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

Rhode Island: Samwell Tarly

Samwell Tarly isn’t like the rest of the men of the Night’s Watch. In fact, when he first arrives at the Wall, he’s mercilessly ridiculed for his portliness and propensity for reading and learning. Despite his status as the son of a well-to-do Lord, he struggles to make friends until Jon Snow takes him under his wing.

Even if the other men don’t understand him, Sam is low-key one of the most lovable characters on Game of Thrones He’s kind, smart and incredibly. I love rooting for him, and might secretly harbor a far-out wish that he’ll rule the Seven Kingdoms when all is said and done.

Like Samwell, the state of Rhode Island stands out physically. While Sam is known for his large size, the Ocean State is known for its diminutiveness. It’s the smallest state in the union. Sam and Rhode Island occupy physical extremes.

But if you can look past their size, both Sam and Rhode Island have hidden depths. Rhode Islanders value education; it’s the home of Brown University, an ivy League school. It also sports a beautiful coastline and its own Naval War College. And like Sam, Rhode Islanders care deeply about the world where they live; Rhode Island has the lowest level of energy consumption per capita in the country.

And since Sam has proven on more than one occasion that he can hack it in the cold and snow, I think he’d find a good home in Rhode Island.