This student paper analyzes the character of Jon Snow from A Game of Thrones. It discusses Jon's status as Ned Stark's illegitimate son and how this creates conflict with his stepmother Catelyn. As a bastard, Jon faces obstacles in determining his place in the world and aspirations. He joins the Night's Watch seeking honor and purpose. Jon grows from a boy alienated by his status into a man of integrity through navigating his various loyalties and challenges.

1. Example 1
Student Example
Dr. Kim Palmore
EWRT2
28 October 2012
A Trueborn Bastard
In A Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin, a series of obscure events in the
kingdom’s capitol pulls Eddard Stark of Winterfell from his comfortable, although icy cold, zone
and pits him against charlatans and a rising coup d’état that threatens the safety of his family. As
this political time bomb ticks, the last surviving descendants from the previous royal family, the
Targaryen, are scheming up a coup of their own. Amidst all this political controversy, a
particular bastard boy under the name of Jon Snow is faced with obstacles of his own. Although
Jon is the illegitimate son of Eddard Stark, the lord of Winterfell, he still faces the ruthless fate
that his society’s status quo has chosen for people like him. The whole novel is rife with conflict;
however, Jon Snow clearly becomes the epitome of conflict and self-reflection. He is faced with
a myriad of conflicts, both external and internal, which come from different sources: his heritage,
his loyalty, and his aspirations –which tackle different aspects of his life. Jon Snow is the one
character that is constantly challenged to pick sides, and, as a result, grows from these trials.
These conflicts bring out Jon’s priorities and values and test his loyalty and results in the
growing of Jon from a distressed kid into a likable and honorable man who appears to have
found a place in this world.
To better understand Jon’s position in the world, it is important to discuss his conception
or lineage, which, by all standards, is quite unique. Jon Snow is the bastard son of Eddard Stark,
the Lord of Winterfell and a man of honor. We know very little about Jon’s mother, but it is not

2. Example 2
his mother’s identity that makes Jon’s conception special at this point. Jon was fathered during
one of Ned’s voyages to the south during the war against the Targaryens. There isn’t anything
particularly unique about this situation: Eddard had recently married Catelyn and fathered Robb,
but they spent the following year apart. Catelyn was understanding of this: “Many men had
fathered bastards. Catelyn had grown up with that knowledge. It came as no surprise to her, in
the first year of her marriage, to learn that Ned had fathered a child on some girl chance met on
campaign. He had a man’s need, after all, and they had spent that year apart” (45). However, she
did not expect Ned to bring this bastard son home “for all the north to see.” This defines the
setting in which Jon grows: the house of a noble family, where he is loved and protected by his
siblings and father but hated by his step mother. This factoid about Jon’s conception leads to his
conflict with Catelyn, who is unable to look past Ned’s fathering of Jon. The result from this
dissonance in his upbringing is evident at the moment he steps into the Wall. Noye reveals to Jon
what his new brothers thought of him: “No. They hate you because you act like you’re better
than they are. They look at you and see a castle-bred bastard who thinks he’s a lordling” (126). It
is no wonder, then, why Jon would be such a conflicted character: not only is he considered a
lesser human being, but he is also brought up in an environment where his fault is highlighted
daily. Put a calf with monkeys and let him grow; it will still moo.
This particularity in Jon’s conception creates a tension in the relationship between Jon
and Catelyn, which eventually snaps after Eddard is summoned to King’s Landing. They live
under the same roof, but they are never able to see eye-to-eye. Catelyn’s disapproval of Jon’s
presence in her life is hinted when King Robert pays them a visit at Winterfell: “But tonight
Lady Stark thought it might give insult to the royal family to seat a bastard among them” (37).
This contempt Catelyn feels towards Jon finally bursts after Bran’s falling into coma. Despite

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Jon’s sincere attempt to console Catelyn, she responds by saying “I need none of your
absolution, bastard” (67). Catelyn goes on to verbally wish that Jon were the one lying on the
bed. Jon appears unfazed at Catelyn’s harsh words. This shows the respect and loyalty Jon has to
his family. This poisonous relationship between stepmother and bastard-son is one of the
contributing factors that lead to Jon’s decision to join the Night’s Watch. However, the defining
factors that pushed Jon to join the Night’s Watch are his own sense of alienation with his family
and his aspirations; he had no prior knowledge of Eddard’s departure for King’s Landing. Jon’s
conflicts with Catelyn and his society push him to strive for greatness in an environment where
even a half-blood could hope to succeed.
One of the many external conflicts Jon faces is his status in society and the implications
that it has, specifically, on his career options. Jon’s concerns about his future are voiced in his
inner monologue: “Robb would inherit Winterfell, would command great armies as the Warden
of the North. Bran and Rickon would be Robb’s bannermen and rule holdfasts in his name. His
sisters Arya and Sansa would marry the heirs of other great houses and go south as mistress of
castles of their own. But what place could a bastard hope to earn?” (38). Jon’s aspirations for
greatness are first voiced in this excerpt, when he decides to join the Night’s Watch, thinking that
he could, in his own bastardly and lesser way, achieve something great. However, when Jon
arrives at the Wall, he quickly realizes that his expectations of grandeur and honor were
erroneous: “No doubt the boy had made the mistake of thinking that the Night’s Watch was
made up of men like his uncle. If so, Yoren and his companions were a rude awakening” (84).
What was supposed to be a group of honorable man who defend the kingdom against the Others
from beyond the Wall turned out to be a pit where outcasts bastards were thrown into. This,
however, does not stop Jon from becoming a prominent character in the Wall. Jon’s persistence

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and wit allow him to grow in the hostility that is the Wall, making a new family with his brothers
at the Wall and creating enemies like Ser Alliser. Jon’s success at the Wall further proves his
adeptness at growing in hostile environments, like he did in Winterfell, much like how weed can
grow in the roughest soil.
Jon’s newfound sense of belongingness at the Wall alongside his new brothers does not
stop him from remaining loyal to his family. When he receives the news about Robb’s
engagment in war and his father’s death, he has to decide where his loyalty resides: with the
family that nurtured him into the boy he was or the family that gave him a sense of purpose and
belongingness and made him a man. Even though Jon’s upbringing is not ideal in any way,
Eddard’s teachings about the importance of family are clearly instilled in Jon’s personality as he
decides to return to Robb’s side to aid him. This event speaks of Jon’s loyalty to his family;
however, can he be considered disloyal for “betraying” his new family at the Wall? Jon struggles
with this dilemma, but as a man of honor and family, the vengeance of his father and the aiding
of his family took precedence over his duties at the Wall. Jon is later convinced by his new
brothers, Samwell, Pypar, and Grenn, to stay at the Wall. Nevertheless, the conflict of where
Jon’s loyalty lies brings out his honorable and dependable personality, and at the same time gives
us an insight into his resolve and priorities.
Jon, through these trials, grows from a disgruntled kid who felt alien to everyone around
him, into a man of honor and respect who, despite their differences, remains loyal to his family.
Jon’s growth is a result of a series of dilemmas that brings out the best and worst of his
personality by testing his priorities and forcing him to take sides. Despite his “impure” blood, his
resolve and determination are qualities that belong to a Stark trueborn. Perhaps wronged in more

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than one way by his society’s status quo, Jon takes on his challenges and obstacles and learns
from them, and as a result, rises above his title and becomes more than just a bastard.

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Works Cited
Martin, George R.R. A Game of Thrones. New York: Bantam Books, 1996. Print.