Fan Theory Corner: The Northern Fool Fallacy and Jon Snow’s Motivations in season 7

Where do Jon’s true loyalties lie?

Parellels are drawn between Jon and Ned throughout season 7. Ned’s a fine man to be compared to, but he wasn’t perfect. We must keep in mind Sansa’s warning to Jon in the season 7 premiere:

"You have to be smarter than Father. You need to be smarter than Robb. I loved them, I miss them, but they made stupid mistakes and they both lost their heads for it."

Jon, as well as the audience, is thus reminded that, to win the game of thrones, a measure of ruthlessness is necessary. Sometimes, personal honor must be sacrificed for a greater purpose. Otherwise, Jon follows in the footsteps of his

father

uncle and

brother

cousin, likely into his own grave…again.

And even as honorable as Ned was, he was capable of deception in service of what he believed to be the greater good, most obviously when he raised Jon as his own son, never sharing the secret his sister begged him to protect, not even with his wife. Likewise, Jon deceived the wildlings when he infiltrated their ranks, and wasn’t above using Ygritte’s feelings for him to his advantage. It’s true that Jon fell in love with Ygritte, but not to the point where he abandoned his duty to the Night’s Watch; he was with her in part because he wanted to be, and in part because if he didn’t do something to convince the wildlings he was on their side, he would be killed.

In season 7, Jon’s duty is to the North, his family, and in the grand scheme of things, to humanity. If he wouldn’t desert the Night’s Watch for Ygritte — a romance that we saw progress — he wouldn’t desert the North for a romance with Daenerys that hasn’t been developed.

When Robb went back on a promise he’d made for the love of a woman from Essos, he lost valuable allies, and eventually his life. If Jon has truly bent the knee to Daenerys for any reason other than a last-ditch effort to survive, he’s repeating that mistake. More than that, if Jon ceded Northern independence, he would be betraying his family members who died defending it — Robb and Catelyn at the Red Wedding — and those who fought to take it back from the Boltons, namely Sansa, not to mention all the Northern bannermen who perished and suffered for it along the way.

Is it immoral for Jon to use Daenerys’ affections for him in this way? That comes down to personal opinion. On Game of Thrones, morality is more nuanced and realistically human than right-vs-wrong, or black-vs-white, or “love conquers all.” While romantic love is a part of the show, it has a terribly messy history — just ask Shae, Ygritte, Khal Drogo, Ned Stark, Catelyn Stark, and many others. More reliable is love for family members, love for country, and even love and loyalty for institutions like the Night’s Watch. How far will these characters go to protect what they love most?

Just as Jon is aware of how he’s playing the political game, he also acknowledges that his duplicity isn’t necessarily on par with his morality.† We can see a hint of this in Jon’s exchange with Theon Greyjoy in the season 7 finale:

"THEON: “What you did in King’s Landing, what you said… You could have lied to Cersei, about bending the knee to Daenerys. You risked everything to tell an enemy the truth.” JON: “We went down there to make peace, and it seems to me that we need to be honest with each other if we’re ever going to fight together.” THEON: “You’ve always known what was right. Even when we were all young and stupid. You always knew. Every step you take, it’s always the right step.” JON: “It’s not. It may seem that way from the outside, but I promise you, it’s not true. I’ve done plenty of things that I regret.”"

One moment, Jon is declaring the importance of honesty in alliances, and the next, he’s admitting that “the right thing” isn’t as simple as Theon makes it out to be. Sacrifices to do “the right thing” — in this case, defeating the White Walkers — must be made. Lying to Cersei could have undermined Daenerys’ trust in him, and Jon needs dragons and armies more than he needs Cersei’s favor, or her depleted armies.

In that moment in the Dragonpit, Jon makes a choice that seems honorable but foolhardy — a reprise of Ned’s decision to be honest with Cersei in season 1 — but at its core, it’s a strategic decision.††