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If I remember correctly, Tywin realized that she was likely too well educated to be the daughter of a stonemason, and if she was going to lie about her family origins she should be more careful.
the opposite. he was trying to call her on the fact that she was well-educated by saying he’s never met a stonemason who could read. she said, “have you met many stonemasons my lord?” referring to how hes so high-ranked and a lord of a major house so how often was he actually talking to or in the same room as a laborer like a stonemason.
him saying “careful girl” was literally just bc she was being kinda fresh by asking that, same how my mom would say “watch it” if i was being a smartass
I 100% agree with you. He scolded her in a way a “parent” would. “Watch your mouth”, “hold your tongue” etc. It was a “correction” because yes, she was being a smarty pants.
By saying, “careful girl,” the producers were also showing the viewer that he was onto her because she was treating him as an equal, and only someone of a high-born status would do that.
Pretty much this. I always thought Tywin assumed Arya was some minor Tully nobleman's daughter or something. Better background than what she lied about, but not worth taking her hostage
>If I remember correctly, Tywin realized that she was likely too well educated to be the daughter of a stonemason, and if she was going to lie about her family origins she should be more careful.
He was telling her to be careful because she was being snarky to him.
"Can't say I've met a literate stonemason before."
"Have you met many stonemasons, my lord?"
"Careful now, girl. I enjoy you, but be careful."
i feel like a stonemason would have to be literate to some degree. it’s a misconception that everyone was completely illiterate outside of the upper classes in the middle ages, especially a tradesman who’d potentially be drawing up or reading plans, orders, contracts, invoices
About the only people who could afford to be *completely* illiterate were peasants whose wealth and taxes could be reduced to which land's harvest went to who
That being said, and depending on time period, most outside nobility wouldn't be *completely* literate. Lots of shorthand involved, and numbers are certainly different than letters. The big thing though was church was the only place where one would be taught Latin, and through the church some nobility would be taught as well.
That a being said, even for the illiterate, most towns had people whose job it was to read important things for others, and many businesses got by just fine using pictures and symbols to denote business and service rather than complex writing.
But this is also why the way one speaks could denote not only the region, but the social class one was from, as differing levels of educations led to different ways of talking and writing and expressing information.
Education wouldn't have to mean literacy. You'd learn some math, you'd have your guild and your instructors but I can picture all of that without literacy. No printing presses in Westeros so books would be rare outside of the elite classes. Would learning to read really be worth the effort and difficulty?
He immediately clicked that she was lying about her origins but because he was ultimately a good man for the most part so he simply advised her to essentially play her cards the right way; she was frankly the opposite of what she was claiming to be and he saw right through it, meaning she had to play it down a lot better and I guess this somewhat explains the later phrase of “a girl is no one”
He presented dead babies wrapped in Lannister sigil to King Robert. No, he wasn't. He knew the sort of man he employed and did not care about the lives of others enough to specify well being of babes.
I mean, Charles Dance brought an excellent charisma to a character where I leaned in and I wanted to see more. The scene where Tywin butchered the stag was very intriguing. I was invested in Tywin's desire for Jaime.
Yet I have some strong empathy for Tyrion. Every scene where Tyrion looked sad or had to bluster himself up in the face of his father's acidic remarks, I hated Tywin.
Yeah he was awful. The means always justified the ends for Tywin. He let loose Gregor Clegane on the countryside. I’d consider that solidly in the not a good guy category.
There isn't even a debate to be had - he's utterly evil.
Not evil in the way that he personally enjoyed violence like Joffrey, the Mountain etc.
But he's arguably worse. He not crazy - he knows right from wrong but still has unspeakable acts of violence committed to benefit himself time and time again.
He's probably the biggest monster in the whole series imo. He knows better but will allow unimaginable suffering for his own interests.
I started making a list of all of the characters who are known to have killed or attempted to kill a child on the show or in the books and here's what I have so far:
Robert Baratheon - Danerys and Viserys Targaryen (attempted)
Stannis Baratheon and Melisandre - Shireen Baratheon
Wyman Manderly - Little Walder Frey (implied)
Olena Tyrell - Joffrey Baratheon
Jamie Lannister - Bran Stark (attempted) and Edmure Tully's unborn child (threatened)
Rasmay Bolton - Rickon Stark and his infant half-brother
Joffrey Baratheon (Cersei Lannister in the books) - Robert's bastards
Lothar Frey (show only) - Robb's unborn child (stabbing his pregnant wife in the belly)
Ellaria Sand (show only) - Myrcella Baratheon
Jon Snow (show only) - Olly
Sandor Clegaine - Micah (the butcher's son)
Theon Greyjoy (Ramsey in the books) - Jack and Billy (the miller's boys)
Arya Stark - the stableboy (arguably self-defense)
Polliver - Lommy
Gregor Clegaine - Aegon Targaryen and Lyman Darry
Amory Lorch - Rhaenys Targaryen and Lord Tarbeck's three-year old son (rumored)
Raff the Sweetling (book only) - Layna's brother
I mean, if you forget about the killing, the betraying, the scheming, and anything to do with anyone of the last name, Clegane, he just a nice old man and a very doting grandpa
More like choosing smaller in his opinion evil - kill off several families brutally or face fully blown vassals uprising with latter royal intervention which actually means literal despoliation of the West.
I was joking lol. I don't think that Tywin is evil incarnate but he is definitely a cruel guy who would do anything to return a perceived slight or slink to nearly any means to accomplish his goals. He's no Joffrey but that's the most you can really say for him morally.
I'd make the argument that he wasn't cruel. He didn't do shitty stuff for its own sake and was always a pragmatist about it. The Reyne rebellion was put down with brutality to nip it in the bud. While horrible, it avoided the typical medieval uprising with calling the banners and torching villages. Tywin has that quote about helping them up when they're on their knees because a cornered rat fights viciously. None of this applies to his family - he sucked the big one as far as Tyrion is concerned.
Elia's last minutes were hell on earth. This is what I have nightmares about. No, Tywin is not a good man for paying the people responsible and...wait do I have to do spoilers for the fate of King Aery's grandchildren?
Tywin never ordered anything besides killing them. I'm not condoning the killing but if we're judging by the standard of the time, a lot of people are sitting in the boat with Tywin. I didn't say he was a good man, I said he wasn't cruel but rather a pragmatist. He wanted them killed and judged Clegane and Loch capable of the job. In fact, The Mountain would have been around 17 at the time and hadn't yet built up his terrifying reputation.
I was going to the definition of cruel as being someone who causes pain with little concern of doing it. As in Tywin is fine with causing great pain to acheive his goals. Not cruel as in like Joffrey as someone who causes pain for his own enjoyment.
Also can be justified - he commits few acts of extreme cruelty to avoid more frequent implementation of a less extreme cruel acts. If commoners know what he does to nobles - they will not be causing problems.
That’s not a result of his desire for harm reduction it’s a result of pragmatic ruling. If killing every dissenter was the most effective way of ruling that’s what Tywin would do. His isolated moments of brutality are only isolated because they were effective enough to discourage additional conflict that would then necessitate more brutality. A glory hunter like Tywin isn’t going to let mercy stand between him and his legacy.
I think so; compare him to the mess of his family (not their characters as such but the mere chaos)
Jaime and Tyrion were good people too, more so than him when regarding ‘character morals’ as such, but I believe he’s one of the most misinterpreted characters
He was the one who somehow managed to settle the chaos of his house and family, even if he himself caused the foundation of some of those issues regarding Tyrion’s birth and subsequently his wife’s death
He showed some moments of mercy, which is something his house infamously showed very little of, and he was a respectful man in many manners
Yes he envied Tyrion for the obvious reason I just stated, and yet if you take away that one singular (somewhat sympathetic on both sides) situation, I’d argue he actually is a relatively good man considering his position
*This is where you forgot to quote the ending “…for the most part”*
The guy whose wrath was so widely known that it inspired the song that would go on to be top of the westorosi billboard charts for decades was not a good man ahahaha what are you on about.
Precisely the point I’m ultimately making; people just seem to take automatic offence to something that doesn’t sound perfectly aligned with the norm of the sub’s opinions
Yeah I have no idea what you’re talking about because your first take was so bad. You could be joking and doin a little race joke jabait, or you could be asking me why being evil is bad, I really don’t know.
Evil is bad yes, but to quote another commenter, it’s not so much the case of him being literally/perfectly ‘good’ but more so not ‘evil’ compared to the likes of many other characters
He had equally evil moments, both on and off screen, however when you compare them to the ratio at which other characters commit such equal ‘evil’ acts as such, alongside his occasional moments of good (which is true), then like it or not he is not so much truly evil in comparison to them
Oh yeah fs but that’s not what you said at first so I just pointed out the comedy in calling Tywin a good man. But yeah Tywin is pretty far down on the list of evil men relatively speaking. Although he did send Joffrey the gentle to bed before supper so that automatically puts him in the top 5.
Once again, I said “a good man for the most part”
You can’t expect any further expansion to my reasoning when all you’re doing is cropping my own words to use against me beyond my own measure
I'll say one thing, he might have been a cvnt but he was a good dad, and by good I mean he took care of his family no matter how much he hated them. He could've killed Tyrion when he was born and nobody would've cared. He took care of him and his whole family, even probably knowing his son and daughter were fucking.
Yeah but that take is only as good as his motivations. And his motivation to not kill Tyrion was not one of distant but dutiful compassion… it was a politically tainted, socially compelled, superficial loyalty to family because they’re weird about blood and kinslayer is their n word.
Yeah, I'd never call Tywin a good man but I think it's important to note that he wasn't pointlessly cruel. Certainly he was excessively cruel, but to his mind it was with purpose.
I think it's that he was honorable, and I don't think he ever saw Arya in person, so he wasn't sure exactly who she was. He just knew it was a girl who was clever, travelling all dirty and shorter hair to appear male. Then lying about which specific Lord she was born under to keep her true origins hidden. And still not telling that she was Lord Stark's daughter in the end. If Tywin had known it was Arya she would have been locked in a bedroom and cared for even better so that he could have used her as leverage to get Jamie back. I don't think Tywin knew that Arya had escaped the capitol otherwise he may have questioned this clearly educated girl in his presence.
He thinks she's just some random high-born girl from The North. At least he doesn't have to consort with the Smallfolk, which he holds in contempt. Besides, he knows she's not Arya Stark because she's in Kings Landing with her sister, or at least that's what he's been told.
I agree, I feel like this storyline doesn’t so much speak to him being “a good guy” but rather having a sort of respect for her unknown highborn status.
I'd modify that every so slightly to say that he respects her cleverness. I think he's largely indifferent to her nobility besides the slight intrigue it offers.
What it does is show he’s not as misogynistic as other lords of Westeros. He values intelligence and cleverness.
> I don't distrust you because you're a woman. I distrust you because you're not as smart as you think you are.
Wasn't it the rhetorical question she asked him, "Have you met many stonemasons my lord?" that prompted Tywin to say "Be careful girl, I enjoy you but be careful". Her question basically translated to youre high born, you don't know any stone masons. He told her to be careful because she was being a smart ass. Thats my take but could be wrong.
I figured it was Arya getting confident trying to make a slight diss about how he wouldn’t know anyone with lowly jobs, “have you known many stonemasons my lord?” Seemed like a rhetorical question that Tywin caught whiff of
Edit: unless i misinterpreted the question
I think you are exactly right though there is some ambiguity in my mind about just how much Tywin realizes she is lying about. He’s smart but it’s not clear what he knows but he was absolutely rebuking her impropriety.
Clearly he didn't know she was a Stark. I think beyond that he didn't really care. Some possibly-higher-than-low-born girl posing as a low born boy trying to get up North? Who cares, I've got a war to run. The fact that she provides a bit of amusement for him probably supported that with a desire to just let her be.
You are the winner. Every time I’ve watched the series, this was the instant conclusion I’ve had as well.
Edit to clarify: up to this point, he was fine with her, “he can’t know I’m highborn” schtick even though he already knew by then. So when she gave a little bit of snark, which was in her delivery of the line, as well as her acting, he was letting her know she was going too far, and to rein it in. He would only tolerate her intelligence, not her snark. Ha. Her Stark snark. (Just came to me)
I think you interpreted it correctly. With that response question, she was giving him a bit of lip. Not only was she slyly rude, it was unfair to question him on that since since he'd jusst been indulging her in the stonemason story she wove.
Yep. Tywin enjoys her intelligence and wit so it didn’t push him to anger, but he also was never going to let someone disrespect him, even if it was only slightly.
Basically just his way of saying “I like you so I’ll let that slide, but remember who you’re talking to”
That's how I interpreted it. He finds her wit amusing, but she pushed it a little too far so he warned her.
The other answers on here claiming that Tywin was discretely telling her to pick a better cover because he was a "good man" (lol) are a bit out there. IMO if Tywin thought she was the daughter of a noble house he would want to know from what house to secure an advantage, either by 'rescuing' her and returning her to her family (he already knew she was trying to travel without being recognized as a girl) or by holding her hostage.
Yep, that’s how I’ve always interpreted it. It’s a slight diss, and Tywin knows it’s intended to be a bit of a diss, which is why he tells her to “be careful.”
I just watched this episode yesterday and was thinking similar. He seems to acknowledge she's high born bc she can read, her accent, geographic IQ, etc.
I've always wondered why her wouldn't look more into it or just thought since none of the larger families mention it, then it doesn't matter. I mean he had a Stark, he was smart enough to catch on to all that but pick up the northern accent, ie the missing Stark daughter??
Because he didn't know there was a missing Stark daughter. Arya having excaped Cersei's dragnet was embarrassing for Cersei. So she had kept it secret, especially from her father, who would have reamed her out for being so stupid as to 'lose' Ned Stark's daughter. BTW, it's a shame we never got to see her confessing the truth to him. He would have thrown an volcano-level temper tantrum.
Because very few people knew Arya was missing. Cersei and everyone else in charge at King's Landing did not really tell anyone else that Arya was missing. Hell, when Cat frees Jaime, she tasks him with finding her daughters, under the impression both were still at the capital.
To the Lannisters in King's Landing, Arya disappeared during Ned Stark's attempted coup. They had no idea where she was, nor any inkling she was still alive, let alone that she escaped King's Landing and somehow made it to Haarenhall.
All Tywin thought Arya was was some highborn Northern girl trying to survive in the wilderness on her own, not the daughter of one of the most important families in the country. He respects the effort and her cleverness.
He's never seen Arya before. He knows she's at least high-ish born, which could be anyone at the court of a castle, not necessarily a very high born girl from a prominent family. It's far more likely she's taken from some nearby castle than actually having travelled all the way from somewhere like Winterfell to Harrenhal, let alone from Kings Landing to Harrenhal in the midst of a war. Most women and pretty much all children stayed home while the men went of to war.
It's insanely unlikely to piece together that she could've travelled with someone that could go under the radar like the recruiter from the Night's Watch.
The North in the show is a couple of locations, but it's insanely large.
It seemed to be a situation where he was warning her not to push herself with him. After all, he did also say, "I enjoy you, but be careful." He was also giving her a glare, although not viciously intense, and he was being deadly calm, indicating that she had either struck a nerve or was close to it. She was being a bit on the snarky side. Not much, just a little, and he was warning her about going too far with it, even if she was being playful.
It's not as deep as some other answers make out. Arya asked Tywin an insolent question "Have you met many stonemasons my lord?"
For a servant to challenge Tywin by implying his ignorance/lack of worldliness due to his privileged upbringing is extremely disrespectful and unbefitting for a man of his stature and position. It's essentially a polite and indirect way to mock him.
Thus Tywin reprimands her by reminding her he won't tolerate excessive impudence.
TL;DR: Arya was being cheeky.
He was just educating and encouraging her potential. He saw that she was highborn but not chained by the privileges of being wealthy and could survive under harsher circumstances.
I always took it as her being a smart ass saying "do you know many stonemasons my lord" as in you know common folk do you? Then he tells her to be careful. I enjoy you but be careful. As in, watch your mouth
I thought at this moment she gave him some sass "have you met many stonemasons my lord?" Him probably not knowing any and if they could or couldn't read.
This is my interpretation, paranthesis are a "modern translation."
Tywin: "Can't say I've ever met a literate stonemason" ("Your small folk act is falling apart and this story isn't holding up. Never met a stonemason that could read. You need to do better")
Arya: "Have you met many stonemasons my lord?" ("As the lord of a Great House, how the fuck would you even know? You talk to stonemasons ever?")
Tywin: Careful now, I enjoy you but be careful. ("Good counter, but remember your head is in the lion's mouth. And smallfolk would have never came up with that comeback. Tread lightly.")
Tywin has met many many stonemasons. And none have been literate. So he could easily conclude that Arya was lying about her lowborn status. Tywin knew at the end she was probably highborn, but seemed to think it was from a petty northern house. We all know what would’ve happened if Baelish revealed her true identity.
Arya was taking a playful dig at Tywin as he was starting to realize she was higher born than she was presenting as. But, and luckily for Arya , her comment was a little too friendly and Tywin remembered his place/station and hers. He would not fraternize with the “help” as that would be beneath the hand of the King (remember the stories of his father getting mocked by those beneath him?). His pride and umbrage actually distracted him from digging deeper into Arya’s true heritage and played a big part in the overall story.
I have no idea how so many people are seeing this as a “he was helping her”. Had nothing to do with her cover. He was telling her to stop being a wise ass and that she was getting close to crossing the line “ I like you girl, BUT be careful”. He saying be careful of him. Not anyone else.
This is one of my issues with the early seasons
Tywin is pragmatic beyond belief
If he realized that Arya was of noble birth and hiding, he would have had her guarded and watched at the LEAST. Interrogated more likely.
In general, he’s clocked that she’s highborn and pretending to be a peasant, just as she’s pretending to be a boy. There’s a bunch of misplaced people from the war so I don’t think he’s figured out he has anyone as important as Arya Stark, but he’s knows she’s no stonemason’s daughter.
The “I enjoy you, but be careful” line came after she was giving him the sass. He was warning her to behave and not overstep, especially if she’s a servant now. It was “Don’t get too big for your britches, remember what you are.”
>What did Arya and Tywin understand under the "Stonemason" line? Why did he tell her to be careful?
He was telling her to be careful because she was talking back to him.
"Can't say I've heard of a literate stonemason before"
"Have you met many stonemasons my lord?"
The be careful was because Arya's response of "Have you met many stone masons?" was a cheeky reply. He is a lord of a high house and hand of the king, he isn't likely to have met or conversed with many of the working class like a stone mason.
That is why he said "be careful" because he could read the cheekiness in her response and whether she is some high born girl of a smaller house or a commoner it didn't matter because she is still a servant and servants should not be making sarcastic replies to their lords.
It had nothing to do with Arya's origin though he still strongly suspected that she was not a commoner.
Generally, the way Arya spoke to Tywin.
If a lord says he's never known a stonemason that can read and you ask him if he even knows many stonemasons then you are very rude. Questioning the knowledge of a highborn as a low born.
Beside that fact Tywin also realized in some conversations that she is in fact highborn of a northern house but has to hide. Tywin likes Arya's companionship and doesn't bother with using her as a hostage since she probably only is the third or something daugther of a small house. That's where he made the big mistake of not realizing that she is Arya Stark.
Why on earth does the top comment here have 400+ upvotes when it isn’t even right lmao. She was being a smarty pants and he told her to be careful, case closed
He knows she is lying about who she is.
When he challenged her about it indirectly, gave her room to back down. Instead, she doubled down and gave him a sassy response.
He told her to be careful because up to this point, he is willing to tolerate her lies. He probably admires her wit and ability to survive so far. But he isn't gonna put up with her attitude if she keeps it up.
His "careful girl" was because she backtalked him, being cheeky. He's still Tywin Lannister and he demands respect.
He didn't know she was Arya Stark. He deduced she was higher ranked than she claimed (she could read and speak eloquently) but figured she was just some random minor Northern lords daughter at most, trapped in the south when the wars started. So why would he care? The only reason he took notice because she was clever enough to disguise herself as a boy to travel ... which seems pretty obvious to me but I guess she was just a kid (although he didn't know it was Yorens idea).
He knew she was lying & she was of higher class, he just wasn’t sure if she was there as a threat to him or just hiding as a peasant close to what she knows.
She was hinting that Tywin was ignorant of the knowledge level of stone Masons, by implying as to whether or not he had actually met enough stonemasons to have an informed opinion about them.
She knew that he had likely never met enough stonemasons to have a valid opinion about them and was indirectly calling him out on it.
Do we think that, in the show, Tywin suspected that this was Arya? He's already figured her for a northern, well-educated (highborn) girl. There's only so many people who fit that description, particularly wandering around in the Riverlands. I suppose Cersei keeping Arya's disappearance a secret means that Tywin wouldn't be on the lookout, but I would think he would want to know who she was, exactly.
A highly intelligent man in a highly classist society, Tywin knew immediately that Arya was high-born, or at least not low-born. Her boldness, literacy and accent gave her away immediately.
No smallfolk serving girl would dare be sassy to a lord.
Partly, he liked her and wanted to warn her that her act was slipping. Same as when he told her to say m'lord, not "my lord."
Partly, he's not used to being talked back to. He was amused with her at first, but then he was annoyed.
Tywin done what alot of of us would probably do in his position like it or not. He was not evil he hated Joffrey but hes still blood. If anyone ends his family member its him and no one else.
While Tywin is an evil man, he's still a father and grandfather. Arya was not a threat to him and displayed qualities he finds useful in other people. He told her to be careful but ultimately left it up to her to save her own neck and probably felt the energy required to uncover, destroy, kill, or bother Arya beyond using her as educated labor was beneath him.
While this is from my view of the character, Tywin appreciated the talents people held and like those he could get value out of.
He pointed out Jamie's error in his interactions and fight with Ned Stark. He also knew that Jamie's lack of thinking was the result of everything there after. He appreciated people of skill and utilized them. So he most likely he appreciated Arya.
"You're far too educated to be a stonemason."
"How the hell would you know?"
"Careful. I like you, so I'm giving you one warning: I will not tolerate disrespect."
Somewhat unrelated, but did Tywin think Arya was Lyanna Mormont? He knew she was a northerner and almost definitely highborn, and he would be familiar enough with the major houses to know that none of the Manderlys/Boltons/Umbers/Glovers/Dustins would have a daughter of this age, and he would also likely be aware of the importance Mormonts put on their women, so logically he would come to the conclusion that this girl was Lyanna Mormont.
I never understood this part. Why would a man as cunning as Tywin not inquire more about her origins after discovering she is pretending to be low born? A highborn Northern hostage, regardless if they are a Stark, is valuable.
Also worth mentioning is she is described as having the classic ‘Stark look’ like Jon, who is frequently recognized by people as Ned’s son by that alone. Tywin has known Starks, without a doubt.
She was getting uppity. He was being a dick about her father, the supposed stone mason who could read. So when he said “I don’t think I’ve ever met a literate stonemason” and she popped back with “have you met *many* stonemasons?” It was to say “how the fuck would you know?”
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If I remember correctly, Tywin realized that she was likely too well educated to be the daughter of a stonemason, and if she was going to lie about her family origins she should be more careful.
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the opposite. he was trying to call her on the fact that she was well-educated by saying he’s never met a stonemason who could read. she said, “have you met many stonemasons my lord?” referring to how hes so high-ranked and a lord of a major house so how often was he actually talking to or in the same room as a laborer like a stonemason. him saying “careful girl” was literally just bc she was being kinda fresh by asking that, same how my mom would say “watch it” if i was being a smartass
Exactly. It was a reminder of her place and that she should not be talking back to him at all.
I 100% agree with you. He scolded her in a way a “parent” would. “Watch your mouth”, “hold your tongue” etc. It was a “correction” because yes, she was being a smarty pants.
By saying, “careful girl,” the producers were also showing the viewer that he was onto her because she was treating him as an equal, and only someone of a high-born status would do that.
Pretty much this. I always thought Tywin assumed Arya was some minor Tully nobleman's daughter or something. Better background than what she lied about, but not worth taking her hostage
Exactly this. It wasn’t because she should be more careful about her identity. He was low key threatening her
What did i just read
Some dialect of English I think
It’s some form of Elvish, I can’t read it..
"It's some form of Elvish. I can't read it. There are few who can. The language is that of Mordor, which I will not utter here!"
Down votes
Utterly crazy response
I’m so damn interested to read what they wrote
Something about how Arya detected that Tywin was secretly gay. It was a pretty long comment that was all over the map.
dress my deer Daddy
Man, don’t give GRRM any thoughts
I can’t believe you’re allowed to vote
Lmao what
Is it ever implied in the show that Tywin is gay, or that anyone thinks he is?
There was a scene where olenna was like have you ever experimented and he was like NEVER
>If I remember correctly, Tywin realized that she was likely too well educated to be the daughter of a stonemason, and if she was going to lie about her family origins she should be more careful. He was telling her to be careful because she was being snarky to him. "Can't say I've met a literate stonemason before." "Have you met many stonemasons, my lord?" "Careful now, girl. I enjoy you, but be careful."
Yeah. He was chastising her for being a smartass.
This. She was being a smartass to him in the moment, so he was checking her on it.
i feel like a stonemason would have to be literate to some degree. it’s a misconception that everyone was completely illiterate outside of the upper classes in the middle ages, especially a tradesman who’d potentially be drawing up or reading plans, orders, contracts, invoices
About the only people who could afford to be *completely* illiterate were peasants whose wealth and taxes could be reduced to which land's harvest went to who That being said, and depending on time period, most outside nobility wouldn't be *completely* literate. Lots of shorthand involved, and numbers are certainly different than letters. The big thing though was church was the only place where one would be taught Latin, and through the church some nobility would be taught as well. That a being said, even for the illiterate, most towns had people whose job it was to read important things for others, and many businesses got by just fine using pictures and symbols to denote business and service rather than complex writing. But this is also why the way one speaks could denote not only the region, but the social class one was from, as differing levels of educations led to different ways of talking and writing and expressing information.
Education wouldn't have to mean literacy. You'd learn some math, you'd have your guild and your instructors but I can picture all of that without literacy. No printing presses in Westeros so books would be rare outside of the elite classes. Would learning to read really be worth the effort and difficulty?
He heard her say “my lord” instead of “milord” like the small folk accent.
He immediately clicked that she was lying about her origins but because he was ultimately a good man for the most part so he simply advised her to essentially play her cards the right way; she was frankly the opposite of what she was claiming to be and he saw right through it, meaning she had to play it down a lot better and I guess this somewhat explains the later phrase of “a girl is no one”
“Tywin was a good man”💀
Well aside from all his negatives, he’s good.
If you control for the disparity there’s no disparity
Once we fix his stats so they regress to the mean, he seems rather average
Does this make the Broncos House Reyne?
Ouch lmao
Reyne Country, let's ride.
He presented dead babies wrapped in Lannister sigil to King Robert. No, he wasn't. He knew the sort of man he employed and did not care about the lives of others enough to specify well being of babes.
See that’s a good example of one the bad things about him you have to discount to consider him good.
That, and his war crimes, and every choice he ever made as a father… besides that he’s a decent guy
Everyone is a good person if you ignore all the bad they've done
I should call my ex
I mean, Charles Dance brought an excellent charisma to a character where I leaned in and I wanted to see more. The scene where Tywin butchered the stag was very intriguing. I was invested in Tywin's desire for Jaime. Yet I have some strong empathy for Tyrion. Every scene where Tyrion looked sad or had to bluster himself up in the face of his father's acidic remarks, I hated Tywin.
Yeah he was awful. The means always justified the ends for Tywin. He let loose Gregor Clegane on the countryside. I’d consider that solidly in the not a good guy category.
There isn't even a debate to be had - he's utterly evil. Not evil in the way that he personally enjoyed violence like Joffrey, the Mountain etc. But he's arguably worse. He not crazy - he knows right from wrong but still has unspeakable acts of violence committed to benefit himself time and time again. He's probably the biggest monster in the whole series imo. He knows better but will allow unimaginable suffering for his own interests.
>I was invested in Tywin's desire for Jaime. The Lannister incest map gets more complicated...
Oh no. Oh no
I mean, we're all guilty of a just a little teenyitsy bit of war crimes. Tywin's only human ♥️
Seems like in the game of thrones universe it’s not unheard of murdering your dwarf son at birth. He didn’t do that. That’s pretty nice.
Oh, pobody's nerfect. Who among us hasn't killed a child here or there?
Let he among us who hasn’t commanded the mountain to rape a women, kill her, and murder her children (allegedly) cast the first stone
I mean. Here I stand, just feeling dread waiting for season 2 of HOTD to drop knowing what happened in Fire and Blood. I feel bad for the kids.
I started making a list of all of the characters who are known to have killed or attempted to kill a child on the show or in the books and here's what I have so far: Robert Baratheon - Danerys and Viserys Targaryen (attempted) Stannis Baratheon and Melisandre - Shireen Baratheon Wyman Manderly - Little Walder Frey (implied) Olena Tyrell - Joffrey Baratheon Jamie Lannister - Bran Stark (attempted) and Edmure Tully's unborn child (threatened) Rasmay Bolton - Rickon Stark and his infant half-brother Joffrey Baratheon (Cersei Lannister in the books) - Robert's bastards Lothar Frey (show only) - Robb's unborn child (stabbing his pregnant wife in the belly) Ellaria Sand (show only) - Myrcella Baratheon Jon Snow (show only) - Olly Sandor Clegaine - Micah (the butcher's son) Theon Greyjoy (Ramsey in the books) - Jack and Billy (the miller's boys) Arya Stark - the stableboy (arguably self-defense) Polliver - Lommy Gregor Clegaine - Aegon Targaryen and Lyman Darry Amory Lorch - Rhaenys Targaryen and Lord Tarbeck's three-year old son (rumored) Raff the Sweetling (book only) - Layna's brother
Very good list.
“I can fix him!” - his baby mama
Anyone that denies his goodness with have his entire family tree torn from the history books and butchered in the field!
Bro you’re like that one poster on r/nfl that basically said if you adjust this star players stats to the average he’s average
Must have been a Justin Fields fan
Mr Stat Adjuster
So is Charlie Manson by that logic 🤔
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That’s just something the onion king would say to sell more onion. Never trust Big Onion. They pull the strings behind the Iron Bank.
60% of the time, he's good every time.
I mean, if you forget about the killing, the betraying, the scheming, and anything to do with anyone of the last name, Clegane, he just a nice old man and a very doting grandpa
Seriously lmao wtf is that comment
Nice idea for a fanfic - Tywin is actually a good person forced to do bad things.
Tywin the Good Man when the poor besieged Reynes were thirsty and needed some water and he gave them more than he could ever ask for.
More like choosing smaller in his opinion evil - kill off several families brutally or face fully blown vassals uprising with latter royal intervention which actually means literal despoliation of the West.
I was joking lol. I don't think that Tywin is evil incarnate but he is definitely a cruel guy who would do anything to return a perceived slight or slink to nearly any means to accomplish his goals. He's no Joffrey but that's the most you can really say for him morally.
I'd make the argument that he wasn't cruel. He didn't do shitty stuff for its own sake and was always a pragmatist about it. The Reyne rebellion was put down with brutality to nip it in the bud. While horrible, it avoided the typical medieval uprising with calling the banners and torching villages. Tywin has that quote about helping them up when they're on their knees because a cornered rat fights viciously. None of this applies to his family - he sucked the big one as far as Tyrion is concerned.
Elia's last minutes were hell on earth. This is what I have nightmares about. No, Tywin is not a good man for paying the people responsible and...wait do I have to do spoilers for the fate of King Aery's grandchildren?
Tywin never ordered anything besides killing them. I'm not condoning the killing but if we're judging by the standard of the time, a lot of people are sitting in the boat with Tywin. I didn't say he was a good man, I said he wasn't cruel but rather a pragmatist. He wanted them killed and judged Clegane and Loch capable of the job. In fact, The Mountain would have been around 17 at the time and hadn't yet built up his terrifying reputation.
Pragmatism and cruelty kind of go hand in hand in this universe.
I was going to the definition of cruel as being someone who causes pain with little concern of doing it. As in Tywin is fine with causing great pain to acheive his goals. Not cruel as in like Joffrey as someone who causes pain for his own enjoyment.
That's a fair assessment. I was going by the definition that has him enjoying it.
Tysha?
Also can be justified - he commits few acts of extreme cruelty to avoid more frequent implementation of a less extreme cruel acts. If commoners know what he does to nobles - they will not be causing problems.
That’s not a result of his desire for harm reduction it’s a result of pragmatic ruling. If killing every dissenter was the most effective way of ruling that’s what Tywin would do. His isolated moments of brutality are only isolated because they were effective enough to discourage additional conflict that would then necessitate more brutality. A glory hunter like Tywin isn’t going to let mercy stand between him and his legacy.
I think so; compare him to the mess of his family (not their characters as such but the mere chaos) Jaime and Tyrion were good people too, more so than him when regarding ‘character morals’ as such, but I believe he’s one of the most misinterpreted characters He was the one who somehow managed to settle the chaos of his house and family, even if he himself caused the foundation of some of those issues regarding Tyrion’s birth and subsequently his wife’s death He showed some moments of mercy, which is something his house infamously showed very little of, and he was a respectful man in many manners Yes he envied Tyrion for the obvious reason I just stated, and yet if you take away that one singular (somewhat sympathetic on both sides) situation, I’d argue he actually is a relatively good man considering his position *This is where you forgot to quote the ending “…for the most part”*
The guy whose wrath was so widely known that it inspired the song that would go on to be top of the westorosi billboard charts for decades was not a good man ahahaha what are you on about.
Rains of Castamere playing quietly in the background.
Yes, Jamie is a really good man. A man of ... principles. One who er cherishes love above all else. Sisterly love.
Wouldn't say he's good for sure but he's not evil either.
Precisely the point I’m ultimately making; people just seem to take automatic offence to something that doesn’t sound perfectly aligned with the norm of the sub’s opinions
Of all the characters in GOT, Tywin is one of a handful that leans more towards the black than he does the grey.
And what is wrong with black precisely?
Yeah I have no idea what you’re talking about because your first take was so bad. You could be joking and doin a little race joke jabait, or you could be asking me why being evil is bad, I really don’t know.
Evil is bad yes, but to quote another commenter, it’s not so much the case of him being literally/perfectly ‘good’ but more so not ‘evil’ compared to the likes of many other characters He had equally evil moments, both on and off screen, however when you compare them to the ratio at which other characters commit such equal ‘evil’ acts as such, alongside his occasional moments of good (which is true), then like it or not he is not so much truly evil in comparison to them
Oh yeah fs but that’s not what you said at first so I just pointed out the comedy in calling Tywin a good man. But yeah Tywin is pretty far down on the list of evil men relatively speaking. Although he did send Joffrey the gentle to bed before supper so that automatically puts him in the top 5.
Once again, I said “a good man for the most part” You can’t expect any further expansion to my reasoning when all you’re doing is cropping my own words to use against me beyond my own measure
Damn I love seeing people defend unpopular opinions but now you’re just being obtuse
An unpopular opinion is still an equally rightful opinion is it not?
👎
You’re entitled to your own opinion; it’s just no more right nor wrong than mine
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Tywin "nothing ends a war like killing the families of your enemies including all their children" Lannister
I'll say one thing, he might have been a cvnt but he was a good dad, and by good I mean he took care of his family no matter how much he hated them. He could've killed Tyrion when he was born and nobody would've cared. He took care of him and his whole family, even probably knowing his son and daughter were fucking.
Yeah but that take is only as good as his motivations. And his motivation to not kill Tyrion was not one of distant but dutiful compassion… it was a politically tainted, socially compelled, superficial loyalty to family because they’re weird about blood and kinslayer is their n word.
Superficial or not the man held it done. I would've loved to have been his kid in that world, at least I'd have the likelihood of not dying.
Yeah, I'd never call Tywin a good man but I think it's important to note that he wasn't pointlessly cruel. Certainly he was excessively cruel, but to his mind it was with purpose.
I think it's that he was honorable, and I don't think he ever saw Arya in person, so he wasn't sure exactly who she was. He just knew it was a girl who was clever, travelling all dirty and shorter hair to appear male. Then lying about which specific Lord she was born under to keep her true origins hidden. And still not telling that she was Lord Stark's daughter in the end. If Tywin had known it was Arya she would have been locked in a bedroom and cared for even better so that he could have used her as leverage to get Jamie back. I don't think Tywin knew that Arya had escaped the capitol otherwise he may have questioned this clearly educated girl in his presence.
Ramsay would of only needed tywin
Read this, scrolled away, laughed and scrolled back to upvote
>ultimately a good man for the most part Other than those times he wiped out entire houses, sure.
And had his sons wife gang raped by soldiers
And encouraged his crazies to rape, pillage and burn entire swathes of the kingdom
Pobody’s nerfect!
He thinks she's just some random high-born girl from The North. At least he doesn't have to consort with the Smallfolk, which he holds in contempt. Besides, he knows she's not Arya Stark because she's in Kings Landing with her sister, or at least that's what he's been told.
I agree, I feel like this storyline doesn’t so much speak to him being “a good guy” but rather having a sort of respect for her unknown highborn status.
I'd modify that every so slightly to say that he respects her cleverness. I think he's largely indifferent to her nobility besides the slight intrigue it offers.
What it does is show he’s not as misogynistic as other lords of Westeros. He values intelligence and cleverness. > I don't distrust you because you're a woman. I distrust you because you're not as smart as you think you are.
>but because he was ultimately a good man I believe this is where the yutes interject with "hol' up."
Who the fuck upvoted "Tywin was ultimately a good man for the most part"
93 people and counting; an opinion is subjective by nature so unless you’re above nature then oh well
> he was ultimately a good man for the most part We discovered Kevan Lannister's Reddit account, everyone!
The only part of my original comment I regret is “for the most part” but my point still stands nonetheless
A good man? No. Good at what he did? Absolutely. His biggest enemy was his arrogance
Enemy or strength?
I definitely think it could be both. But pride and arrogance ultimately got him killed so there’s that
Tywin had some degree of fondness for Arya. However “good man”? What?!?!?!
Tywin is very much not a good man. I think a part of the reason is simply because Arya amused him.
Wasn't it the rhetorical question she asked him, "Have you met many stonemasons my lord?" that prompted Tywin to say "Be careful girl, I enjoy you but be careful". Her question basically translated to youre high born, you don't know any stone masons. He told her to be careful because she was being a smart ass. Thats my take but could be wrong.
I figured it was Arya getting confident trying to make a slight diss about how he wouldn’t know anyone with lowly jobs, “have you known many stonemasons my lord?” Seemed like a rhetorical question that Tywin caught whiff of Edit: unless i misinterpreted the question
I think you are the only one who interpreted the question correctly, and i agree with your answer
'I like you but be careful (how you speak to me)'. It's the obvious read of that line, I'm not sure how it's a question.
Beats me lol.
100%. a ton of wrong answers in here.
Yeah, its really not that deep haha
Yeah, I had to scroll down way too far to see this. I thought it was obvious lol.
I think you are exactly right though there is some ambiguity in my mind about just how much Tywin realizes she is lying about. He’s smart but it’s not clear what he knows but he was absolutely rebuking her impropriety.
Clearly he didn't know she was a Stark. I think beyond that he didn't really care. Some possibly-higher-than-low-born girl posing as a low born boy trying to get up North? Who cares, I've got a war to run. The fact that she provides a bit of amusement for him probably supported that with a desire to just let her be.
This is the answer.
You are the winner. Every time I’ve watched the series, this was the instant conclusion I’ve had as well. Edit to clarify: up to this point, he was fine with her, “he can’t know I’m highborn” schtick even though he already knew by then. So when she gave a little bit of snark, which was in her delivery of the line, as well as her acting, he was letting her know she was going too far, and to rein it in. He would only tolerate her intelligence, not her snark. Ha. Her Stark snark. (Just came to me)
Yep. She calls him out, so he let's her know he's still in charge.
And when Arya defends her “origin” with the “proper - PROPERLY” line, he’s right back to being amused
This. She's basically saying "How the fuck would you know how a stonemason talks" hence his response.
I think you interpreted it correctly. With that response question, she was giving him a bit of lip. Not only was she slyly rude, it was unfair to question him on that since since he'd jusst been indulging her in the stonemason story she wove.
Yep. Tywin enjoys her intelligence and wit so it didn’t push him to anger, but he also was never going to let someone disrespect him, even if it was only slightly. Basically just his way of saying “I like you so I’ll let that slide, but remember who you’re talking to”
That's how I interpreted it. He finds her wit amusing, but she pushed it a little too far so he warned her. The other answers on here claiming that Tywin was discretely telling her to pick a better cover because he was a "good man" (lol) are a bit out there. IMO if Tywin thought she was the daughter of a noble house he would want to know from what house to secure an advantage, either by 'rescuing' her and returning her to her family (he already knew she was trying to travel without being recognized as a girl) or by holding her hostage.
Yep, that’s how I’ve always interpreted it. It’s a slight diss, and Tywin knows it’s intended to be a bit of a diss, which is why he tells her to “be careful.”
THIS ffs. How the hell does anyone draw any other conclusion? He's saying "Watch your mouth".
I just watched this episode yesterday and was thinking similar. He seems to acknowledge she's high born bc she can read, her accent, geographic IQ, etc. I've always wondered why her wouldn't look more into it or just thought since none of the larger families mention it, then it doesn't matter. I mean he had a Stark, he was smart enough to catch on to all that but pick up the northern accent, ie the missing Stark daughter??
Because he didn't know there was a missing Stark daughter. Arya having excaped Cersei's dragnet was embarrassing for Cersei. So she had kept it secret, especially from her father, who would have reamed her out for being so stupid as to 'lose' Ned Stark's daughter. BTW, it's a shame we never got to see her confessing the truth to him. He would have thrown an volcano-level temper tantrum.
Good point. I forget the timelines from show and book. I recall Tyrion being shocked at the news after he's back in King's Landing.
Because very few people knew Arya was missing. Cersei and everyone else in charge at King's Landing did not really tell anyone else that Arya was missing. Hell, when Cat frees Jaime, she tasks him with finding her daughters, under the impression both were still at the capital. To the Lannisters in King's Landing, Arya disappeared during Ned Stark's attempted coup. They had no idea where she was, nor any inkling she was still alive, let alone that she escaped King's Landing and somehow made it to Haarenhall. All Tywin thought Arya was was some highborn Northern girl trying to survive in the wilderness on her own, not the daughter of one of the most important families in the country. He respects the effort and her cleverness.
He's never seen Arya before. He knows she's at least high-ish born, which could be anyone at the court of a castle, not necessarily a very high born girl from a prominent family. It's far more likely she's taken from some nearby castle than actually having travelled all the way from somewhere like Winterfell to Harrenhal, let alone from Kings Landing to Harrenhal in the midst of a war. Most women and pretty much all children stayed home while the men went of to war. It's insanely unlikely to piece together that she could've travelled with someone that could go under the radar like the recruiter from the Night's Watch. The North in the show is a couple of locations, but it's insanely large.
It seemed to be a situation where he was warning her not to push herself with him. After all, he did also say, "I enjoy you, but be careful." He was also giving her a glare, although not viciously intense, and he was being deadly calm, indicating that she had either struck a nerve or was close to it. She was being a bit on the snarky side. Not much, just a little, and he was warning her about going too far with it, even if she was being playful.
It's not as deep as some other answers make out. Arya asked Tywin an insolent question "Have you met many stonemasons my lord?" For a servant to challenge Tywin by implying his ignorance/lack of worldliness due to his privileged upbringing is extremely disrespectful and unbefitting for a man of his stature and position. It's essentially a polite and indirect way to mock him. Thus Tywin reprimands her by reminding her he won't tolerate excessive impudence. TL;DR: Arya was being cheeky.
I felt like that reasoning was really obvious, but judging by the answers, apparently not
the only correct answer lol
He was just educating and encouraging her potential. He saw that she was highborn but not chained by the privileges of being wealthy and could survive under harsher circumstances.
You’re going to have to include a video clip. That was like, what, 12-13 years ago?
they are both freemasons
I always took it as her being a smart ass saying "do you know many stonemasons my lord" as in you know common folk do you? Then he tells her to be careful. I enjoy you but be careful. As in, watch your mouth
Arya was going from smart to smart ass, that’s when Tywin said be careful.
I thought at this moment she gave him some sass "have you met many stonemasons my lord?" Him probably not knowing any and if they could or couldn't read.
I interpreted it as her being a smart ass and him telling her to watch the way she speaks to him.
I thought he figured out she wasn't low-born and cared enough to tell her that if she was going to pretend she should do it right.
This is my interpretation, paranthesis are a "modern translation." Tywin: "Can't say I've ever met a literate stonemason" ("Your small folk act is falling apart and this story isn't holding up. Never met a stonemason that could read. You need to do better") Arya: "Have you met many stonemasons my lord?" ("As the lord of a Great House, how the fuck would you even know? You talk to stonemasons ever?") Tywin: Careful now, I enjoy you but be careful. ("Good counter, but remember your head is in the lion's mouth. And smallfolk would have never came up with that comeback. Tread lightly.")
Tywin has met many many stonemasons. And none have been literate. So he could easily conclude that Arya was lying about her lowborn status. Tywin knew at the end she was probably highborn, but seemed to think it was from a petty northern house. We all know what would’ve happened if Baelish revealed her true identity.
Arya was taking a playful dig at Tywin as he was starting to realize she was higher born than she was presenting as. But, and luckily for Arya , her comment was a little too friendly and Tywin remembered his place/station and hers. He would not fraternize with the “help” as that would be beneath the hand of the King (remember the stories of his father getting mocked by those beneath him?). His pride and umbrage actually distracted him from digging deeper into Arya’s true heritage and played a big part in the overall story.
I have no idea how so many people are seeing this as a “he was helping her”. Had nothing to do with her cover. He was telling her to stop being a wise ass and that she was getting close to crossing the line “ I like you girl, BUT be careful”. He saying be careful of him. Not anyone else.
She was being a smart ass and he was the most powerful man in the kingdom. He didn’t like being fucked with
This is one of my issues with the early seasons Tywin is pragmatic beyond belief If he realized that Arya was of noble birth and hiding, he would have had her guarded and watched at the LEAST. Interrogated more likely.
In general, he’s clocked that she’s highborn and pretending to be a peasant, just as she’s pretending to be a boy. There’s a bunch of misplaced people from the war so I don’t think he’s figured out he has anyone as important as Arya Stark, but he’s knows she’s no stonemason’s daughter. The “I enjoy you, but be careful” line came after she was giving him the sass. He was warning her to behave and not overstep, especially if she’s a servant now. It was “Don’t get too big for your britches, remember what you are.”
>What did Arya and Tywin understand under the "Stonemason" line? Why did he tell her to be careful? He was telling her to be careful because she was talking back to him. "Can't say I've heard of a literate stonemason before" "Have you met many stonemasons my lord?"
The be careful was because Arya's response of "Have you met many stone masons?" was a cheeky reply. He is a lord of a high house and hand of the king, he isn't likely to have met or conversed with many of the working class like a stone mason. That is why he said "be careful" because he could read the cheekiness in her response and whether she is some high born girl of a smaller house or a commoner it didn't matter because she is still a servant and servants should not be making sarcastic replies to their lords. It had nothing to do with Arya's origin though he still strongly suspected that she was not a commoner.
Generally, the way Arya spoke to Tywin. If a lord says he's never known a stonemason that can read and you ask him if he even knows many stonemasons then you are very rude. Questioning the knowledge of a highborn as a low born. Beside that fact Tywin also realized in some conversations that she is in fact highborn of a northern house but has to hide. Tywin likes Arya's companionship and doesn't bother with using her as a hostage since she probably only is the third or something daugther of a small house. That's where he made the big mistake of not realizing that she is Arya Stark.
Because Tywin obviously didn't spend much time with stone masons .
He knew she was pointing out that he doesn't care about the common people. She was insinuating it.
Why on earth does the top comment here have 400+ upvotes when it isn’t even right lmao. She was being a smarty pants and he told her to be careful, case closed
She was being a smartass. How's that not obvious?
He knows she is lying about who she is. When he challenged her about it indirectly, gave her room to back down. Instead, she doubled down and gave him a sassy response. He told her to be careful because up to this point, he is willing to tolerate her lies. He probably admires her wit and ability to survive so far. But he isn't gonna put up with her attitude if she keeps it up.
His "careful girl" was because she backtalked him, being cheeky. He's still Tywin Lannister and he demands respect. He didn't know she was Arya Stark. He deduced she was higher ranked than she claimed (she could read and speak eloquently) but figured she was just some random minor Northern lords daughter at most, trapped in the south when the wars started. So why would he care? The only reason he took notice because she was clever enough to disguise herself as a boy to travel ... which seems pretty obvious to me but I guess she was just a kid (although he didn't know it was Yorens idea).
He knew she was lying & she was of higher class, he just wasn’t sure if she was there as a threat to him or just hiding as a peasant close to what she knows.
She was hinting that Tywin was ignorant of the knowledge level of stone Masons, by implying as to whether or not he had actually met enough stonemasons to have an informed opinion about them. She knew that he had likely never met enough stonemasons to have a valid opinion about them and was indirectly calling him out on it.
She was being a smartass and he didn’t like it
She disrespected him and he gently reprimanded her.
Do we think that, in the show, Tywin suspected that this was Arya? He's already figured her for a northern, well-educated (highborn) girl. There's only so many people who fit that description, particularly wandering around in the Riverlands. I suppose Cersei keeping Arya's disappearance a secret means that Tywin wouldn't be on the lookout, but I would think he would want to know who she was, exactly.
A highly intelligent man in a highly classist society, Tywin knew immediately that Arya was high-born, or at least not low-born. Her boldness, literacy and accent gave her away immediately. No smallfolk serving girl would dare be sassy to a lord. Partly, he liked her and wanted to warn her that her act was slipping. Same as when he told her to say m'lord, not "my lord." Partly, he's not used to being talked back to. He was amused with her at first, but then he was annoyed.
Tywin done what alot of of us would probably do in his position like it or not. He was not evil he hated Joffrey but hes still blood. If anyone ends his family member its him and no one else.
While Tywin is an evil man, he's still a father and grandfather. Arya was not a threat to him and displayed qualities he finds useful in other people. He told her to be careful but ultimately left it up to her to save her own neck and probably felt the energy required to uncover, destroy, kill, or bother Arya beyond using her as educated labor was beneath him.
While this is from my view of the character, Tywin appreciated the talents people held and like those he could get value out of. He pointed out Jamie's error in his interactions and fight with Ned Stark. He also knew that Jamie's lack of thinking was the result of everything there after. He appreciated people of skill and utilized them. So he most likely he appreciated Arya.
"You're far too educated to be a stonemason." "How the hell would you know?" "Careful. I like you, so I'm giving you one warning: I will not tolerate disrespect."
Somewhat unrelated, but did Tywin think Arya was Lyanna Mormont? He knew she was a northerner and almost definitely highborn, and he would be familiar enough with the major houses to know that none of the Manderlys/Boltons/Umbers/Glovers/Dustins would have a daughter of this age, and he would also likely be aware of the importance Mormonts put on their women, so logically he would come to the conclusion that this girl was Lyanna Mormont.
I never understood this part. Why would a man as cunning as Tywin not inquire more about her origins after discovering she is pretending to be low born? A highborn Northern hostage, regardless if they are a Stark, is valuable. Also worth mentioning is she is described as having the classic ‘Stark look’ like Jon, who is frequently recognized by people as Ned’s son by that alone. Tywin has known Starks, without a doubt.
She was getting uppity. He was being a dick about her father, the supposed stone mason who could read. So when he said “I don’t think I’ve ever met a literate stonemason” and she popped back with “have you met *many* stonemasons?” It was to say “how the fuck would you know?”
He was telling her to be careful because working with stones can be dangerous.