#and being the POV character we also are naturally inclined to sympathise him more

[a-commas-a-pause]

Sorry OP for coming on your post to talk about a slightly different dynamic, but consider also: MORAL (or at least... has some principles) manipulative spymaster who has to finagle a much less ethically-minded king into doing both the right thing and the prudent one.

there's something about amoral manipulative little masterminds who are constrained only by their intense fealty to a person of high(er) morals that's just. chef's kiss. so good

[hangemwithkindness]

Unpopular opinion, but I've seen bunch of people on tumblr constantly talking about 'omnipresent misogyny  in the fandom and how female characters are judged much harshly than their male counterparts' And while that might be true for locals, general fandom, reddit etc. it absolutely isnt so for tumblr. If anything it is the opposite and C*rsei and Jaime are the prime example of that.

The fact that C*rsei is a female, and Jaime a male character, and generaly seen as more privileged (which isnt untrue) is the reason why question of  -whether Jaime is better and more redeemable person than Cers*i -  is even debatable in the first place in many corners of the fandom. Its the reason why there is so much inclination to gloss over C*rsei's abuse and draw 'mutualy abusive' argument. It's the reason why an ending where one partner disregards any hope for the place in the future or redemption & returns to another, (who treatened to murder him and sent assassins after him while only softening to him when she was literary cornered to death) to die alongside her with *sappy music in the back* is getting excused and celebrated instead of being universaly reviled as a romantisation of toxic relationships which it blatantly is.

Its the reason why Jaime having issue with his partner's infidelity is labeled as mysogynistic. Can someone honestly tell me that female character who was using degrading names at the expense of the male partner who cheated on her and slaped her would be condemned here on the same level as it's in this case? More like, any mention of critisism would get you instantly labeled as sexist (like in most cases about lanntwins if genders were reversed).

Heck I say this as someone who actualy likes C*rsei, but her gender is the basic reason why she has so much stans on here in the first place. For many, she represents an archetype of an oppressed person they want to relate, a commentary on how much can structural gender discrimination affect and ruin a person. And while GRRM partly wants to explore just that and get readers to even empathise with her at times; he doesnt want them to fully absorb themselves in her POV, bc she is fundamentaly horrible person. And a lot of people either cant cope or forgive GRRM for not writing her the way they want [so its essentialy basic fan entitlement mixed with enough woke buzzwords to sound as a compeling grievance..whoops..]. Strip her of her gendered excuse and the person who lies, cheats, is physicaly abusive, has groomed a minor and ordered many people to get maimed and tortured, abuses their kids would have as much stans here as Robert, or Joffrey, or Viserys. Like dont get me wrong she is a tragic character, she herself suffered abuse and isnt entirely undeserving of sympathy but the way a lot of people see her *not being given a sword when she was a child* as a borderline excuse that precludes her from having basic decency like not pushing your childhood friend down the well or just sympathising on some level with people who go trough the same strugles as she did (like Sansa or Margaery) instead of yk seting them up for torture in gleefulness is just... The fact that Jaime tries to shield and protect people that in many ways represent his younger self (Brienne and Loras) in direct opposition to his sister maybe speaks of some more innate differences in nature that transcend gender barriers. dunno... could it be... I get it - seeing a, generaly speaking, more socialy privileged character being given redemption arc while C*rsei gets stuck with Evil Queen narrative isnt the most 'progressive satisfying' story there is, but neither are Jaime and C*rsei only characters in the story. We have another set of siblings where female one is given a hero jorney while male one dies in misery as a petty, power hungry, villanious loser. Is GRRM sexist for writing that plot too then? Jaime also gets fairly woobified I concede that, but saying that Jaime is more redeemable than C*rsei isnt sexist, denying it is. You dont have to like that storyline, you can root for its end and for Jaime to f*mic*de his way out of narrative all you want, to get some semblance of moral equality between the two[even though even then it wouldnt be true] but have at least as much intelectual honestly to accept basic facts there are. thats all

Jaime is a better person than Cersei. That is beyond dispute. Jaime has done good and bad things. Cersei has done bad things. Jaime is trying to find a way to do better. Cersei wants to screw everyone over. If Jaime's efforts means he has a chance for happiness while Cersei's unrelenting cruelty means her doom it is not sexism. It is the person putting in the effort to do better having a chance the person doing worse won't.