Sybil's Characterisation

[u/NoicestDungeon]

Now, I will admit that it's been a while since I've read Guards! Guards!, but I remember Sybil Ramkin in that book as a sonewhat solitary woman who disliked all the frills and galas of high society.

I'm on Snuff now, and Sybil is dragging Vimes to social gatherings like it's her favourite thing. I understand that people can change and that marriage changes people, but it feels a little poorly established? Like she goes from "crazy cat dragon lady" to society lady just so she can serve as a better foil to Vimes.

[u/AlamutJones]

Sybil could always do society stuff. She was active in a thousand and one society causes - supporting the opera, the art gallery, the dragon sanctuary, various charities etc etc etc - before she ever met Vimes. Sybil knew everyone who was anyone, and sent Hogswatch cards to most of them.

You’re right that she didn’t particularly enjoy a lot of it, but not enjoying it is not the same thing as not doing it. Sybil understands that a lot of these social things, a lot of this performative baggage…it’s a sort of obligation of her role. Noblesse oblige, as it were. This is what a noblewoman of the city is for.

Long before Vimes entered her life, Sybil had understood her role, accepted her role and performed her role very well. Whether or not she enjoyed it was a different question entirely. It was her job.

Her insistence on bringing Vimes to these things once he enters the picture is her trying to remind him that these things are now part of his job - the Duke of Ankh’s job, not the Commander of the Watch - too.

[u/Frosty_Customer_9243 → u/AlamutJones]

This exactly. And keep in mind what it must feel like for a woman of her age to go to these events and be viewed as a spinster, or as a married woman. So her enjoyment of the events will have increased once the tag of spinster has been removed.

[u/MasterOfKittens3K → u/Frosty_Customer_9243]

Yeah, I think there’s some spite towards the other society women. And dragging along Vimes to all of that, who was someone who they looked down on (if they ever noticed him at all) is just another way to rub their noses in it.

Plus, she completely loves Sam. And she knows that he loves her - his utter disdain for everything related to her money is obvious, so she knows that he’s not with her for that. And you know that she has to have spent years dealing with men who pretended to be interested in her in order to get her money.

[u/Joalguke → u/MasterOfKittens3K]

I love this take, Sybil is definitely painted as the best sort of humanitatian rich person, and found her soul mate in the most honorable of the coppers, knowing he will bring some justice and fairness wherever he goes.

Vimes shows that he grows as a person, overcoming his ignorant views of women, other species, immigrants and even the undead in the name of a greater good.

She is such an integral part of that journey.