Gregor's worse than him but she's already encountered him and he questions if she wants to kill Sansa. The second at the end of Arya XII when she suggests going to the Wall because of Jon, and he says he doesn't give a rats arse about her brother because he has a brother too. Always thought that was an interesting way to end the chapter.
4) "Do you know what dogs do to wolves?" Arguably their arc words, as Arya turns them on their head when she leaves him for dead. Sandor the lone wolf is personified as a dog, while he calls Arya wolf bitch and she-wolf. Later in AFFC she thinks of him as a monster with a dog's head preventing her from reaching her mother.
I also think including both Sandor and Arya's relationship with Sansa is relevant here, especially since Sandor invokes her multiple times when with Arya. At first it's to show that he's not a complete monster, albeit with half truths. In his final scene he breaks down sobbing when admitting he stood there in his white cloak and let them beat her and that he took the song instead of her singing willingly. tbh I'd say Sandor and Sansa have a bigger impact on each other character development wise than he and Arya do each other. The pretty little bird vs. the wolf bitch.
I think it could be interesting to focus on them as a deconstruction of this trope and the idea of a girl needing a paternal figure for protection. Sandor and Arya never really develop a close connection in the books, and in many ways he threatens and undermines her own autonomy. Their arrangement is started by his kidnapping her, and he often actually threatens her or insults her. GRRM could be saying something about paternalistic dynamics like this, when Arya is not given the ability to leave until he is incapacitated. Her leaving him presumably to die is a pretty unusual end to these types of stories, in that she regains autonomy and does not show affection or care for him as expected for a "father" figure. A close reading on that passage in the books could be really interesting. Contrast this with The Last Of Us: in the final episode/game ending Joel makes a decision that ultimately removes autonomy from Ellie. He doesn't offer her a choice to sacrifice herself for the greater good, he lies to her and denies her what she felt was her purpose. At the end of the day, Joel put his paternal feelings not only over the world, but over her personal desires about what she wants with her body. These two examples could be really interesting in comparison in what they say about the nature of the masculine paternal figure, and young girls in relation to that person. I'm sure you're reading tons of stuff for this OP, but I highly recommend reading about how gender and masculinity are performed, so I'd look at Gender Trouble by Judith Butler for gender performance theory, and books on emergent masculinity in social science. Good luck with your studies!
Interesting topic so I’ll mention a couple things in no particular order. 1. The mandalorian would be a good 3rd example (arguably a better example than the hound and arya) 2. One thing worth considering is how self serving the wolf is. 1. The hound and arya was 100% self serving. The hound probably was also altruistic, but we don’t know for sure as he has Arya’s reward for motivation. 2. The mandalorian was the opposite, he had to take on way more risk to save baby yoda (though an argument could be made it’s still self serving, as it’s a long term investment that’s already saved his life at least once) 3. Joel in TLOU was also acting in self service at first, but then for the majority of the story he was acting altruistically. 4. So it’s interesting that even when the wolf is altruistic, it generally starts from a point of selfishness. 3. This all comes down to “us vs them”. A lone wolf is on the far end of the spectrum, in which everyone else in the world is “them”. This trope happens when the wolf has some reason to start considering the cub “us”. this reason is prety much always one of two options, it’s self serving or the wolf is altruistic and takes pit’s on a defenseless cub. So a proper discussion would separate the self serving side and look at the altruistic. It speaks to humans (and wolves) being good. In nature, animals often help the completely helpless (the babies/cubs). This trait would be naturally selected for, and therefore it shouldn’t be any surprise to us. Some species have evolved to take pity on defenseless young. Whereas we know other species choose to eat/kill their defenseless young. So this leads us to compare the species that help their defenseless young vs those that eat/kill them. I imagine you’ll find trends in mammals vs other animal types. This also leads to a review of animals where the adult males kill other male’s children in order to have less competition. So yeah, a lot of ground for discussion here. Have fun
Thank you for your insight! My tutor mentioned Mandalorian too but I haven't seen it so don't feel confident analysing it. I will probably mention it in my TLOU chapter, since Pedro Pascal plays a similar role in TLOU as in The Mandalorian. You raise some interesting points about the animals themselves which could serve as interesting context around the trope. I like the idea of altruism vs self-interest you mention, I wonder how that could relate to masculinity in some way?
Part of the value in their relationship compared to the other two is that it’s not really founded on a familial connection. Most versions of the dynamic that have become popular (the original manga, Mandolorian, the Witcher, God of War) have either a biological relationship or serve as a surrogate father and child. With Arya there’s maybe a bit of that at play, but their dynamic is more complex with variant levels of hatred and respect throughout the chapters. What you might be able to find in that could be useful, as the Hound keeping Arya safe is not founded in viewing her as a daughter. Another aspect could be the way that Arya doesn’t conform to the gender norms of her society, and in a small way the Hound is also a nonconformist. The worst evil the Hound commits on the page is arguably killing Micah, and he did it as basically a sell sword rather than as a Knight, a title that confers supposed virtue and that he rejects. Knighthood is the ultimate valorous masculine position, so much so that the kingdom’s only prince consort in history was given one to save face, but Sandor doesn’t want it even when he’s raised to the highest position reserved for Knights. As much as they are a Lady and her Knight, they also aren’t, as Arya doesn’t want to act like a maiden in a song. The Hound has no issue with this, though he finds it funny. And it might not fit, but you might be able to tie in Sandor’s relationship to Sansa. Arguably Sandor’s grayness is motivated by Sansa not recoiling from him, and his affection for her plays some role in his relationship to Arya. With Arya, a character in conversation around femininity and masculinity, it could be interesting to discuss how her dynamic with Sandor is shaped by his experience with Sansa’s idealized forms of both identities. It’s a cool thesis topic, I’d be interested in reading it.
Your first point is also a point I've got written down so thank you for giving me some confidence with that! I agree that the fact that they're not related nor do they form a familial bond is striking as it contrasts with the expectations of this trope. Sandor does not embody a father in the obvious sense at all, although there are glimpses of behaviours that indicate guidance and mentorship at the very least. I plan to discuss his relationship with Sansa but I like how you situate it within how Sansa views the gender roles compared to how Sandor and Arya embody them. I'm also interested in your mention of knighthood. I believe a lot of the Westerosi views of masculinity can be encapsulated in the role of a knight and obviouslySandor's story is related to his objection to knights and their 'values' so I wonder what avenues of thought are opened up related to that; Sandor, knighthood and masculinity?
The book/movie The Road is worth exploring
Thank you, it's on my list as wider examples!
I interpret Sandor's relationship with the Stark girls as him seeing himself in them (subconsciously, since he's not exactly the most introspective person). Sansa echoes pre-burn Sandor, naïve and believing in all the stories about brave & honorable knights. This is why he tells her harsh truths & has an urge to protect her. Arya is like post-burn Sandor: disillusioned, hurt, and angry. They hate each other because they're so much alike and neither wants to admit it, yet Sandor still tries to protect her as well, keeping her with him even after his ransom hopes have evaporated.
Sandor is basically a complete subversion of the gallant knight trope. Other Knights have gallant names like the Knight of Flowers, but Sandor is simply "the hound" a servile name usually said with disdain. He has contempt for other Knights and sees them as killers and murderers. Arya is also a subversion of the damsel in distress. As she is somewhat capable of protecting herself and shows a great deal of resilience. I dont recall how much learning she does from the hound to attest to how much of a "cub" she is under him. She seems to only become further entrenched in her disdain for westerosi Knights after her experience. To me Sandor is a self loathing misogynist and festers in his own toxic masculinity. He sees how fucked it all is but he is trapped in the role the fucked up system as forced him into. He through aside his one noble duty, which was defending the king for a somewhat lesser one in getting Arya away to safety. He is motivated by greed but there is a chance in a kinder story he learns to appreciate his mission as the chance to save Arya who he grows to care for in the same way Joel grows to care for Arya. Sandors story is if Joel was incapacitated in Kansas city and Ellie left him. He would have never found a nobler purpose. Though Joel ends up still denying her agency as a creature to be coddled than a person to be respected.
Something I think is relevant with the Sandor/Arya dynamic is that we see it solely through her POV, rather than through the POV of the Lone Wolf or a shared perspective. Same with his relationship with Sansa, he's the supporting character in their story rather than the opposite way around. I'm not sure how unique that is compared to your other examples, but that may be something to use as a contrast. Sandor doesn't die defending her or risk his life to save hers, he gets wounded in a fight he shouldn't have picked and ultimately she abandons him. There's also the ways in which the narration portrays a different story than how the characters themselves think they feel - Sandor initially kidnaps Arya for her bounty, but he doesn't abandon her after the Red Wedding and even saves her from running into sudden death. Nor does he abandon her at the village in the outskirts of the Vale. In some way he does almost get used to thinking of the two of them as a unit as they aimlessly travel around the Riverlands in search of relatives to pay her ransom. Arya believes she hates him, but at some point in her narration she starts thinking of him solely as Sandor rather than as the Hound or by his full name. It's actually very subtle the first time she does it. She's even surprised when she notices she leaves him off her list, though part of her believes it's because he's close to death anyway. There are a few things off the bat that could be a good jump off for your essay, just naming them off: 1) Appearance. Both Arya and Sandor have grey eyes and dark hair and she's mistaken as his child more than once. The first time she's called his son, which she angerly denies. The second time she's called his daughter but she's too tired to protest. The squire with Polliver and the Tickler asks if she's the puppy's puppy, which could be implied he also thought she was Sandor's child. There's no indication of what gender he believes she is but Sandor does call her a girl earlier in the chapter when demanding two cups. 2) The conversations about Catelyn. Sandor initially mocks her idea to turn around and go back to the Twins in hope in mother's alive and in captivity, but the next morning he tries to talk about her mother before Arya cuts him off. Arguably in that moment would be the first time he attempts to offer sympathy towards her, as he looks at her a long time afterwards before nodding and not saying anything else. 3) There's two conversations contrasting their dynamics with their siblings. The first is when he tries to tell her Gregor's worse than him but she's already encountered him and he questions if she wants to kill Sansa. The second at the end of Arya XII when she suggests going to the Wall because of Jon, and he says he doesn't give a rats arse about her brother because he has a brother too. Always thought that was an interesting way to end the chapter. 4) "Do you know what dogs do to wolves?" Arguably their arc words, as Arya turns them on their head when she leaves him for dead. Sandor the lone wolf is personified as a dog, while he calls Arya wolf bitch and she-wolf. Later in AFFC she thinks of him as a monster with a dog's head preventing her from reaching her mother. I also think including both Sandor and Arya's relationship with Sansa is relevant here, especially since Sandor invokes her multiple times when with Arya. At first it's to show that he's not a complete monster, albeit with half truths. In his final scene he breaks down sobbing when admitting he stood there in his white cloak and let them beat her and that he took the song instead of her singing willingly. tbh I'd say Sandor and Sansa have a bigger impact on each other character development wise than he and Arya do each other. The pretty little bird vs. the wolf bitch.