The trope of a man killing the woman he loves is deeply entrenched in literature, film, and storytelling. It often serves as a dramatic plot device, adding tension, tragedy, and emotional weight to a narrative. However, beneath its surface allure lies a troubling and toxic portrayal of relationships.
The trope reinforces harmful gender stereotypes and power dynamics. It often portrays women as passive victims whose sole purpose is to evoke emotion in male characters. This reduction of female characters to mere plot devices diminishes their agency and perpetuates the notion that their value lies primarily in their impact on men. Furthermore, the trope can have real-world implications by trivializing and romanticizing violence against women. In a society already plagued by gender-based violence, such narratives can desensitize audiences to the severity of these issues and contribute to a culture that normalizes or even glorifies abusive behavior.
It’s important to recognize that storytelling shapes our perceptions and beliefs about the world. When narratives consistently rely on tropes like the man killing the woman he loves, they not only perpetuate harmful stereotypes but also limit the potential for more nuanced and healthy representations of relationships. Writers and creators have a responsibility to challenge these tropes, depict more diverse and complex characters, and foster narratives that promote empathy, respect, and equality. Only then can we begin to dismantle the toxic narratives that continue to pervade our culture.
*slow clap* The ending was really stupid and messed up anyway. Dany had fought her way halfway across the world, freeing slaves and trying to bring justice, the woman had seen a lot of terrible things and had terrible things done to her and her friends. Honestly, it really comes off as “women=crazy”. Dany did everything right so long as she was the gentle female savior who would try to save anyone, pure and innocent and driven by high morals; but she goes to the dark side for 5 minutes and all of a sudden she’s evil and insane. I’m just saying, I think with some therapy and time to heal she would have chilled out again. She wasn’t objectively more evil than most of the characters in the show that people happily rooted for. Honestly, as a woman who tries really hard to be “good”, it really hurt me, because that’s exactly how it feels when after you’ve done absolutely everything and been tried to your limit, you’re judged not in comparison of your actions to others but in comparison to your actions when you’re at your best, and told that actually, because you don’t live up in that moment to yourself in your best moment, that you’re a bad person. It’s illogical and yet it’s exactly how women are often treated, put up on a pedestal, tripped, and then spat on for falling. I think that came through in various parts of the series, but especially in the books, the idea that women were trying 10x as hard, and being judged 100x harder. So it surprises me that the show didn’t at least lean into the idea that Jon’s choice was ultimately guided by his best interests, and the morality was just the excuse he used.