#asoiaf hopecore or whatever

[nightswatchdisbandmentera]

Winter is coming... All men must die... But I don't necessarily think that makes it a pessimistic world, or perhaps not any more pessimistic than the real world that we live in. And we're here for a short time, and we should be conscious of our own mortality. But the important thing is love and compassion and empathy with other human beings is still possible. Laughter is still possible, even laughter in the face of death. The struggle to make the world a better place. We have things like war and murder and rape, horrible things that still exist in the world, but we don't have to accept them. We can fight the good fight, I think, the fight to eliminate those things. So there is darkness in the world, but I don't think we necessarily have to give way to despair. One of the great things Tolkien says in Lord of the Rings is despair is the ultimate crime, that's the ultimate failing of Denethor, the steward of Gondor, is that he despairs of ever being able to defeat Sauron. We should not despair, we should not go gentle into that good night. So winter is coming, but light the torches and drink the wine and gather around the fire, we can still defy it.

So Spake Martin 2013, Sydney Opera House

I remember a poll on here a couple months back asking how people interpreted the title ‘a dream of spring’. I was among those who had a more positive interpretation of that phrase. I still think that’s meant to be more positive than negative; more hopeful than bleak. To me, ‘a dream of spring’ is like Bran’s last ACOK chapter. The world is burning, a little boy is dispossessed, but he still lives. And there’s something defiant about that. It’s the perseverance of the human spirit, even if it’s just the little hope of an 8 year old boy. It seems bleak at first, but Bran said it best when he recognized that while Winterfell may be burned, it still stood. And while he may have been a “broken boy”, he still lives; plus I think there’s something sweet about that scene because from a Doylist pov this is Bran officially starting his hero’s quest so we know upon reread that there’s a light at the end of this dark tunnel. ‘A dream of spring’ to me is like a continuation of that ACOK ending. Winter doesn’t mean that human beings, even in weakness, can’t be defiant in trying to love or hope. Nor does it mean that they can’t find fulfillment in whatever little life they have for however long they have it. IMO the above quote from GRRM also highlights why characters like Jon (spring deity), Bran (the personification of summer and boyhood), and Dany (fire and light and passion) are especially important to the thematic and magical ending of this series. Winter is coming, but spring comes after it. And what is spring is not the renewal of life? And what is a dream if not hope lingering?