There is nothing that truly equates to the paradox of the female literary character. Their complexity, emotional intelligence, and humanity ensures that they demand attention and teach their audience about inherent female strength. Though only fairly recently recognising the power of women on a much larger, reality-defining scale, there always infinite lessons we can learn from the women who transgressed our upbringing and made us the resilient people we are.
1. Ophelia, Hamlet:
Commonly overlooked as being a minor inconvenience to Hamlet’s respective plan for vengeance, Ophelia defies Elizabethan normality through her mental freedom. In a period filled with female silence and only the requirement of high-born physical duty, women were seen as the major male character’s footnotes. In this case, Ophelia’s role was primarily to track Hamlet’s emotional state. However, her rebellion arises from her mental liberation, which many interpret as a breakdown, despite her following actions (namely, providing accurately fitting flowers) containing carefully calculated metaphors. Her untimely suicide was even a form of dominating what was seen as the completely natural essence of water, indicating the death of her social position and her control over her narrative ending.
2. Kathy H., Never Let Me Go:
Unreliably narrating a novel bildungsroman form, her entire character revolves around conforming to her clone society. By being trapped in a specific clone community for her entire life, and only finding solace in isolated human society, Kathy rebels by attempting to find true love. Her strength originates from prioritising, for once, her own needs. After aiding and abetting an oppressive system, she reaches for her own chance for a glimpse of happiness. Despite her failures, we learn that her strength is derived from reaching for her own choices and chances in the face of overwhelming adversity.
3. Amy Dunne, Gone Girl:
A much darker, twisted feminist approach can be seen from Gillian Flynn’s success in eradicating the ‘cool-girl’ stereotype. While Amy goes to extreme lengths to gain revenge, her brutal rebellion arises from her internal repression of her true character to please her unfaithful husband. Instead, the audience appreciates the farce of what the cool-girl stereotype really is: an excuse for men not to compromise, assuming that their female partner is naturally a mirror to their own character. The cool-girl doesn’t exist. She fits the mould for what men want for a certain period of time. She should not be an aspirational figure at the cost of losing your personal character and integrity. For a detailed analysis of this stereotype, check out this video.
4. Amy March, Little Women:
As already re-interpreted by Greta Gerwig’s 2019 remake, Amy March contains much more substance than initially anticipated. Provided with little reading contact time in the novel, Amy March is seen as the youngest, spoilt charge who continuously avoids the difficulties in life. Her selfish and vain tendencies are destructive, and she is seen as a foil to Jo’s independence. However, her choices in controlling her future when it should be decided for her by societal preference is a form of her cunning and brilliance. She is calculative but not cold, caring but not smothering. Her choice to be a wife, sister, and artists is an expression of early feminism.
5. Scout Finch, To Kill A Mockingbird:
Small, feisty, and bold, Scout Finch witnesses historic events unfolding at the hands of her father. While not fully understands the magnitude of the criminal case encapsulating her town, her innocence and ability to differentiate moral rights and wrongs is extraordinary. Despite being surrounded by a range of opinions, she is simultaneously frustrated in the world’s lack of justice, while believing in her father to propagate some form of change. Her strength is her belief in a better world and despite being too young to change it just yet, her standpoint ensures that there always be an advocate for justice, no matter how young or how small.