Not sure about the brains on this Gawain dude

Not going to lie, I found the end of Sir Gawain and The Green Knight a little bit unimpressive. Like 'hey! Congrats on still having a head but you still screwed up!' And then his only form of punishment or penance was turned into a fashion statement? Like I know they said it was a "solidarity" thing but it still seems like he got off pretty easy. He broke a deal, he broke his word, and all he had to do as penance was wear a sash? And yes, sashes are ridiculous, especially on grown men but it's still a pretty meager thing.
What really got to me was how much the Green Knight didn't seem to care. It was more like a slap on the wrist than a "you broke an oath" anger. That seemed kind of suspect for a guy who transforms himself into a magical, gigantic, GREEN KNIGHT. You kind of expect him to be a drama queen. But nope.

And Gawain just rolls with the fact that this Green Knight starts talking about how Gawain was hanging out in bed with his wife. He doesn't question the fact that the Green Knight was his host for the three days. He just accepts it! Without second thought! Who does that? (People who agree to favours for total strangers is who.)

How Did He Do It?

               The one question that remained unanswered throughout the entire story of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight for me was HOW THE GREEN KNIGHT SURVIVED HAVING HIS HEAD CUT OFF?? Was that belt truly magical? If the belt was magical, he could actually (try to) chop Gawain’s head off and he would have lived. Then we would have known that that’s why the green knight lived as well. However, the green knight only nicks Gawain’s neck, and then explains the entire test to him. Because he doesn’t actually cut his head off, I couldn’t be 100% certain that the belt was magical at all! Maybe she just said that the belt would make him invincible as a test and he failed. It seems just as likely as a belt actually giving him invincibility.

                Aside from this issue, I did really enjoy the story. The test that the Green Knight came up with was pretty ingenious. Not only was it entertaining for the court, but it gave a very true test of Gawain’s honor. As a knight he is supposed to honor all agreements, and in this test he actually makes two. Now why someone would agree to be decapitated in a year, I have no idea. But Gawain does fulfill all parts of both agreements, except for the final day with the King. By keeping the belt he hopes to survive his execution. Unfortunately, this fails his test of honor.

                The craziest part of the whole story though is the ending. Sir Gawain returns to the court wearing his belt to remind himself of his failure. Next thing you know, everyone is doing it! Green belts are IN, they represent HONOR. If there was any lesson to be taken away from the story, this ending kills it. It’s a Disney ending to me, everything has to end perfect and happy ever after. This story had me right up until that ending, but the ending was just terrible. Yes I understand that the court was doing it to make him feel better, but did he really need to feel better? It’s just a reminder that he’s human and needs to focus on doing better in the future. That’s a lesson everyone should carry with them in life. That’s how I would have ended this story.