Irony of the war
I recently finished A Storm of Swords, the third book of the series A Song of Ice and Fire by George R.R. Martin, and there are many memorable quotes and moments. More people would recognize the series from the first book, A Game of Thrones, which became a television series.
“‘Battles,’ muttered Robb as he led her out beneath the trees. ‘I have won every battle, yet somehow I’m losing the war.’” (480) -A Storm of Swords, George R.R. Martin
The story is told through many points of view, and Martin describes many things in detail while doing a good job with the plot twists. Many things happen at once, so there is no one main character. Robb, king of the North, is fighting a war down south, but other forces have allied together against him, his home in the north has been sacked and his brothers are presumably dead. Even though he has won all his battles so far, everything else has gone wrong. The quote is ironic but true. It describes the situation very well and shows how troubled he is. It also shows how battles aren’t everything in a war. In general, I think irony makes literature more interesting. Another character also notes Robb’s dilemma in his point of view, which is cool.
5 responses so far
I love this series and also this quote! It seems like something that holds true not only in this novel but also in other writing dealing with war, and life in general. It questions what it really means to win. One may be successful on the surface but they may not have a family or friends to support them so they are not really winners. In the same way you could win battles in a war but still lose more import things like the lives of loved ones or those under your command. You could lose respect or honor or your values and by doing so, you lose. I love it when this type of irony comes up–it really gives you a lot to think about it and makes for a much more interesting read.
I haven’t this series, but I really like the quote. Sometimes, even if we think we’re winning, it’s never guaranteed. Life always has its “plot twists” and winning the war isn’t always about individual battles. This makes me want to read the books (and maybe watch Game of Thrones). This quote really makes you think.
I’ve heard a quote like this many times in literature. It’s a tried-and-true saying. You can never be certain of a victory until the war has ended. You can win every battle, but if you lose just one, it can mean you lose the war. You could think about life as a series of individual battles. You can win every battle, but then, if you lose just one, it can cost you the war, like the battle to not drive drunk, or the battle to not smoke. I don’t mean to sound dreary, but this quote really speaks to a much broader idea. The idea that a person must always be on their toes and alert in order to succeed and prosper in life.
I actually seen that quote from many other sources. While it might not have been worded exactly as R.R. Martin had written in that context, it certainly stands painfully true. Recently, I’ve watched a few shows (of war) with that twist, and it was at its greatest during the moment when the protagonist realized that even though he have the power to overcome everything in his path, he loses the ones he loves dearly in the process of trying to protect them. His scream would echo throughout the battlefield. Sometimes I wonder if such is an inevitable fate that awaits us in our future battlefield.
It’s true that the quote was probably used many times before and it isn’t original to Martin, but it was still used well and it fits the situation. I agree the phrase can extend beyond war and to life in general. The irony of those types of situations is what makes it so memorable and deep, but when it happens to us it would be very ominous or frustrating. In the book, the situation is hard for Robb, since he is at war but he has to retreat to reclaim the North, his home, which was taken over while he was fighting at the south.