Previous
Chapter 23: Daenerys
Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in A Game of Thrones, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Politics and Power
Climate Change and Collective Action
Gender and Power
Honor and Integrity
Identity
Summary
Analysis
Now that Bran is recovering, he’s frustrated that he can’t walk. He tells Old Nan, his nurse who is the oldest person in Winterfell, that the crow lied to him when it said he could fly. Old Nan says all crows are liars. She then tells Bran the story of the white walkers, or the Others, who roamed the earth thousands of years ago. They were cold, dead things that felled armies and had spiders in their legions as big as dogs. Tyrion then arrives at Winterfell with three men from the Night’s Watch. Hodor helps Bran go to see the visitors. Hodor is the last surviving member of Old Nan’s family. He can only speak one word—his name, Hodor—and works in the stables.
The fact that Old Nan, a character known for embellishing the truth, tells the story of the Others makes it clear that the general public considers it a myth that the Others could return. Their doubt reinforces the novel’s theme that heroism—and truth— can often come from the most unlikely sources. In this passage, the novel suggests that while the prevailing hierarchy in Westeros might dismiss people like Old Nan, Bran, Hodor, and Tyrion, their insights and contributions may be much more valuable than those of people whom the prevailing hierarchy typically recognizes and respects.
Themes
Robb is visibly upset at Tyrion’s presence (due to his suspicions that the Lannisters killed Jon Arryn and tried to kill Bran). Tyrion senses Robb’s attitude but still gives Maester Luwin the sketches for a specially designed saddle that will allow Bran to ride. Tyrion says that Jon Snow asked him to do something to help Bran, and that’s what he came up with: a saddle not entirely unlike the one he uses himself. Bran can’t wait to ride again. Tyrion still feels unwelcome and leaves to stay at an inn down the road. The men from the Night’s Watch stay, and one of them tells Robb that his uncle, Ben, has gone missing beyond the Wall and is most likely dead. Robb doesn’t want to believe it.
Though Tyrion stands accused of conspiring to kill Bran, he also designs a saddle for Bran to make riding possible for him after he is paralyzed. Bran is overjoyed. The contrast between Tyrion’s treatment of Jon Snow and Bran on the one hand and the crimes he’s accused of on the other again implicitly asks who is right about Tyrion’s character. Is Catelyn right that Tyrion tried to kill Bran, or is Jon Snow right to trust Tyrion? That question highlights the narrative structure of the novel, which uses each chapter to tell the story and establish the often contradictory perspectives of various characters.
Themes
