When Jon Snow hands his command over, both figuratively and literally, to Dolorous Edd Tollett, he’s taking his own life, identity, and destiny into his own hands for perhaps the first time since the very first episode, when he first chose to join the Night’s Watch. Yes, there have been times when his autonomy has flared up – like when he attempted to sneak off from Castle Black in order to avenge his lord father’s death (“Fire and Blood,” episode 110) – but it’s always been forced back down into submission, thanks to the worry of his comrades and the inertia of his career path, so to speak, with the crows. And, yes, Jon has attempted to channel his desire to forge his own path into a stronger leadership role for himself, like when he takes the initiative against the Night’s Watch deserters who slew Lord Commander Jeor Mormont (“Oathkeeper,” 404) – but it is nothing even remotely close to what he does here in “Oathbreaker.”
Such a development is a rarity in Game of Thrones; much like the medieval history that it is based off of, much of the narrative is wholly dependent upon individuals meeting the expectations or demands of their families, houses, and geographical regions, which oftentimes necessitates the almost near-subjugation (if not annihilation) of the self. In this way, Queen Regent Cersei Lannister is expected to marry Ser Loras Tyrell; King Robb Stark is expected to make marriage arrangements based upon political calculations as opposed to personal fulfillment; Sansa Stark is talked into trading her newfound freedom in for marriage to Ramsay Bolton; and even Arya Stark is asked to negate any sense of personal identity, and therefore agency, in her training to become a master assassin. (Man – that’s a lot of storylines devoted to or otherwise revolving around marriage. Talk about a thematic landmine!)
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