Hold the phone, because I’m about to nerd the fuck out right now. Just let me propose something that may sound a little silly:
Could Arya and Sansa be a possible interpretation of ‘the song of ice and fire’? No, I’m not saying it is the interpretation, just that it is an interpretation. And to me, it is clear who is ice and who is fire. Arya is all flame—passionate, clever, bright, quick, and active. She reminds me of her mother, chafing at the ropes that bind her, always moving, always seeking her family—a fiery pragmatist, if you will. Sansa is like ice—cool and outwardly stoic, cold where Arya runs hot. Sansa has enough winter within her to survive a dozen of them. Like I said in another post—she’s essentially a mini-Ned.
In AGOT, we see that Arya and Sansa have a troubled relationship. This is clear even from the first of Arya’s POV chapters. Between the two of them there is resentment, jealousy, and misunderstanding. Arya and Sansa are very different, and both are wrapped up in their own lives. It’s important to note that they are both children, and I don’t see their actions towards one another as any sort of familial crime. I do wonder how they would have fared had they not been separated.
Despite their differences, both girls have unbreakable ties to one another. They are both from the North, they both are Starks, and they both love one another. Arya, while independent, does not forget where she comes from. Sansa, though she at first longs for the South, does not abandon her roots either—this is clear by the building of the snow castle. When afraid, they both draw upon the strength of their family. Arya tells herself: “I am a wolf, and will not be afraid.” Sansa thinks: “I am a Stark, yes, I can be brave.”
How did Sansa survive King’s Landing? With cold, cool courtesy. How did Arya survive the riverlands? With quickness, with cleverness, with ferocity. With her inner fire.
Arya is passionate, easily angered, and can be impulsive; Sansa is slower, like a cold freeze (well, except for that one time she almost snapped and pushed Joffrey to his death, you know - not the brightest idea, yet perhaps understandable). But usually, Sansa’s anger goes so deep that it is almost nonexistent. She is, to me, the very opposite of ‘fiery’. It is an odd thing to say, as people often mean ‘fiery’ as a compliment. But I don’t mean this as an insult, not at all. I think Sansa is a fascinating character, and certainly is one of my very favorites. I think she fits perfectly well as the cold one next to her sister’s flame. Like two sides of the same coin, they balance one another.
Remember Tyrion’s wedding, when Sansa refused to kneel? For a terrified young girl, that was pretty cold and proud to me. That stark (haha) act of defiance was so icy, so Sansa.
Meanwhile, Arya, who is exceedingly clever, is also driven by her inner flame. She sparks. She flashes, goes one way and then another, but never loses sight of her destination. She revels in action and movement, in exploration. She burns hot.
It is important to note that both sisters, I am predicting, will have the ability to be quite deadly in their own ways. Both fire and ice can kill. One is generally more quick, and the other slow. Sansa, slower to act than Arya, again fits ‘ice’ here pretty well.
This is just my interpretation and people are free to disagree - there’s not really a right or wrong way to look at this, unfortunately. I thought I should write something on it anyway. Sansa and Arya are two of my favorite characters, and I find their relationship endlessly fascinating. They are more alike than they know, too. For instance—sometimes the only redemption for the past is to remember it. And, despite all they’ve gone through, neither of them have chosen to forget. Even now, in different guises, under different names, home still calls to them.
They’re Starks, whether they’re fiery or icy cold. And they always will be.
