The first season of House of the Dragon is already over, and there will likely be a couple of years before fans get to see another episode. The show has proven to have brilliant characterization, and its strict adherence to the book is something that Game of Thrones fans would have loved.
Unfortunately, Game of Thrones failed to stick to the books in many cases, leading to a somewhat muddled final few seasons. Many characters found themselves completely different from their counterparts in the books. Theon Greyjoy is one of many characters who was completely changed.
He Is Known For Smiles
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In the books, Theon Greyjoy was well-known for his cocky attitude, his smug smiles, and his arrogance. Despite being Ned Stark's hostage, he was always wandering around Winterfell, paying to spend time with sex workers and mocking the less fortunate, and it all felt very forced.
In the show, while he was still cocky, there was less emphasis placed on it prior to his arrival on the Iron Islands. After all, he was so known for smiling in the books that his horse was named "Smiler". It made for an interesting fall for Theon, especially given that Ramsay would take his teeth, something that also did not happen in the show.
He Protects A Member Of The Smallfolk, Not Sansa
One of the biggest changes the show made was returning Sansa to Winterfell. Where, in the books, she remained in the Vale as a ruling lady, the show version of the character was shipped back to the North to be wed to Ramsay Bolton. In the books, that was actually the role of a relatively lowborn lady dressed as Arya.
So, instead of rescuing a highborn, Theon actually had to rescue someone who served as a sex worker in King's Landing. Rather than proving that he learned loyalty to the Starks, Theon had to redeem himself by saving a girl who had worked as someone that Theon would have previously undervalued. It showed his growth far more than saving Sansa did.
He Interacts With Northern Lords Often
While Theon was relatively isolated in the show, often just interacting with Sansa and the Boltons, the book version of the character is much more active. He interacts with several Northern lords and ladies as he wanders through the North on Ramsay's orders.
Having interacted with the manipulative Lady Dustin and even having been part of a widespread murder mystery, Theon really had much more to do in the books. Given that he appeared in more episodes than most others, those other interactions could have given him more to do, so that he wasn't trapped in repetitive and often needless torture scenes.
He Had Another Family Member
In the show, it appears that Theon's family consisted of his father, Yara, and the crazed priest who regularly drowned people. In the books, Theon had another family member: his uncle Victarion. Victarion is a brutal and unintelligent sailor and warrior with a magical arm and a horn that can bind dragons to his will.
Including Victarion could have saved the Game of Thrones ending. After all, the man was a key part of Euron's plan, so excluding him meant that the show could have presented a more book-accurate Euron. Victarion could have also offered a more sympathetic alternative to Euron, which Theon might have embraced.
He Is Missed At The Kingsmoot
In the show, Theon arrived at the Iron Islands just in time to see the Kingsmoot that declared Euron would rule the islands. Theon and Yara were quickly forced to flee, as Euron would certainly want their heads. In the books, the Kingsmoot went remarkably differently.
After all, Theon wasn't there. When Euron was crowned, Theon was still a captive, which is why Yara has been desperately searching for him. If he missed the Kingsmoot, the Iron Islands are forced to redo their election, which is essential to the Greyjoy plot. After all, the plot could still end with Theon as king.
Yara Didn't Come For Him Immediately
While Yara first arrived in Winterfell in the show to convince her brother to leave, she also tried to rescue him after Ramsay began torturing him. In the books, the character (name Asha, not Yara) is very different in that she never actually moved to save her brother after he was captured.
Theon was completely alone in Winterfell, as Yara was willing to leave him to rot for his mistake. Even the 10 men she had left him to garrison the castle fled shortly after she left. It made for a much lonelier Reek, as even he knew that no one cared to save him.
He Is Obsessed With Rhymes
One of the saddest quotes in the Game of Thrones books is the ever-present "It rhymes with Reek". Having been completely broken by Ramsay, Theon couldn't help but try to piece his brain together by trying a constant series of rhymes that could match with his new name.
Between freak, meek, and weak, Theon clearly showcases just how tormented he is, given the words he chooses to represent himself. The rhymes help to showcase his state of mind perfectly, which only makes his story more tragic with every page.
Ramsay Was Presumed Dead When He Was Captured
In the books, Theon truly had no reason to suspect that his savior may have been the bastard son of Roose Bolton. After all, Ramsay had been an evil character, but he had been killed after kidnapping a highborn lady. That was what the official report to Winterfell had been, at least.
So Theon really had no reason to realize that Ramsay was still alive when he was playing Theon for a fool. He had faked his own death, and he would return just to torment the former King of Winterfell. It was a brilliant twist that the show completely left out.
He Is A Captive Of Stannis
In the show, Theon and Sansa escaped Winterfell and from then on were free to go about their lives. In the books, it wasn't that simple. After all, they had fled right into the heart of Stannis' camp. When Stannis discovered a highborn Iron Islands candidate in his midst, he took the boy captive and intended to execute him.
Theon remains at Stannis' mercy, and it doesn't look like he will be able to get away very easily. While Stannis is far from the most honorable character in Game of Thrones, he still would not suffer having a child-murderer in his ranks. For now, readers desperately wait to see how Theon will escape or if he will at all.
His Torture Happens Between Chapters And Is Left Unseen
Game of Thrones showcased several scenes in which poor Theon was left dangling from a torture rack while Ramsay worked to break him. The scenes were brutal and gruesome, and they did a great job of making viewers feel sympathy even for as cruel a man as Theon.
The books take a different route. Readers are never given the chance to see what Ramsay actually did to break Theon. Instead, he appears already broken, missing pieces of his body and clinging to whatever scraps of identity are left to him. It makes for a chilling effect, as readers are left to imagine exactly what Ramsay has done to him.
Source:gamerant.com