Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter was banned for its sinful concepts, Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird was taken off of the shelves for its depiction of racism, and Suzanne Collins’s The Hunger Games was barred for its violent plot. Since the dawn of literature, concerned parents, teachers, and citizens have rallied that books with taboo themes be denied entrance to the library. But something that is often over looked by these well intentioned authority figures is the valuable lesson that they are taking away from hungry readers.
Namely, in a world where more often than not books are filled with pages about strong male protagonists, novels such as The Scarlet Letter, To Kill A Mockingbird, and The Hunger Games provide strong examples of female characters who were brave in the face of adversity all while doing the right thing.
Take Hester Prynne. She is made an example of after bearing an illegitimate child, and is forced to announce her crimes with a bright scarlet “A” on her shoulder. She could easily escape from this embarrassment by revealing the name of the child’s father, but instead respects his wishes to remain confidential. From chastisement to shunning, she endures it all, and never once goes back on her word. Despite her hardships, Hester does good in her town and makes the most out of her life. Hester Prynne essentially proves that though it is possible to make mistakes, it is not impossible to learn from them and live with them. Hester stands for taking responsibility for your actions even in the toughest of situations; an honest and brave female protagonist to say the least.
Then there’s Scout Finch from To Kill A Mockingbird. She is small but mighty, young, but wise. Scout is all for doing things her way. She likes to wear pants instead of “dressing like a lady” in skirts and dresses, she reads on her own even though her teacher gets frustrated by her advanced skills, and defends her father when her school mates make rude remarks about his defending an African American man in court. Though Scout is surrounded by racism in her small town of Maycomb, Alabama, she knows that a book should never be judged by its cover. Quite frankly, Scout is a strong role model for young girls, for at an early age, she has a vivacious and ambitious attitude, with a keen awareness of what is fair and just.
Finally, with two simple words, Katniss Everdeen changed the game completely. After her younger sister Prim is chosen to compete to the death in Panem’s annual Hunger Games, Katniss bravely exclaims, “I volunteer” and relieves Prim from the terrifying responsibility. Once in the arena, Katniss never once loses sight of her goal: to win the games and return home to help support her family. During her fight, she refuses to resort to traitorous actions, nor does she let anyone intimidate her. Though romance worms its way into the arena in the form of her friend Peeta Mellark, Katniss makes it clear to him that winning for her family is her first priority. Katniss understands the corruption within her country and the evil behind the games, and soon becomes a symbol of revolution within Panem. Using nothing but wit, bravery, and her trusty bow and arrow, Katniss proves to young girls that if you stand up for what you believe in, you can achieve your goal.
Undoubtedly, all of these female literary characters serve as strong role models. They endure hardships and set-backs, but never once give in. Though their stories may be draped in controversy, the lessons they teach are much too valuable to ban. It’s a well-known fact that a book should be judged by its content, not its cover. But how will we ever be able to learn from its contents if it never makes it to the shelves?