“He is a sweet boy, quick to laugh, easy to love. Let him grow up with the young princes, let him become their friend as Robert became mine.” — Eddard Stark to Catelyn Tully
Before his fall, Bran is very much like every other boy. He’s playful and full of life, being raised to become a knight of Winterfell, which is what he’s wanted more than anything else in the world.
When he is first introduced, he bears witness to the execution of a deserter of the Night’s Watch. It is something that he has to see, since it will be something he will have to deal with in the future. Though he is not in line to rule Winterfell, he will have to deal with a lot of death as a knight, and may have to kill out of justice, just as Eddard does with the deserter. He wants his son to be used to death, but at the same time be fair. It is a lesson Bran is taught, but not one he puts into practice right away.
Despite the fact the young boy dreams of a day when he will be a knight, as a child, he still has a kind soul. His heart has yet to harden. He shows this kindness — which is a kindness that only someone as young and innocent as himself can have — when they come across a dying direwolf and her pups. The plan is to just let the pups die, but Bran protests. He is leaning about death and when it is justified and when it’s not, and in the case of the direwolves, Bran deems it unjustified. Through this act, and the fact that Jon steps in, all of the Stark children get a direwolves as a pet, very appropriate since their sigil is a direwolf.
Bran could "climb before he could walk." —Catelyn Tully
Another sign of his innocence is his love for climbing. It brings out his playful and adventurous side. This is just another example of how innocent he is. Climbing brings him a sense of freedom and excitement, and being so strong-footed means he can do it whenever he wishes, though his mother did not approve of it.
Through his climbing, he is able to spot the knights from King’s Landing coming, which brings him so much joy. It is easy to see how important becoming a knight is to him. He admires them so much, and even gets excited over the sight of them. He dreams to join them one day, and this sight only gives him the drive to reach his dream.
Sadly, while his reach is long the dream becomes unreachable, since Bran stumbles upon something he shouldn’t have: while climbing, the young boy spots Queen Cersei and her brother, Jamie, having sex, and before he can get away, Jamie pushes him out the window, causing him to fall to what should be his death. The Gods have other plans for him, so instead of dying, Bran is put into a coma, and his legs are deemed useless.
“I prayed for it. He was my special boy. I went to the sept and prayed seven times to the seven faces of the god that Ned would change his mind and leave him here with me” —Catelyn Tully
It takes some time for Bran to wake up, but when he does, he’s a completely different kid. The innocent boy he once was is gone now. His dreams are now crushed, and with that, so is his spirit. The adventurous child is gone. Now, Bran grows bitter and depressed. With useless legs and no future, he can’t help it. He becomes rude and unruly toward the people who take care of him, angry at others for leaving.
This can be seen when he’s speaking to his brother, Robb. There are many moments when Bran openly confesses that he wishes he’d died from that fall. The fact he can’t use his legs and the fact that he won’t be able to become a knight has crushed him to the point where he becomes so depressed that he wishes for death upon himself. This depression adds to his bitterness, which makes him distant from others. He comes off as cold and emotionless, which comes out when he’s interacting with others.
For example, when being taught about the houses. Maester Luwin goes over the houses and when they reach his mother’s house, Bran keeps repeating himself. His mother, who left while Bran was still in a coma to find out who hired an assassin to kill him, comes from House Tully, and their words are “Family, Duty, Honor.” Family being first; family being the thing she left behind, and it’s something he feels with all of his family members, whom he loves and feels betrayed by. They all left him, and it hurts. To make it worse, much later Robb leaves him as well, making Bran the oldest Stark in Winterfell, which basically means he’s in charge: the last thing he wants.
Some hope does come his way though, and it brings back that innocent child Bran once was. This just shows that the child isn’t really gone, merely hidden away. The thing that brings out his child again is a saddle that Tyrion Lannister gives the schematics for. Being able to ride a horse again, something he never thought he would be able to do, brings Bran so much joy, and more than that, it gives him hope, hope that he can become a knight, live a normal life, and not be completely useless.
“I have a tender spot in my heart for cripples and bastards and broken things.“ —Tyrion Lannister
The joy doesn’t last though. With Robb leaving, Bran returns to that dark place. Luckily though, he isn’t alone. Though his younger brother stays away in the crypt, Bran finds himself befriending a prisoner. Osha, who once tried to kill him, becomes his friend whom he turns to for guidance. The wildling gives him advice and helps him understands his dreams, which he once thought were merely dreams. She explains that they were more than that, there were visions.
These visions actually help Bran and the depression he is going through. Through them, he can be Summer and run and be free. It is only for a limited time, but it’s something, and he enjoys it. The visions also give him hints of the future, and they have a three-eyed crow talking to him, teaching him to fly. This also gives him hope, makes him feel needed, giving him a purpose in life.
“Every flight begins with a fall.” —Three-eyed Crow
The visions are further explained by Jojen and Meera, family friends, and soon to be Bran’s best friends. As mentioned, they give him a new purpose in life, and give him more than just his position. With his father dies and his brother becomes the King of the North, Bran becomes a prince, which isn’t part of his plan either. This role is one trusted upon him, and his somewhat bitter towards it; however, he is very good at it.
Bran may not want to be a Lord or a prince, but that does not change the fact that it is something he is good at. He sits there, during all the meetings and discussions and actually has something good to say, though at times he doesn’t. Due to his bitterness towards the role, Bran tends to keep things to himself. Not only that, but his elders tend not to listen to him because he is so young.
Luckily, or unluckily, his peaceful life as a prince does not last. As soon as the role is thrust upon him, it is taken away. Theon Greyjoy, the Starks’ once friend, comes back to Winterfell and captures it. This leads Bran and Rickon into hiding in the crypts, where the brothers and their new friends, Meera and Jojen, head north to find the three-eyed crow.
Though it isn’t much, this quest is something that gives Bran hope and gives him the will to keep going. He isn’t so much depressed, just broken, and this quest can help fix him. He has never been one to give up, but rather, he has just been lost, and now he has found his path in life. It isn’t the original path he wanted, but it’s an important one, and he knows that.
As the three-eyed crow said, Bran is a winged wolf in chains. This journey is going to be the thing that unchains him. However, he is still broken, still piecing himself together. This is only the start of his healing and acceptance of his new path. He has a lot to learn, but he’s ready and willing to do just that.
“The strongest trees are rooted in the dark places of the earth. Darkness will be your cloak, your shield, your mother's milk. Darkness will make you strong.” —Three-eyed Crow
From the start, Bran is just a normal boy. He has normal emotions: happiness, sadness, annoyance with his siblings, and everything else that makes up any other person. After the fall, however, he changes. He becomes depressed, bitter, and angry at everyone. He is no longer the boy with a dream, he becomes broken and ready to give up. This is a state that no child should ever be in. He has his whole life ahead of him, and yet, he is so ready to give up. No dream means no future, and no future means no reason to keep going.
And yet, he does. Bran somehow manages to keep going, and he manages to find a reason to keep moving forward in this dark time of his life. It isn’t something he’s able to do on his own. He does need help getting out of this dark place, but he is managing. So even though he is depressed and he is angry and bitter, he is working towards happiness. It’s a transitional stage, but he knows he has to pull through. Not only for himself, but for his family, who will always be the more important to him.
no subject
— Eddard Stark to Catelyn Tully
Before his fall, Bran is very much like every other boy. He’s playful and full of life, being raised to become a knight of Winterfell, which is what he’s wanted more than anything else in the world.
When he is first introduced, he bears witness to the execution of a deserter of the Night’s Watch. It is something that he has to see, since it will be something he will have to deal with in the future. Though he is not in line to rule Winterfell, he will have to deal with a lot of death as a knight, and may have to kill out of justice, just as Eddard does with the deserter. He wants his son to be used to death, but at the same time be fair. It is a lesson Bran is taught, but not one he puts into practice right away.
Despite the fact the young boy dreams of a day when he will be a knight, as a child, he still has a kind soul. His heart has yet to harden. He shows this kindness — which is a kindness that only someone as young and innocent as himself can have — when they come across a dying direwolf and her pups. The plan is to just let the pups die, but Bran protests. He is leaning about death and when it is justified and when it’s not, and in the case of the direwolves, Bran deems it unjustified. Through this act, and the fact that Jon steps in, all of the Stark children get a direwolves as a pet, very appropriate since their sigil is a direwolf.
—Catelyn Tully
Another sign of his innocence is his love for climbing. It brings out his playful and adventurous side. This is just another example of how innocent he is. Climbing brings him a sense of freedom and excitement, and being so strong-footed means he can do it whenever he wishes, though his mother did not approve of it.
Through his climbing, he is able to spot the knights from King’s Landing coming, which brings him so much joy. It is easy to see how important becoming a knight is to him. He admires them so much, and even gets excited over the sight of them. He dreams to join them one day, and this sight only gives him the drive to reach his dream.
Sadly, while his reach is long the dream becomes unreachable, since Bran stumbles upon something he shouldn’t have: while climbing, the young boy spots Queen Cersei and her brother, Jamie, having sex, and before he can get away, Jamie pushes him out the window, causing him to fall to what should be his death. The Gods have other plans for him, so instead of dying, Bran is put into a coma, and his legs are deemed useless.
—Catelyn Tully
It takes some time for Bran to wake up, but when he does, he’s a completely different kid. The innocent boy he once was is gone now. His dreams are now crushed, and with that, so is his spirit. The adventurous child is gone. Now, Bran grows bitter and depressed. With useless legs and no future, he can’t help it. He becomes rude and unruly toward the people who take care of him, angry at others for leaving.
This can be seen when he’s speaking to his brother, Robb. There are many moments when Bran openly confesses that he wishes he’d died from that fall. The fact he can’t use his legs and the fact that he won’t be able to become a knight has crushed him to the point where he becomes so depressed that he wishes for death upon himself. This depression adds to his bitterness, which makes him distant from others. He comes off as cold and emotionless, which comes out when he’s interacting with others.
For example, when being taught about the houses. Maester Luwin goes over the houses and when they reach his mother’s house, Bran keeps repeating himself. His mother, who left while Bran was still in a coma to find out who hired an assassin to kill him, comes from House Tully, and their words are “Family, Duty, Honor.” Family being first; family being the thing she left behind, and it’s something he feels with all of his family members, whom he loves and feels betrayed by. They all left him, and it hurts. To make it worse, much later Robb leaves him as well, making Bran the oldest Stark in Winterfell, which basically means he’s in charge: the last thing he wants.
Some hope does come his way though, and it brings back that innocent child Bran once was. This just shows that the child isn’t really gone, merely hidden away. The thing that brings out his child again is a saddle that Tyrion Lannister gives the schematics for. Being able to ride a horse again, something he never thought he would be able to do, brings Bran so much joy, and more than that, it gives him hope, hope that he can become a knight, live a normal life, and not be completely useless.
—Tyrion Lannister
The joy doesn’t last though. With Robb leaving, Bran returns to that dark place. Luckily though, he isn’t alone. Though his younger brother stays away in the crypt, Bran finds himself befriending a prisoner. Osha, who once tried to kill him, becomes his friend whom he turns to for guidance. The wildling gives him advice and helps him understands his dreams, which he once thought were merely dreams. She explains that they were more than that, there were visions.
These visions actually help Bran and the depression he is going through. Through them, he can be Summer and run and be free. It is only for a limited time, but it’s something, and he enjoys it. The visions also give him hints of the future, and they have a three-eyed crow talking to him, teaching him to fly. This also gives him hope, makes him feel needed, giving him a purpose in life.
—Three-eyed Crow
The visions are further explained by Jojen and Meera, family friends, and soon to be Bran’s best friends. As mentioned, they give him a new purpose in life, and give him more than just his position. With his father dies and his brother becomes the King of the North, Bran becomes a prince, which isn’t part of his plan either. This role is one trusted upon him, and his somewhat bitter towards it; however, he is very good at it.
Bran may not want to be a Lord or a prince, but that does not change the fact that it is something he is good at. He sits there, during all the meetings and discussions and actually has something good to say, though at times he doesn’t. Due to his bitterness towards the role, Bran tends to keep things to himself. Not only that, but his elders tend not to listen to him because he is so young.
Luckily, or unluckily, his peaceful life as a prince does not last. As soon as the role is thrust upon him, it is taken away. Theon Greyjoy, the Starks’ once friend, comes back to Winterfell and captures it. This leads Bran and Rickon into hiding in the crypts, where the brothers and their new friends, Meera and Jojen, head north to find the three-eyed crow.
Though it isn’t much, this quest is something that gives Bran hope and gives him the will to keep going. He isn’t so much depressed, just broken, and this quest can help fix him. He has never been one to give up, but rather, he has just been lost, and now he has found his path in life. It isn’t the original path he wanted, but it’s an important one, and he knows that.
As the three-eyed crow said, Bran is a winged wolf in chains. This journey is going to be the thing that unchains him. However, he is still broken, still piecing himself together. This is only the start of his healing and acceptance of his new path. He has a lot to learn, but he’s ready and willing to do just that.
—Three-eyed Crow
From the start, Bran is just a normal boy. He has normal emotions: happiness, sadness, annoyance with his siblings, and everything else that makes up any other person. After the fall, however, he changes. He becomes depressed, bitter, and angry at everyone. He is no longer the boy with a dream, he becomes broken and ready to give up. This is a state that no child should ever be in. He has his whole life ahead of him, and yet, he is so ready to give up. No dream means no future, and no future means no reason to keep going.
And yet, he does. Bran somehow manages to keep going, and he manages to find a reason to keep moving forward in this dark time of his life. It isn’t something he’s able to do on his own. He does need help getting out of this dark place, but he is managing. So even though he is depressed and he is angry and bitter, he is working towards happiness. It’s a transitional stage, but he knows he has to pull through. Not only for himself, but for his family, who will always be the more important to him.