One of the great lies that is perpetrated among civilized society is that taking revenge will only make one feel worse about themselves. It is something we tell ourselves in order to maintain a veneer of civility. This is not to imply that revenge is a good thing, but we are disingenuous when we state that taking revenge makes one feel bad about themself. So many works of art have studied how revenge corrodes the soul, that it is almost disconcerting when Game of Thrones makes one of its most likable characters a purely vengeful character. And yet Arya Stark, who has racked up an impressive body count, is one of the most pure characters in the entire show.
From the very beginning of the show, Arya is shown as someone who is determined to forge her own path. She is more than just a token tomboy character. Instead, she is portrayed as an agent of vengeance early on. On the kingsroad, when Joffrey attacks the unnamed butcher’s boy for no reason, we first see the contained darkness that is a crucial aspect of her character. A misreading of Game of Thrones implies that Arya is made into a dark by her experiences after her father’s death, but as early as the second episode we find her ready to kill Joffrey. Go back and watch this moment, and notice the unbridled fury in Arya’s eyes (fantastic work by Maisie Williams, by the way). Whether by nature or nurture, Arya is the wildest of the Stark children, and is in possession of a dark side at a very young age.
What makes Arya different from other vengeful and dark characters is both the purity and focus of her vengeance. Her desire to kill comes from the fact that she has been a helpless bystander, and therefore a witness, to numerous horrific occurrences. She watches Meryn Trant attack her Dancing Master. She witnesses her father being led before the headsman. She watches as Lommy is killed by
Polliver with her blade. She watches The Tickler torture people for no reason. And she is helpless as her mother and brother are butchered by the Freys. These experiences take root inside of her and hone her focus into a laser sighted rage.
After season 4 premiered, I remember reading an article saying that it was uncomfortable watching a little girl take revenge in the way that Arya takes revenge on Polliver. Perhaps it is, but this seems to overlook the fact that every time that Arya kills is in response to injustice. She is not the wanton killer that Ramsey Bolton is, for example. In fact, her inability to kill indiscriminately is what causes her rift with the Faceless Men. While she has no issue eliminating a crooked businessman, when tasked with killing a respected actress, she cannot bring herself to complete the assignment. The code of the Faceless Men does not involve justice, and since it does not involve justice, it is antithetical to Arya’s character.
While there are several characters in Game of Thrones who struggle with their identity, Arya’s quest to find herself is perhaps the most blatant arc in Game of Thrones. When Ned tells her that she will become the Lady of a castle, she states matter of factly, “That’s not me.” Throughout the show Arya is forced to change who she is in order to maintain her safety. The ultimate culmination of this is when the Faceless Men attempt to turn her into “No One.” But Arya cannot forget who she is, because she, more than anyone else, is the human embodiment of the
North. Jon is a Targaryen, Sansa is a lady, Bran is the Three Eyed Raven, Rickon does not matter, and Robb is a mess of conflicting ideologies and purposes. But Arya is of the North, and she is as wild, unforgiving, and pure as her homeland. And through her Westeros will know that the North always Remembers.
Arya’s quest for revenge is, therefore, as pure as she is, because her motives and actions align into a razor sharp precision. But, even if one finds my explanation to be unconvincing, I ask that we take into consideration Cersei’s exclamation to Oberyn Martell: “There is no place in the world where they do not hurt little girls.” She is absolutely right. During the course of this show, we have seen Meryn Trant beat Sansa. We have seen Polliver brag about the women he has raped. We have seen Walder Frey order the death of a pregnant woman. And the last thing all three of them saw before their death was Arya Stark. Revenge is typically not the motive of the hero, but in the case of Arya Stark, a little girl who has taken justice into her own hands, vengeance is heroic.
