Matching 50 Game of Thrones characters with each of the 50 states

Illinois: The Hound

Sandor Clegane — also known as the Hound — is a complicated character. At the start of the series, it’s easy to label him a villain. And he does some pretty villainous things, including murdering a young boy and robbing a farmer and daughter who have fallen on hard times.

Once you understand his motivations and see his progression, though, it’s hard not to root for his redemption. Clegane’s fondness for violence is heavily informed by his relationship with his brother, who showed him in childhood that brutality is acceptable when he burned off part of Sandor’s face over a childish squabble.

I match Clegane up with Illinois mostly because of Chicago. In 1871, there was a Great Chicago Fire, in which a small flame in a barn escalated into a devastating disaster that killed 300 people and destroyed over 3 square miles of city land. It’s amazing to think that one fire could lead to such death and carnage. I can’t help but think of the fire that took the Hound’s face, and all of the killing and sadness that came as a result of it.

I also find that the Hound, like Chicago, doesn’t always get the recognition he deserves for good his deeds. Sure, Chicago is a major city, but it doesn’t always receive the same fanfare as New York or Los Angeles. Clegane’s good deeds also sometimes slip under the radar, like when he saved Sansa from rape or when he avenged the death of a murdered Septon and his followers.