Steve LawMen & Masculinities

Dr. Ryan McKelleyNovember 25, 2015

Game of Thrones Analysis

Intrinsic to almost all forms of contemporary mass media lies a portrayal of

men as a masculine figure, the American series Game of Thrones is no exception. The

series takes place in a medieval era that maintains a sexual script I would consider a

magnification of that in today’s society. Magnification or not, the concept of gender

conformity being depicted has certainly been perpetuated into modern day America.

With this being said, the series does offer slight variations in gender conformity, one

critical variation of which I would consider analogous to Hilary Clinton running for

president. A caveat must also be noted on my end: I have not finished this series, so

my interpretation and analysis is only up to the point I have watched (season 3,

episode 8). Game of Thrones holds a traditional societal model where male strength

and violence is valued significantly more than male intelligence.

Violence is to Game of Thrones as alcohol is to an alcoholic. Without violence

the show would not exist. Every facet of violence appears throughout the show,

most shown is men versus men along with men towards women violence.

Consistent with modern day, violence is almost entirely a men’s issue in the series.

Our in class video Tough Guise 2 by Jackson Katz examines male violence as an

epidemic in America, this is harmonious with the male violence epidemic within the

series. America as well the fictional series both propagandize boys from a young age

to believe possessions must be taken by force (Katz). When children that are

conditioned to a life of violence grow and are thrust into positions of power, or have

the ability to cause harm, ensuing dangers can occur argues Katz. This exact

scenario takes place when a young king named Joffrey takes control of an entire

kingdom. Joffrey seems to be leading them into the ground because of his violent

and apathetic ways. The same can be hypothesized for the future of America; if men

continue down a road of indifference toward other human beings, an unfavorable

outcome is immanent.

Within the series title, Game of Thrones, lies a rather basic but foretelling

description of the series. Ultimately, several families compete for the absolute rule

of “The Seven Kingdoms”. With an exception to a woman named Khaleesi, who was

my comparison to Hilary Clinton, each family is led by a male figure. The aspect of

males competing against each other for resources reminded me of Carlos Andres

Gomez’s writing Man Up (pg. 8). In Gomez’s piece he talks about Bloods and Crips

participating in a “rigged game of roulette we are forced to play”(pg.8). After

watching several episodes I struggle to find much difference between the families in

competition and the battle of Bloods versus Crips.

Although somewhat rare, cultural norms are violated within the series. I

decided to encapsulate the three most recent episodes I watched in order to have a

more concise analysis of these violations. In my most recent episode a male leader

of an army bows down to the woman Khaleesi, vowing his army’s service for

eternity. This scene challenges Glick and Fiske’s ambivalent sexism theory, where

males are most often sexist when a woman poses a threat. In another recent episode

a sword-carrying female knight is responsible for a male captive. Both of these

scenarios are examples that differ from Kilmartin’s statement that society “does not

encourage (and often discourages) cross gender activities, especially for males” (pg.

79). The last bit of the previous quotation, especially for males, is terrifically

important. In both gender non-conforming cases, it is a woman crossing the line of

taboo, why is this? My analysis contains a few possible reasons. The primary

thought I have is that if a male were to cross gender norms, the predominantly male

audience of the show would feel uncomfortable. From a simplistic standpoint, it’s

just easier for a female to have masculine qualities than it is for a male to be

perceived as feminine. Having a female in position of power may also attract a

female audience to the show, while not discouraging the male audience.

Monarchies rule the Seven Kingdoms throughout the series. Because of this

fact, social class and wealth is heavily favored along with the birthright power of

being male. One male character in particular struggles to find his place throughout

the series, the reason being he was born with dwarfism. The dwarf, named Tyrian, is

quite cunning and intelligent. However his looks often surpass his intelligence in the

minds of others despite being born into royalty. This illustrates the fact that

strength is valued more than intellect, not dissimilar to present day America where

beauty is often valued more than intellect (Luciano, 2001).

Violence in the Game of Thrones is intertwined within the way children are

taught. They are raised similar to the social learning perspective talked about in the

Kilmartin text (pg. 79). Men are raised to fight other men for the honor of their

father’s name. Wars within the series are not dissimilar of gang wars in modern day

America, where many soldiers are unsure of the reason they are fighting. While

most often the series follows normal gender roles, there are exceptions. Exceptions

to gender roles are more often made by women, most likely because it is easier for a

woman to be seen as masculine than a man as feminine. The masculinity portrayed

in the American series Game of Thrones is only a slight magnification of masculinity

in modern-day America.

Citations

Earp, J., Katz, J., Young, J. T., Jhally, S., Rabinovitz, D., & Media Education Foundation. (2013). Tough Guise 2: Violence, Manhood & American Culture.

Game of Thrones Wiki. (n.d.). Retrieved November 26, 2015, from http://gameofthrones.wikia.com/wiki/Game_of_Thrones_Wiki

Glick, P., & Fiske, S. (1996). The ambivalent sexism inventory: Differentiating hostile and benevole. Estados Unidos: American Psychological Association.

Gomez, Carlos Andres. Man Up: Reimagining Modern Manhood. Print.

Kilmartin, C. (1994). The masculine self. New York: Macmillan ;.

Luciano, L. (2001). Looking good: Male body image in modern America. New York: Hill and Wang.