Killing the Good Men

So I read a simple phrase over on a blog entry at Dear Author where Jane said: The book sounds interesting but … I’m not interested in another George RR Martin type of story where all the women are raped and all the good men are killed. It stuck a chord in me.

Leaving aside the whole all the women are raped discussion because it's a whole 'nother ball o' wax that I'm not willing to get into at the moment, what hit me was the all the good men are killed.

I love the George R.R. Martin Song of Ice and Fire series of books. Its setting of Westeros is a land of extremes in a time of great turmoil and things just aren't that simple. I don't buy the all the good men are killed idea. I think what GRRM does is give us characters that make us think about what actually makes a good man and whether or not men (and women) can realistically be all good or all bad. And to wonder if there can be redemption for those that we have labelled 'bad'. And if that redemption is indeed enough to, if not wipe out, overcome all the bad in that person's past. Nothing has been black and white in those books since the beheading of Eddard Stark in Book One and even then, Eddard was a noble man, an honourable man, a responsible man, but was he actually GOOD? I'm not convinced.

GRRM has been able to perform some miracles with his characters, in my opinion. He took at least two main characters, awful people when we met them, and actually was able to render them likable, even at times admirable. He has also taken characters that were, upon first meeting, heroic, honourable, good people and managed to have them commit some atrocious acts as the tales continue. Pause and take a look at the story arc so far of the great feminist hope of Daenerys Targaryen, the Khaleesi. The young lady ain't no angel!  Nor is Arya Stark, far from it.  And Jon Snow, the everyman, the one offspring of the afore-mentioned Eddard Stark that seems the most like his father.. he has his moments of shameful actions as well, yet he is considered one of the good guys. One of the good men, all of whom are killed, some say.

It's just far too easy to say that all the good men are killed. It's way too facile. Way too black and white. And real characters are seldom, very seldom, black and white.  Thank God.