I want to make two points about Jon (Snow) because this is making me crazy. I can't stop thinking about the last Jon chapter I just read.
1 - Why must a Lord Commander have no friends?
2 - And why is everyone in westeros against Jon's efforts to integrate the wildlings at the Wall?
1 - I believe the choice between a Lord Commander without friends and a man of the Night's Watch with friends is a false choice. Jon Snow in one of his chapters even laments that the Lord Commander has no friends. I ask, "WHY?" I understand a leader needs to do what needs to be done but that is no reason not have friends. Jon is sending ALL of his friends away. I understand sending Sam away to Oldtown to learn the ways of a Maester, but he also sends away Pyp, Grenn, Halder, Toad, Iron Emmett, and Dolorous Edd. Why can't he leave 1 or 2 friends by his side? This is nuts and boggles the mind. He needs people he trusts in the castles he's opening up but what he's doing is NUTS. Pyp and Grenn aren't opening up new castles, he just decides to dispatch them to Eastwatch because Cotter Pyke needs more men. WHY CAN'T HE SEND SOME OTHER PEOPLE?!?!? There's no reason not keep a couple people you trust by your side. Jon and GRRM don't even provide any justification for the decision to send his best friends to Eastwatch. As Jon's chapters progress, so too does Bowen Marsh's dislike of Jon's choices. I'm pulling my hair out trying to ascertain Jon's thought process in sending ALL OF HIS FRIENDS away when Melisandre has warned him at least 3 times of impending danger to his life. And no, Melisandre thus far has been correct in all of her prophecies. She may have misinterpreted the visions, but what she sees has been validated time and time again.
On a side note, why does Melisandre mistrust Patchface? That was interesting . . .
2 - After a point, I just feel like GRRM is concocting false pretenses to make it hard on Jon. Making it on hard on him when it makes sense is one thing, but this is ridiculous. The builder Yarwick is against Jon, Bowen Marsh is against Jon (every step of the way), and now Queen Selyse is against Jon. The conditions which Selyse requires from Jon for his peace with the wildlings are ludicrous: the queen wants the wildlings to acknowledge Stannis as their King and adopt the R'hllor as their god. The obvious retort to that which Jon failed to broach is that the King's own Hand Davos observes the Seven does he not? Will Stannis require all of westeros to adopt R'hllor as their god, the notion is so outrageous it boggles the mind! This obstacle seems very forced and fabricated by GRRM. C'mon, get real....
On another side note, if the Night's Watch doesn't work out for Jon, he appears to have a bright future in haggling. First Stannis, then the banker from Bravos, and now Tormund. Seems like that's the extent of his skills because he sure can't get anyone on board with him, in this novel at least.
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