Alyssa Rosenberg has got me thinking about Game of Thrones and its portrayal of disability in a rigidly hierarchical society. She writes:
But one of the things the Game of Thrones universe does best is to shake up the fantastical expectation that it’s reasonably easy for unusual people and people with unusual ambitions to make a place for themselves in rigid societies. The show insists that its difficult enough to fit into pre-approved roles if they’re available to you, and even harder to find a place for yourself if you’re unlucky enough not to slot into a pre-approved role at all.
The series features two primary characters with disabilities: Bran and Tyrion. Bran becomes a paraplegic after a tragic fall and Tyrion is a dwarf (reasonable people can argue whether dwarfism is a disability, but it clearly is viewed as such by the denizens of Westeros). Both are lucky enough to be members of wealthy nobility, which offers them distinct advantages in a society whose regard of people with disabilities is decidedly medieval. In one early episode, Tyrion, upon hearing of Bran’s injury, remarks, “If you’re going to be a cripple, it’s better to be a rich cripple.” But even their families’ wealth cannot completely compensate for their status as outsiders. Both Bran and Tyrion, despite their difference in years, are keenly aware that they will always be objects of pity and scorn.
How Bran and Tyrion cope with their outsider gimp status is one of the more interesting narrative threads to be found in the series. Tyrion embraces his otherness, throwing it back in the faces of potential tormentors while unapologetically living the life of a bon vivant. Tyrion also treads perilously close to becoming a disability caricature. His only sexual relations are with whores and he seems to have completely ruled out any chance of having a relationship with a woman that isn’t based on commerce. Despite his best efforts to the contrary, Tyrion seems to have accepted his outsider status to a certain extent. Bran’s path has yet to be explored with the same depth (something that the next book will hopefully remedy), but both the show and the books hint that he has some untapped second sight dwelling within him. Bran also experiences some of the depression and loss that accompanies an acquired disability.
Along with Arya, Bran and Tyrion are two of the most sympathetic characters in the series’ sprawling cast. The world they inhabit is one much more hostile to disability than ours, but their efforts to find a place in the world ring true for gimps like me.
