Hodor: He Always Knows Just What To Say

[CletusMusashi]

Something's been bugging me lately about him. We've sometimes heard other characters describe him as a "halfwit" or whatever, but does he actually show any signs of real cognitive disorder? I'm leaning toward "no." At first I thought it was just the writers not wanting to go "full retard" with his writing, and just simplifying down to "Hey, wouldn't it be funny if he were so dumb he could only learn one word?" But he obviously understands people just fine. They don't even have to simplify their sentences down for him.

His main problem seems to be in forming words properly himself. His condition doesn't say "stunted intellect," to me nearly as much as it says "aphasia." Very localized brain signal interference that does not affect his thoughts, or his cognition of others' speech, or his abiity to do jobs around the castle, but does block his ability to say anything back to people. I'm trying to think of anything else about him that they've shown to be mentally off, and the closest I can think of is his fear of storms.

First of all, even a perfectly intelligent person can still have fears and phobias. If The Hound freezes up around fire, no one assumes it's because he's stupid. Secondly, the fear of thunder and lightning might not even be a completely independant problem. What if he could talk just fine, until one day he was struck by lightning? I believe deafness is the most common problem to affect survivors, but other things can happen instead. And aphasia can be caused tumor, stroke, all kinds of things. A lightning bolt to the head doesn't seem the most impossible of ways to end up with it. I like to think maybe it happened while he was running toward the safety of a brothel entrance yelling "Ho door!" but perhaps that's wishing for a bit too much. Besides, he doesn't seem to have a very high sex drive. If he did, we'd have seen him extrapolating with Osha by now.

So that's how I've been watching him. This seems to fit the actor's mannerisms and voice tones better than the "Ha ha he's a giant stupid Pokemon"  interpretation that seems to be more common.

Edited April 14, 2014 by CletusMusashi

[RadiantAerynSun]

Hodor.

[90PercentGravity]

While I agree that Hodor seems to understand others just fine, I don't know if I would agree that his behavior doesn't indicate any sort of cognitive dysfunction. The naked giggling wasn't exactly normal grown up behavior.

I wonder about "Hodor." As in, is that actually his name, or did people just start calling him that because he said it? I wonder if it could be like "M-O-O-N" in The Stand and turn out to have some significance later.

[90PercentGravity]

It was in the first season. I think they were by the weretree. Osha and Bran were there and then Hodor came running out naked and laughing and dancing around. Osha called him "big boy" and told him to get his clothes on.

[WhiteStumbler]

The only "Hodor" so far has come from a deer. This makes me sad.

Last season it was a verb - Bran: "Stop hodoring."

[gingerella]

I had to stop watching when they had Hodor chained to a post and were poking him...He didn't die did he?  Though as I write this I wonder if a quick death is better for him, poor, lovely Hodor.  I hate that those fuckers are fucking with him.

[stillshimpy]

He lived through the night, gingerella and got to kill Locke (Bran warged him, which that disturbs me, Bran warging Hodor as he would an animal seems wrong to me) 

[gingerella]

Thanks shimpy...I meant last week though. But yeah, glad to see Hodor not only lived, but saved Bran from Locke the evil fuck. It was sweet to see that , even though its creepy the power that Bran has. Then again, the level of power that Bran has seems to be escalating and I can see how someone could use that power for evil and not for good. Hopefully Bran will remain chaste in the "not evil" department and Hodor and crew will get him to the end game, whatever that is. I big puffy heart Hodor.

[Snowblack]

It's offensive that the show puts animals and Hodor on the same level from a warging perspective, like they both have "lesser" minds than other people.  Why not warg into Rast or Carl or someone else who is unbound and has a weapon in hand?  Am I being too politically correct?  Because I'm genuinely disgusted.

[Glory]

It's offensive that the show puts animals and Hodor on the same level from a warging perspective, like they both have "lesser" minds than other people. Why not warg into Rast or Carl or someone else who is unbound and has a weapon in hand? Am I being too politically correct? Because I'm genuinely disgusted.

I think you might be a little too politically correct in this instance. We've seen plenty of times that Hodor is a simpleton. For the sake of magic, it's easier for Bran to warg Hodor than a person because Hodor's brain has been damaged somewhere.

I'm not sure it definitively equates Hodor to an animal.

[arry the orphan]

Last ep. Rast said, that if he were Hodors size, he would be King of World. This ep. Bran wargs Hodor to kill his enemy. If this becomes a regular thing and Bran takes control of Hodors mind as he pleases then Hodor is really not much more like an animal to Bran.

[Ariadne]

Poor Hodor. I was genuinely creeped out by the look on his face when he was attacking Locke, but then I realised that wasnt Hodor it was Bran. When Bran unwarged him the innocent Hodor was back and horrified and confused. I hope Bran doesn't warg Hodor again, I have a bad feeling Bran may become addicted to being able to walk around and be strong.

[stillshimpy]

Am I being too politically correct?  Because I'm genuinely disgusted.

 

Well, I think that it's pretty understandable to be horrified.  After all, what Bran used Hodor to do -- while incredibly necessary at that moment -- was against Hodor's nature.  Proven by the fact that he's enormous and hasn't run around bopping people on the head as a practice before this.  So it's upsetting on that level, as well as seemingly equating Hodor with an animal.  

 

However, and this will be an impossible argument for me to make at any length right now (morning chaos surrounds me), but it also works as a symbol of the landed gentry's use of the common people throughout history to fight wars, make their lives possible, etc.  So I do think it just sort of crossed that line from "What Hodor is used for at all times anyway is pretty disturbing, the dude's a pack mule and I can't say I believe walking into danger as a way of life is his choice" into "and now any pretense I had, within the confines of my own mind, that Hodor is making choices as it is, is pretty much eradicated."  

 

So I don't know that the show really did any boundary crossing, they just go highly illustrative of poor Hodor's role in this all along.  We never know what Hodor is thinking.  We never know what he wants.  We only know when he's frightened or upset, as it is.  It's been a disturbing element of the story all along.  

 

But honestly?  Most of this story has disturbing elements and I already hate seeing any of the wolves onscreen, because I'm terrified of what the show is about to do to them.   That's just one aspect.  Camp Craster's Organized Rape-Fest the other week was pretty disgusting too.  There are disgusting and disturbing elements in all parts of this story. 

Edited May 6, 2014 by stillshimpy

[gingerella]

While Bran using Hodor to kill Locke was weird to watch on many levels, I have always gotten the impression that Bran and Osha have a real fondness and caring for Hodor, they don't treat him like his only purpose is to carry around Bran, at least that's how I've seen Hodor. Yes he is simple or challenged or whatever you want to call him, but if it were not for Hodor, Bran would be mincemeat by now. He is an incredibly important character, and I find it fascinating that a simpleton is such a pivotal character in A Show.

 

And count me in on finding Craster's Camp Rape far more disturbing than Hodor killing Locke. If Hodor hadn't killed him, Locke would have either killed Hodor and Bran in the struggle or kidnapped Bran.  I'm okay with how it went down.

[90PercentGravity]

I'm not really sure if Bran's ability to warg Hodor is due to him being a "simpleton" or more due to his personal connection with him.