Wars are prevalent and significant in George R.R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire, and as much as fans look forward to witnessing the greatest battles in the franchise, the author admitted he’s a conscientious objector to real-life conflicts, especially the Vietnam War.
He was in college when he learned more about America’s involvement, and at the time, it seemed very wrong to him. The draft was ongoing, and he asked for the conscientious objector status. The author said he would gladly fight in World War II but not in Vietnam.
Why George R.R. Martin didn’t want to participate in the Vietnam War
George R.R. Martin refused to fight in the Vietnam War as he believed that America had no particular involvement in it. The famed author revealed that he applied to be a conscientious objector believing he would get rejected, and at the time, he knew he only had a few options: join the army, go to jail, or become a Canadian. In the end, he was granted the CO status, which Martin believes is already a punishment because it’s already on record.
In his interview via Strombo, he recalled how easy it was for him to get his application approved as he knew a lot of men who tried and failed, and “many of them became Canadian.” Martin also said that he’s not a complete pacifist.
The big question they would always ask you was ‘Would you have fought in World War 2 against the Nazis?’ Yes, I would have fought in WW2 against the Nazis… but the Vietcong were not the Nazis and I didn’t think America had any business in Vietnam.
Martin did two years of alternate service as a legal assistant in Chicago where he got to use his journalism skills and mostly worked on public relations. While he had an interesting experience, the author believed “the Vietnam War was a terrible mistake for America,” reiterating that he would still fight against the Nazis.
To this day, Martin thinks America has not recovered from the tragedy of Vietnam, and the effects are still felt in today’s society. It was one of the darkest times in history that continues to haunt a lot of people.
George R.R. Martin says bloody wars are important in fantasy literature
While Martin opposes war in real life, he firmly believes that it is a crucial part of fantasy storytelling and that bloodless battles where heroes remained invincible proved to be an inauthentic depiction of its gruesome effects. “If you’re going to write about war and violence then show the cost,” he said in the same interview.
It is evident that Martin used his famed novels to show us the impact and repercussions of war, especially the fact that A Song of Ice and Fire was inspired by the Wars of the Roses.
This post belongs to FandomWire and first appeared on FandomWire
