Abstract
The current paper deals with the nature of justice in George R. R. Martin’s novel series A Song of Ice and Fire (1996- ) and Tales of Dunk and Egg (1998- ) under the light of Daniel Van Ness’ theory of restorative justice. This brand of justice is famed for its strong emphasis on the welfare of both parties (that is, victim and offender) in the process of passing judgment, its manner of determining criminal restitution which usually involves conferences, gatherings and community service, and more importantly, its aversion to ‘punishment’ at all costs. In the title-mentioned works, it will be argued, however, George R. R. Martin depicts a world which shows extreme prejudice against most levels and forms of crime, an attitude which not only fails to heal the damage done by the criminal, but also results in even more damage.
Highlights
The word „justice‟, the Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English defines as: a) the system by which people are judged in courts of law and criminals are punished; b) fairness in the way people are treated; and c) the quality of being right and deserving fair treatment
Westerosi law system, the Night‟s Watch and community service will be put to comparison in the light of Daniel Van Ness‟ four-step procedure of criminal restitution in an attempt to measure the efficiency of the Westerosi law and the Night‟s Watch in restoring criminals to healthy citizens
The present study demonstrates that the world of Westeros, as presented by George R
Summary
The word „justice‟, the Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English defines as: a) the system by which people are judged in courts of law and criminals are punished; b) fairness in the way people are treated; and c) the quality of being right and deserving fair treatment. Among the many approaches to justice, there is one method that is recognized for its focus on „restoration‟, on healing the damage done by the criminal to the victim rather than merely punishing the offender, thereby earning the name „restorative‟ (or reparative) justice. The ongoing series engages in a number of controversial themes, one of the most prominent of which is justice In his novel series A Song of Ice and Fire and Tales of Dunk and Egg, Martin stages several notable situations where justice needs to be served by the local lords or ladies. As will be discussed the world of Westeros heavily follows a non-restorative system of justice with no tolerance for any form of crime, an attitude which does not help reduce the damage done by the criminals, but it will help further the damage by punishing all crimes with extreme severity. The later ages of Westeros, started to view the blood price as an outmoded style of justice, favoring instead a harsher method which closely resembled the “eye for an eye” approach
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