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Chapter 5: Jon
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
In their bedroom, Catelyn and Ned discuss whether Ned should accept Robert’s to become the Hand of the King. Ned doesn’t want to do it, but Catelyn says he has no choice. A king cannot bear an affront to his pride, she says. Maester Luwin then comes to the door, even though Ned has given explicit instructions that he should not be disturbed. Ned lets him in, and Maester Luwin explains that he found a small wooden box on his table delivered by an unseen messenger. Inside, he found a lens. But then he found the box’s true message in a hidden false bottom. He says the message is for Catelyn.
This passage reiterates how thoroughly Ned doesn’t want power. Catelyn also describes Ned’s possible rejection of Robert’s offer in terms of Robert’s pride, which shows how personal grievances shape the priorities of those in power. If Robert feels someone has wounded his pride, then there’s no telling what he, as the most powerful person in the realm, might do in response. That idea foreshadows how significantly personal grievances—including those between the Lannisters and Starks or the Targaryens and Robert—will impact political decisions in Westeros.
Themes
Catelyn says the message is from her sister, Lysa. It’s written in a private language that the two shared as children. In the note, Lysa writes that Jon Arryn was murdered by the Lannisters. Ned, Catelyn, and Maester Luwin can’t believe the message. Catelyn says the matter is beyond discussion now: Ned must accept the role of Hand of the King. He can’t leave Robert vulnerable to the kind of dangers that the Lannisters pose, and Ned can use his power as the Hand to try and get to the bottom of Jon Arryn’s murder.
The novel has already shown that Catelyn and Ned dislike the Lannisters because the Lannisters were slow to take up Robert’s cause when he became king. With that in mind, Catelyn and Ned seem predisposed to believe the message from Lysa, which further impugns the Lannisters’ character and accuses them of murder.
Themes
Catelyn and Ned begin to plan what will happen when Ned accepts the offer. Sansa, Arya, and Bran will go with him to King’s Landing. Robb will stay behind with Catelyn and learn how to rule the north, and the baby, Rickon, will stay too. They then talk about Jon Snow. Ned says he can’t take a bastard to King’s Landing—Jon won’t be accepted there. Catelyn says that under no circumstances can he stay at Winterfell with her. She hates thinking about Jon Snow and the rumors she’s heard about his mother. Maester Luwin says that Jon has expressed interest to Ben in joining the Night’s Watch. Catelyn thinks it’s the perfect solution to the issue, and Ned reluctantly agrees.
The differences between Jon Snow and Ned’s other children are put on display in this chapter. Those differences are particularly noticeable between Robb and Jon, who are about the same age. While Robb will stay in Winterfell to become its de facto ruler, Jon Snow will essentially be banished to the Night’s Watch, a fate that Ben just recently told Jon he was too young to consider. Though Robb and Jon have experienced similar upbringings, Jon is exiled due to his identity, while Robb’s identity gives him a chance to rule. This further reinforces the strict hierarchical structures in Westeros.
Themes
