Thursday was World Book Day and March is Women's History Month, and because both of these topics excite me greatly I decided to amalgamate them all into one lovely blog post;
My top ten favourite empowering female characters in literature!
This was insanely difficult for me to whittle down to just ten, because I could honestly go on forever about my favourite book characters if I let myself... but I won't. I should probably jump straight in!
1. Molly Weasley (Harry Potter)
2. Jean Louise "Scout" Finch (To Kill a Mockingbird)
I first read To Kill a Mockingbird when I was 15 years old for my English GCSE. It was a book that really stuck with me, and I'm sure that most people who've read it feel the same way. Because the novel is told from the perspective of Scout, we really see the world through her eyes, and a child's point of view always proves to be an interesting one. While the book covers some incredibly poignant topics, Scout's curious personality and tenacity still shine through. Some would argue that her perspective is naive and uninformed, but to me she's unprejudiced and free from the preconceived opinions that society placed on people.
3. Jane Eyre (Jane Eyre)
Jane Eyre was my favourite book for a long time. My first year of A-Level English was spent reading and re-reading and re-re-reading the book. Jane has so much fire in her, and for a woman of her time it's so rare to read. Bronte really knew how to create a heroine that the reader can really root for. Romantic plot aside, Jane goes on a huge journey of self-discovery throughout the book, and I always loved the fact that she's allowed to be selfish without it being seen as a bad thing. Jane takes care of others, but knows that looking after herself is of the utmost importance. She works her ways up, starting at the bottom and reaching her own version of the top, which is satisfying to read time and time again.
4. Minnie Jackson (The Help)
Minnie is by far my favourite character in The Help, both for many reasons and also for one sole reason - the terrible awful secret she keeps. For those who haven't read the book or seen the film, SPOILER ALERT, Minnie baking her own sh** in a pie for Hilly Holbrook to eat was quite possibly one of the best forms of revenge I've ever read/seen. Not only does she completely humiliate Hilly, which quite frankly is wholly deserved, but she commits her to a silence that she knows she can't ever break. She traps her, and it's genuis. Minnie can't ever be punished for what she's done, because to reveal said secret would destroy Hilly Holbrook's reputation. For this reason, and countless others too, I love Minnie Jackson.
5. Elizabeth Bennet (Pride and Prejudice)
I don't think I could write about influential female literary characters without mentioning Lizzie Bennet. (One of) the original independent women of literature. To put it bluntly, Lizzie doesn't take any crap from anyone. At the time, marriage was simply expected from a woman of her age, and the fact that she doesn't leap immediatley at the chance to become a wife shows her strength of character. She won't be coerced, not by any man, nor by her mother or sisters. This rings true in all adaptations of the book as well. While Elizabeth is everything that a woman "should" be (I use that term so very very loosely), she also fights against the stereotype in her own way. In the end she does marry, but it's entirely her own decision.
6. Hermione Granger (Harry Potter)
I had to include Hermione. It's always impossible for me to pick a favourite Harry Potter character but she comes so close to being top. She's incredibly intelligent (both emotionally and intellectually), hard-working, loyal, caring, selfless, and so many other things. At the same time though, her flaws are clearly shown both in the books and the films. She's not a perfect bookworm who gets everything right, despite the fact that Harry and Ron would most likely be dead without her from the off. She's an over-achiever, perhaps annoying at times, she's sometimes judgemental and gets very snippy with Harry and Ron. But flaws are what make a character human. They flesh them out and give a greater sense of reality for the reader. Because, let's face it, who wants to read about a character who's perfect in every single way?
7. Beatrice (Much Ado About Nothing)
Just like Lizzie Bennet, Beatrice is a woman with very little interest in marriage, but the difference is she seems to speak from experience. She's been hurt before and she doesn't want to be hurt again. Beatrice's visible vulnerability paired with her sharp tongue and good humour really drew me to her. Her continuous war of wit with Benedick throughout the play shows her intelligence as well, and proves that he's a worthy match for her in the end.
8. Miranda Priestly (The Devil Wears Prada)
The HBIC of Runway magazine, Miranda Priestly is a strong, domineering and successful woman. Obviously throughout most of the book we dislike her intensely because of the way she treats Andrea and the rest of the staff at Runway. But it's such a cliche to view a successful business woman as a bitch. It's a tired sterotype that provides her character with little personality. Miranda is most definitely not someone you'd want to cross, but in reality she has probably clawed her way to the top and fought off countless others to get to where she is - the film adaptation does hint at this when she tells Andy that she sees so much of herself in her. The real beauty of Miranda Priestly is that she never really does change. She isn't a character with negative traits who redeems herself in the end. She remains snappy with unrealistically high expectations and she doesn't bend over backwards to change when Andy eventually tells her "Fuck you, Miranda. Fuck you."
9. Bridget Jones (Bridget Jones' Diary)
Bridget is everyone's favourite woman during her mid-life-crisis. She's clumsy, daft and has an incredible habit of putting her foot in it, but all the while still manages to remain entirely endearing to the reader. Her lack of luck with love is occassionally poked fun at, but not in a cruel way, more of a 'lonely spinster eaten by alsatians' kind of way. As a perpetual singleton, I find myself hugely identifying with Bridget and her many crises (despite the fact she is probably about ten years older than me in the first book... also, I'm picturing myself being devoured by cats instead of alsatians, so...).
10. Matilda Wormwood
When I was little, everyone used to tell me that I looked exactly like Matilda. Obviously this was in reference to the film rather than the book, but I loved Matilda so much so I was delighted with the comparison. What little girl isn't inspired by the drive and tenacity of another little girl who also happens to have magic abilities? Matilda channels all of the hatred and anger from others in her life into something wonderful. She helps her friends and her unappreciative family and doesn't treat others how she's been treated in the past. I think my favourite thing about her is probably an obvious choice; her love of reading. The montage of her walking to the library from the film will always stick with me, and the fact that she finds friends in the books she reads is so heartwarming. Reading can bring so much joy, and Matilda definitely taught me that.
And there we have it! I had a list of at least 20 characters that I wanted to include on this list, but I had to draw a line somewhere :) Let me know who your favourite female literary characters are in the comments! I'd love to hear them.
~ C xxx
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