Jon Snow Month -Kindness (traits 1/2)
When I first read the books I considered Jon one of its kindest characters. I couldn’t fathom why he rarely made fans’ lists of kind characters because that trait of his is so prominent. After all these years I still mantain the same opinion that Jon Snow is one of the kindest souls in Westeros and therefore for the Character Trait’s day I decided to write a meta about this often overlooked feature of his. I’ll only share examples from the first part of AGOT in order to keep this post at a resonable length. One day I’ll probably make continuation posts to cover the rest of books.
Here are some examples of Jon’s kindness.
1. From the first chapters of AGOT we are shown that Jon is a kind soul. Jon Snow is introduced at Bran’s first POV chapter and the first major act he commits is removing himself from having a direwolf so all his siblings will actually get one. Both his father and his younger brother understand that he made an act of kindness:
“You have five trueborn children,” Jon said. “Three sons, two daughters. The direwolf is the sigil of your House. Your children were meant to have these pups, my lord.”
Bran saw his father’s face change, saw the other men exchange glances. He loved Jon with all his heart at that moment. Even at seven, Bran understood what his brother had done. The count had come right only because Jon had omitted himself. He had included the girls, included even Rickon, the baby, but not the bastard who bore the surname Snow,[..,]
2. We get another great example of Jon’s kind soul from Arya’s first POV chapter. Actually, Arya’s chapters are filled with examples of Jon’s kindness, as he was the only child in Winterfell who constantly gave love and support to the bullied even younger girl. A moment of kindness that particularly stands out is this one:
They were the only ones. Robb and Sansa and Bran and even little Rickon all took after the Tullys, with easy smiles and fire in their hair. When Arya had been little, she had been afraid that meant that she was a bastard too. It been Jon she had gone to in her fear, and Jon who had reassured her.
Just picture this scene: an even younger Arya (reminder at the start of AGOT she’s only nine) is afraid that her sharing looks with Jon means she’s a also a bastard and instead of sharing her fear with an adult she goes to Jon for comfort; Jon, who isn’t that much older than her (they are only four years apart). This indicates that even at this young age, Jon has been there for her when she has a trouble or fear and thus why she naturally seeks him in time of despair. Jon isn’t the only older sibling she has but he has been the kindest to her.
Even more important is Jon’s reaction to Arya seeking his comfort. Despite the fact that bastardy is a sore spot for him and that he’s probably hurt that his little sister associated their shared looks with it, he’s the one who reassures her, who gives her solace.In a great act of kindness,he prioritizes his little sister’s feelings over his.
3. It’s quite ironic that one of Jon’s kindest moments comes from his interaction with his step mother. Catelyn has been a constant haunting figure in Jon’s early life and the main reason he doesn’t feel fully welcomed at his home in Winterfell. He’s that fightened of her that he hesistates to visit his younger brother Bran, who is in coma, before he leaves Winterfell . When he finds the courage to say goodbye to his brother before they part he’s not welcomed by Catelyn who is annoyed by his mere present to her ill son’s room. She tells him he’s unwelcomed there and later also threatens him to call the guards if he doesn’t leave the room. The reason I’m including details here is because of what happens next. Catelyn shares with him that she feels guilty for her son’s condition (it’s really not her fault, not by any stretch) and Jon offers her words of comfort:
“I wanted him to stay here with me,” Lady Stark said softly.
Jon watched her, wary. She was not even looking at him. She was talking to him, but for a part of her, it was as though he were not even in the room.
“I prayed for it,” she said dully. “He was my special boy. I went to the sept and prayed seven times to the seven faces of god that Ned would change his mind and leave him here with me. Sometimes prayers are answered.”
Jon did not know what to say. “It wasn’t your fault,” he managed after an awkward silence.
Jon witnessing this prideful and strong woman have a break down in front of him can’t help but feel sympathy for her and thus awkwardly expressing it. He’s not unmoved by the tears of the mother mourning for her son and offers her some kind words. He finds it in his heart to comfort the same woman who has been the most frightening figure in his life so far. The woman who normally even refuses to acknowledge his presence and who this specific day already tried to stop him from saying goodbye to his little brother,If this isn’t an act of kindness then I don’t know what it is.
4. This example is related to the previous one I listed as it happens a couple of minutes later. After Jon exits Bran’s room - not before Catelyn harshly telling him that it should be him dying instead of Bran- he meets Robb. Jon is exhausted and emotionally drained by his interaction with Catelyn and Robb realizes something is amiss and knowing his mother, he correctly guesses she’s the one to blame:
Robb knew something was wrong. “My mother … ”
“She was … very kind,” Jon told him.
Robb looked relieved. “Good.” He smiled.
Here we have another example of Jon not only being kind about thoughful of others but also prioritizing his siblings’ feelings over his. Instead of sharing what troubles him he opts to lie to Robb that Catelyn was kind to him during his visit to Bran’s room because he doesn’t want to burden his brother.
Oh, the irony of Jon telling Robb that Catelyn was very kind when the only kind person in that room was himself.
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