Essay: Women in television – Arya Stark

Women in television are often portrayed as stereotypical roles, especially in programs set in the medieval times. Game of Thrones is a medieval fantasy novel adapted into a television show on HBO. Game of Thrones follows the lives of two powerful families and their desire to control the Seven Kingdoms of Westeros and sit on the Iron Throne. Game of Thrones often portrays women as powerless, and very feminine. Although, as the show progresses the women become stronger and powerful while maintaining their femininity. Arya Stark is the one exception in the Game of Thrones. She begins the series as a strong young girl. Arya Stark is the daughter of Lord and Lady of Winterfell – Ned and Catelyn Stark. Arya is born and raised in Winterfell along with her five other siblings. She has an older sister, Sansa Stark an older brother, Robb and two younger brothers, Bran and Rickon and an older “bastard brother”, Jon Snow.
Arya Stark has always defied gender roles. In contrast, her sister Sansa Stark is the epitome of a perfect young lady. When we first meet Sansa, she is wearing a clean blue dress with her hair braided. Sansa is receiving compliments from the teacher on her outstanding embroidery work. Meanwhile Arya is wearing raggedy old grey clothes with her hair in pig tails showing her innocence. Arya looks annoyed as her sister is receiving compliments. Arya is more focused on the noises coming from outside where her brother, Bran Stark, is practicing archery. Arya escapes her needlework class to find Bran struggling to hit the target. As Bran is pulling back on the bow, an arrow flies directly to the bullseye of the target. It was Arya who made the shot she has a huge smile across her face (“Winter is Coming”). Arya shows where her interests truly lie.
Arya Stark from the beginning of the show has been defying gender roles. Arya Stark has been portrayed as an independent and determined young lady. Through the progression of the show Arya has become a woman warrior. By woman warrior I mean a woman who fights for what she believes is right, even if it means she would have to defy society.
Arya Stark in the first season was depicted as a tomboy. Catelyn Stark was training Arya to become a lady. Although Arya spent all her energy trying to escape her lessons on etiquette, and needlework so, she could instead practice archery like the boys. In Women and Power in the Late Medieval English Village: a reconsideration Sally Smith says, “Women carried out the majority of tasks that took place in the medieval house, such as cooking, cleaning and activities associated with child rearing” (312). In medieval times which the television show takes place women were expected to cook, clean, and raise their children. The Starks are trying to raise Sansa and Arya to be just that. But, Arya is defying women’s role in society and her mother doesn’t like it. Jon Snow provides Arya with her first sword named needle. He jokes and tells her she can finally enjoy needlework.
Robert Baratheon, the King of the Seven Kingdom, arrives at Winterfell to appoint Lord Eddard Stark the Hand of the King. The Hand of the King is the second most powerful position in the seven kingdoms. King Robert Baratheon also wants to form an alliance between Houses Stark and Baratheon via marriage. Sansa Stark and Joffrey Baratheon, son of Robert Baratheon, are a match because Sansa Stark is close in age with Roberts heir. A drunken Sansa Stark and Joffrey Baratheon come upon Mycah, Arya’s son, and Arya practicing sword fighting. The drunken couple startle Arya as she was fighting Mycah which results in Mycah accidentally hitting Arya in the elbow. Arya looks disheveled and, unclean along with Mycah. Arya yells angrily at them leave. But Joffrey teases Mycah, “a butcher’s boy who wants to be a knight” (“The Kingsroad”). Joffrey pulls out his steel sword and yells Mycah to fight. Mycah was hesitant to fight because he had a wooden stick. Arya looks angrily yells at Joffrey to stop it but, a drunken Sansa yells at Arya to stay out to it. Joffrey slowly cuts Mycah’s cheek with his steel sword. Arya couldn’t take it anymore so, she hit Joffrey on the back with her wooden stick making Joffrey fall. After standing up Joffrey chases Arya until she falls. Joffrey stands over Arya with his sword pointing at her neck, Arya doesn’t even flinch. Nymeria, Arya’s dire wolf an intelligent wolf, comes from around the bush and bites Joffrey’s hand. Joffrey once again fell to the ground. Arya grabs Joffrey’s sword and towers over him and points his sword at his neck. Joffrey starts quivering and pleading for his life while holding his bloody hand. Arya walks away and throws Joffrey’s sword in the water (“The Kingsroad”). Arya stood up for her friend against the prince who is way more powerful than her. While these traits get her into trouble, Arya is smart and tough to survive even the most troubling situations. Mycah later on gets sentenced to death by Joffrey. Mycah dies under the hand of The Hound, Joffrey’s bodyguard.
Once Lord Eddard Stark arrives in King’s Landing, he finds Arya with her sword, needle. Lord Eddard Stark says, “a lady shouldn’t play with her swords” (“Lord Snow”). Arya exclaims that she wasn’t playing with the sword, and that she doesn’t want to be a lady (“Lord Snow”). Lord Eddard Stark hires Syrio Forel a water dancer teacher to train Arya in the swords use. To others it seems as though Syrio Forel is teaching Arya to dance but, really, he’s teaching Arya to use her needle point sword through dance. Eddard accepts that his daughter is different than other girls (“The evolution”). Shortly after the Starks arrive in King’s Landing, King Robert Baratheon goes on a hunting trip. While King Robert is away hunting Ned discovers that the Queen children biological father is her twin brother Jamie. Ned told the Queen that he knows about the kids and told her to leave before Robert returns from his hunt. But Robert died on the hunt. Ned is sentenced to public treason by the Queen. Arya escapes out of the castle. Ned’s death is a major change for Arya because she is fatherless at age 11. At this point Arya’s is separated from her family. Sansa is stuck in the castle, Robb Stark, is at Winter Fell along with her mother and younger brothers (“The evolution”). Jon Snow is at The Wall protecting mankind from supernatural creators. Arya cuts her hair and looks androgynous. Arya is now with Yoren, Ned’s friend, who intends on dropping her off to Winter Fell (Franklin 49). House Stark and House Lannister are at war.
Arya doesn’t have time to mourn her father’s death as she has to survive without her family. In the second season Arya creates her death list which is a series of names of people she wants to kill because either they have killed her loved ones (“The evolution”; Franklin 51). For example, Cersei Lannister and Joffrey are on her list because they sentenced Eddard Stark to death along with The Hound, who killed Mycah. She recites the names on her list nightly like a lullaby. Arya ends up in the Night’s Watch recruiters riding party because of Yoren. The Lannister forces captures the riding party and imprison them at Harrenhal. Yoren dies as he tries to save Arya. At Harrenhal Arya gets tortured along with the other boys. Arya adds the tortures’ names to her list. Arya escapes with the help of the Faceless Man Jaquen H’ghar. Before Jaquen H’ghar leaves he gives her a coin and password so, she could find him in Braavos. Arya killed one of the tortures’ after she encounter him at the inn. Arya is captured by The Hound. The Hound plans to use Arya to ransom her to King Robb Stark during the wedding of Edmure Tully, younger brother of Catelyn Stark, and Roslin Frey at the Twins ( “The Evolution”).
Riverrun is the homeland of Catelyn Stark née Tully but, her homeland is currently under siege by the Lannister’s. The Stark’s army must gain their land back. In order to reach Riverrun, the Stark’s must cross over the Twins, a bridge to get to Riverrun. But the Twins are under the rule of Walder Frey a crazy old man with seven daughters, and 22 sons. Catelyn Stark arranges for Arya to marry one of his sons, and Robb to marry one of his daughters. Walder agrees and the Frey troops joined the Stark to Riverrun. The Starks lift the siege at Riverrun. But Robb has broken the arranged marriage, as he has fallen for another during the battle. Robb apologies to the Frey’s daughter. Walder Frey accepts his apologies but, plans to massacre the Starks at the wedding. Later that night the Starks get ready for the wedding of Catelyn’s brother. The wedding was great. The newly married couple left to consummate their marriage per Westerosi wedding tradition. As Arya and the Hound arrive to the wedding, they discover that the wedding has taken a turn for the worse. Walder Frey massacred the Starks. Robb and his pregnant wife were stabbed to death and Catelyn died slowly after watching her son die (Benioff, David, and D. B. Weiss). The Hound and Arya escape the massacre (“The Evolution”). House Stark lost to House Lannister, and Walder Frey became Lord of Riverrun. Arya gets vengeful and added the Frey’s to her list.
The Hound intends to ransom Arya to her aunt Lysa Arryn née Tully who lives in the Vale (“The Evolution”). The Hound and Arya arrive in the Vale to find that Lysa has committed suicide. They also encounter Brienne of Tarth, sworn sword to Arya’s mother Catelyn, who had promised to take the Stark children to safety (Franklin 52). When Arya refuses to go with Brienne, she and The Hound engage in a brawl that results in The Hound wounded. The Hound begs Arya to kill him, she instead leaves him to die as she has not forgiven him for Mycah’s death (“The Evolution”). Arya leaves for Braavos.
In the sixth after leaving The Hound to die Arya has found the Faceless Man. She trains with the House of Black and White, a group of assassins that temporarily change their appearance by wear the face of dead people as mask. It helps hide the identity and makes it easy to kill. Arya is challenged at the House of Black and White as she had to train with an experienced Faceless girl. Arya developed skills to fight in the dark as she was temporarily blind after stealing a mask without permission. Arya fought off the Faceless girl and left the House to find her family even after the Faceless Man offer to kill everyone off her list (Franklin 51).
In the seventh season Arya has turned into a real assassin. Arya killed Walder Frey in the same fashion he killed her mother by silting the throat. Arya was disguised as a serving girl so, Walder didn’t know it was Arya. After murdering Walder, Arya uses his face as a disguise. Arya held a feast in honor of all 22 of Frey’s sons. Still impersonating Walder Frey she made a toast as the Frey sons drank, they all die as the drink was poisoned wine which Arya created. The Frey’s died slowly. Arya managed to single handily kill House Frey.
It may seem like she is a sociopath but, she’s not. Arya has always been strong although, she has continued to grow stronger as the show progressed. Arya learned a wide variety of skills that have shaped her into a Woman Warrior. As Arya was evolving into a Woman Warrior Jon Snow her was fighting off White Walkers. White Walkers are these frozen human-like supernatural creatures that are considered a myth. White Walkers are a threat to mankind. The Wall is the only thing that separates mankind from the White Walker. The Wall is a colossal barrier along the northern border of the Seven Kingdoms. Jon Snow and the Night’s Watch have discovered the White Walkers but, there’s too many to for the Night’s Watch to fight off. The White Walkers have torn down The Wall. Now the Night’s Watch have to convince mankind that White Walkers are not a myth. Arya has reunited with the surviving members of her family Sansa, Jon, and Bran at The Wall. The Starks are preparing for Walkers. Arya has transformed from seeking personal vengeance to protecting the Seven Kingdoms from these other beings