8 George R.R. Martin Tropes And What They Really Mean

5. A Man Is Not A Virgin

What Is It: Apart from the fact it sounds like something Jaquen H'ghar would say, this trope is whenever a character is portrayed as weak or incompetent, with their virginity being seen as an implicit of explicit cause. What It Really Means: First, the examples. Though the most obvious example comes in the form of Jon Snow €“ who swears an oath to the Night's Watch meaning he can't engage in a romantic relationships lest he become unable to properly fulfil his duties (even though he's basically the only person who upholds this stipulation for the vast majority of the series) €“ there are a few other examples as well. The trope is invoked when Samwell Tarly proposes to Gilly that he claim her child is his, so that she and the child might be sent to his father's castle for protection. Sam also implies that his father would be pleased that his son actually managed to have sex with someone. We see a similar thing when Quentyn Martell's companions try and get him to sleep with a whore, explaining that women want a man who is sexually experienced. The difference in the perception of Podrick Payne is also marked after he is rewarded with a trip to the brothel for saving Tyrion's life. So what does it mean? Well, the trope is used by Martin in multiple ways. For a start, it marks certain characters out as extremely unique €“ the world of A Song Of Ice And Fire is one in which sex is freely available, through prostitution and more unsavoury means. Martin flips the trope of the pure, female virgin on its head, as the series' male virgins are also seen in a similarly pure (if somewhat naive) light. At the same time, this detail also paints these characters are underdogs, ridiculed by society for their sexuality. In a society so obsessed with patriarchal power and manliness, having a character lose their virginity is also an easy method of substantial transition and development.