By: Michael Gust
1
As mentioned in the article
before, researchers find it important
for youth to witness female leaders
and decision makers so they consider
them to be more of the standard. That
article mentioned that we should
specifically shed light on women who
have real authoritative positions like
politicians and scientists, however I
believe that so long as the character
has a definitive role, it should not
matter whether she is a lawyer or a
witch hunter; the positive impact that
it will have will remain the same. To
prove that, here are a few examples.
The tween craze has finally
shifted from the fangs and
werewolves of the Twilight series by
Stephanie Meyers towards the
unconventional lifestyle and culture
of the characters in The Hunger
Games. A.O. Scott and Manohla
Dargis of the New York times termed
Katniss Everdeen from The Hunger
Games to be “one of the most radical
female characters to appear in
American movies” and “a new type
of woman warrior” (Scott). As an
individual, it is believed that the
reason why Katniss speaks to so
much of her audience is because she
was a female character who lived in
culture much different ours. She is
self-dependent and motivated; defiant
and ready to confront any hurdles that
may come her way with the use of her
own resources. Scott goes so far as to
even compare her to Natty Bumppo, a
pivotal figure in Western literature,
saying that like Bumppo, Everdeen is
also an introvert “who defends the
fragile society of the frontier without
ever becoming part of it” (Scott).
Finally, Katniss is anything but free.
The only place she has ever called
home has just been terrorized and her
whole life has been thrown into
shambles, yet she remains relentless
with freedom being the only thing in
sight. The spirit and actions of
Katniss allow her to have “multiple
symbolic identities” making her
relevant to anyone (Scott). Because of
this she gives everyone someone to
believe in, something to hold onto.
Another prime example
would be Lisabeth Salander of The
Girl With the Dragon Tattoo. In both
the novel and film adaptation,
Salander is represented as violent, a
lesbian, bisexual, short, dark and
extremely lean. “Salander fits no
type; she's no comic-book
superwoman, no flirty Charlie's
Angel. She's flesh and bones, real
(Torregrosa).” Through the journey
we learn that Salander holds even
more substance beneath her thin, pale
skin. She has endured years of both
physical and mental abuse as well as
rape. She carries it with her wherever
she goes, with the scars practically
ingrained in her eyes. However, she
still remains courageous as ever and
smarter than anyone else. Luisita
Torregrossa believes that the moral
behind the series is not about spies,
murders, or crimes, but rather about
the inherent issue of female abuse.
Lisabeth “Salander is [a female here
in the sense that she is] the symbol
and embodiment of that violence,
victim and survivor, vengeful
angel” (Torregrosa). And we we
watch or read, there is no doubt that
she will survive.