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Chapter 58: Eddard
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
Catelyn and Robb discuss their strategy for facing the Lannister army. A faction belonging to Catelyn’s brother, Edmure, has been defeated, and Edmure has been captured. Robb thinks their only hope lies in crossing the river. To cross, though, they’ll need to use the bridge by the Twins, a set of two identical castles belonging to Lord Walder Frey that sit on either side of the river. Walder, though, is notoriously difficult to pin down. Though he has sworn allegiance to Catelyn’s father, he has also pulled all of his troops into his castle. Catelyn thinks he may be planning to switch sides and join the Lannisters. Robb doesn’t see any way to defeat the Lannisters without crossing the river. He marches with the army to the Twins, intent on convincing Walder Frey to let them cross.
The novel continues to document the moving pieces of the chess-like competition for power between the Lannisters and Starks. In this case, the Lannister army has captured Catelyn’s brother, giving them a strategic advantage with three high-value hostages in Edmure, Sansa, and Ned. The Starks, then, must find a way to counter, which leads them to Walder Frey. The novel shows how the strategy that goes into fighting the war doesn’t just employ military tactics but also involves interpersonal diplomacy, which Starks must now put into practice with Walder Frey.
Themes
Catelyn volunteers to negotiate with Walder Frey. She has known him since she was a child and says that he won’t let any harm come to her. Privately, she thinks that he might do anything, including taking her hostage, if it would profit him. Inside, Catelyn talks with Walder. He is a grumpy 90-year-old man. He says that the Stark army won’t be able to cross the river without his permission and asks why he should let them cross. Ultimately, Catelyn negotiates a trade. Two of Walder’s sons will go to Winterfell as wards and another will become Robb’s squire. Additionally, Arya will marry one of Walder’s other sons, and Robb will marry one of his daughters when the fighting has died down. When Catelyn reports the negotiations to Robb, Robb agrees to go forward with the plan without thinking twice.
Catelyn’s interaction with Walder Frey emphasizes the importance of relationships and interpersonal skills in military diplomacy, as Catelyn is ultimately successful in part because she’s persuasive, and in part because she has a longstanding relationship with Walder Frey. By putting herself in a position where Walder Frey could take her prisoner, Catelyn also shows Robb and Ned’s tendency to put herself into difficult and dangerous positions, displaying the same kind of leadership qualities as Robb and Ned. However, the novel underlines that because Catelyn is a woman, she won’t have the same opportunities as Robb and Ned to assume positions of power due to the patriarchal society in which she lives.
Themes
