The ‘Game of Thrones’ Books Prove That Jon Snow Deserved To Be Stabbed

After the controversial ending of the HBO series, the first rule of Game of Thrones is that we don’t talk about Game of Thrones. The second rule is that anyone can die. Fans’ heads rolled along with Ned Stark’s (Sean Bean) at the end of the first season, and there was always a Red Wedding or an Oberyn Martell (Pedro Pascal) around the corner for viewers who grew too complacent. When Jon Snow’s (Kit Harington) time finally came, we watched in agony as Kit Harington spent a year lying to the public about the mystery surrounding his character’s death. The Lord Commander’s body hadn’t even gone cold when the speculation about his return after the Season 5 finale. Jon was one potential exception to this cardinal rule due to the convincing theories tied to his resurrection and secret identity as a Targaryen. Viewers were so focused on asking why he might return from the dead that they forgot to ask whether he deserved to die in the first place. While Game of Thrones doesn’t make a convincing case for his demise, the original A Song of Ice and Fire books offer another take.

George R.R. Martin’s A Dance With Dragons follows Jon’s journey as Lord Commander of the Night’s Watch and the many questionable choices that lead to his death at the hands of his own men. Game of Thrones garnered a reputation for simplifying its characters and plots as the show continued, and Jon’s command of the Wall was no exception. The show covers some of the broader strokes of the internal disputes of the Watch but misses a lot of important details. Jon takes charge of the Wall at a tense time in Westeros. He must juggle Stannis Baratheon’s occupation and the ongoing conflicts of the North, while simultaneously brokering a fragile peace with the Widlings in his preparations to fight the White Walkers. Jon has to navigate political and supernatural tensions while trying to uphold his vows to the Night’s Watch and his duties as their leader. While his efforts are commendable, there is a building tension that underpins his chapters, and he makes several crucial mistakes that ultimately cost him his life.

Game Of Thrones

Nine noble families fight for control over the lands of Westeros, while an ancient enemy returns after being dormant for a millennia.

Release Date

April 17, 2011

Creator

David Benioff, D.B. Weiss

Main Genre

Drama

Seasons

8

Studio

HBO

Jon’s Failure as a Leader Is Overshadowed by One-Note Villains

While Game of Thrones captures the overarching tension between the Night’s Watch and the Wildlings, it frames the mutiny as a result of personal bias rather than the glaring flaws in Jon’s leadership. The show has ruined the death of major characters in the past, but the problem with Jon’s death is the changes made in the buildup to it. Jon fails to communicate the benefits of helping the Wildlings to his subordinates like Cotter Pyke and Bowen Marsh in the books, but Alliser Thorne (Owen Teale) is Jon’s main opposition in the show. Thorne and Jon have gone through a bitter rivalry throughout the story, posing the mutineers as one-note villains who are annoyed at Jon for their own petty reasons, despite Thorne not being present at the Wall when Jon dies in the books.

The most shocking betrayal in the scene comes from Jon’s protégé, Ollie, but the motivations of this show-only character are a simplification of the books. Game of Thrones frames the mutineers as stereotypical villains with basic motivations that overshadow the flaws in Jon’s attempts to settle the Wildlings south of the Wall. Jon underestimates just how bitter the Brothers have become towards their age-old enemies and doesn’t care how his men view him. Jon pays little attention to what anyone thinks of him, and while this is an enviable character trait, a leader must acknowledge the viewpoint of their followers. From an objective perspective, anyone can see how Jon sowed distrust among his men. Nevertheless, the show uses recognizable, one-dimensional characters as the voices of these men. Like many stories in Game of Thrones, it presents the conflict as more black and white, failing to convey the moral complications behind both Jon and the mutineers.

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Jon’s Political Meddling Goes Against the Values of the Night’s Watch

Jon works outside his jurisdiction when he involves himself in the political affairs of Westeros. The Night’s Watch surrender all titles and family names when they’re sworn in, but Jon’s judgment is swayed by familial ties, causing him to intervene in conflicts he shouldn’t be involved in. Melisandre warns him of her vision of a “grey girl on a dying horse” riding to the Wall, which turns out to be Sansa in the show. However, Alys Karstak takes this role in the books after her Uncle Arnolf plans to betray Stannis and steal her claim to Karhold. Alys flees to the Wall in search of Jon, pleading to him, “In your father’s name, I beg you. Protect me.” Jon immediately sends word to Stannis of the scheme and marries Alys to the leader of the cannibal Wilding tribe, the Thenns. When Cregan Karstark arrives to take her back, Jon throws him into an ice-cell to freeze.

While Jon’s actions are a testament to his moral code, it’s easy to see how the Watch perceives them as questionable. Jon meddles in the realm’s affairs, taking an active role in Stannis’ cause. He then marries a Northern noblewoman to a tribe of cannibal Wildlings, many of whom have killed men of the Watch. As we’ve seen before in Game of Thrones, weddings are generally a bad idea, but Jon makes a smart and decisive call to protect Alys from being married off. However, in doing so, he rewards a brutal Wilding clan in the process, effectively raising them to nobility.

Alys cites Jon’s father as a reminder of his heritage as a Stark and their duty to protect the North. Jon feels a duty to her as a Stark of Winterfell, especially given that the Karstarks are a cadet branch of their house. Even though Jon is supposed to give up his ties to his family, he cannot help but intervene due to a lingering sense of loyalty to the Starks. This subplot was completely removed from the show. Instead, Jon saves Sansa from the evil Ramsay, once again painting him as a straightforward hero protecting his family after he has already been relieved of his oath to the Watch.

Jon’s Crimes Legally Require Death as Punishment

Jon’s declaration of war against Ramsay Bolton is the final straw that leads to his death. Fans watched Jon reclaim Winterfell and beat Ramsay to a pulp in The Battle of the Bastards, which became an iconic moment for his character. Nevertheless, Jon receives the infamous pink letter from Ramsay shortly before he dies in the books, provoking Jon to abandon the Wall and march to war. Jon announces his decision to lead an army of Wildings south so that none of his brothers have to forsake their vows by joining him. This is undoubtedly the worst decision he makes during his command and gives the Watch more than enough reason to arrest him.

While his motivations are understandable, Jon breaks his vows by deserting his post. Ned Stark beheads a Night’s Watch deserter for the same crime in the first episode of the show, so Jon is doing wrong even by his father’s standards. The Watch felt they had no other option but to apprehend him after he announced his intentions. Jon’s rivalry with Ramsay offers a redemptive arc for his character in the show, especially given how hated Ramsay became among fans. But his decision to attack Ramsay in the books is a moment that exposes the flaws in his character. Jon ultimately prioritizes his family before his duty, diverging from his stubbornly heroic portrayal on television. The mutiny was planned and pre-meditated in Season 5 Episode 10, but the murder should have been a last-minute decision made by the Watch, who felt they had no other choice in the situation. Both the Night’s Watch and Jon have been done a disservice in his death scene. Jon made an understandable, but morally wrong choice, and he is punished for it by reluctant soldiers loyal to their cause. This became just one example in a long list of reductive changes to characters in the series.

Game of Thrones became famous for its sudden drop in quality towards the last few seasons of the show, but Jon’s death proves that the seeds for this decline were planted much earlier than viewers realize. Jon became the typical Hollywood hero who knew right from wrong in a series designed to subvert those character tropes. While Jon doesn’t deserve to be murdered in the eyes of the fans, we can understand how the inevitable bureaucracy of his position, combined with his familial loyalties, forced his men into a corner where murder was the only viable option.

Game of Thrones saw Jon finally free of his responsibilities as Lord Commander, but the book character has been lying dead for twelve years. Fans eagerly await author George R.R. Martin to release The Winds of Winter and hopefully give Jon the justice he deserves. Kit Harington pitched a spinoff series to Martin hoping to reprise the role, but there has been no word of whether the show will be given the green light. If you can’t wait that long for your next Game of Thrones fix, Season 2 of House of The Dragon premieres this summer, where some of Jon’s ancestors may meet a fate as bloody as his own.

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