Jon Snow has been the subject of intense scrutiny since Game of Thrones season 5 finale when he was stabbed by the Brother’s of Night. People debated a lot whether he would come back to life in season 6 or not and Kit Harington and the rest of the cast tried their best to ensure that the fans accepted that Jon Snow was dead and that he was not coming back. However, once Game of Thrones season 6 started Jon Snow was resurrected at the end of 2nd episode. After the episode Kit Harington made it clear that now Jon Snow has come back to life but he has changed and the change was visible in the Oathbreaker episode.
George R.R. Martin has already made it clear what it means when one of his character comes back to life. In 2011, while talking about this topic GRRM said,“My characters who come back from death are worse for wear. In some ways, they’re not even the same characters anymore. The body may be moving, but some aspect of the spirit is changed or transformed, and they’ve lost something.”
The 3rd episode took off from where the 2nd had ended and we saw a naked and shocked Jon Snow getting up and an equally shocked Ser Davos Seaworth staring at him. After checking the stab wounds, the first thing that Jon Snow remembered was the betrayal by Olly and others when they stabbed him and that really had a big impact on him and made him wonder about the reason for his existence. He seemed to be an emotional wreck and he didn’t want to be alive. Luckily, we had one of the most persuasive person in Westeros with him at the moment in the form of Ser Davos and Ser Davos ensured that Jon realised the importance of the second chance that he had got. “Now go fail again” was the simple advice that he gave to Jon Snow.
Right from the moment when Jon Snow came out from the chamber and stood among other people, it was evident that something had changed in him. We were witnessing a man who was completely transformed by death, reminding us about what Maester Aemon had told him in season 5. “Kill the boy and let the man be born”
Gone is the kind and merciful Jon Snow who would have forgiven his foes in the past. Now we are witnessing the Jon Snow who was betrayed by his brothers and that has changed everything for him. He now knows that he has to save the realm of men from the real danger that he has witnessed and staying at Castle Black is meaningless if he plans to survive. He quickly executed all the people who betrayed him and there was just anger erupting from him as he watched them die. This is a completely different Jon Snow that we are witnessing and he handed over the responsibility of the Night’s Watch to Edd Tollett and quit the Night’s Watch, while saying, “My watch is ended.” Thus Jon Snow became the Oathbreaker.
However it should be noted that Jon hasn’t broken any oath. The Night’s Watch oath begins with, “Night gathers, and now my watch begins. It shall not end until my death.” Jon Snow died and with his death he was released from the Night’s Watch oath. In the preview for the 4th episode, we see Sansa reaching Castle Black and now that Jon Snow has left the Night’s Watch, he will join her and march against Ramsay Bolton.
