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Gender portrayal in literature
The feminist lens in literature
The feminist lens in literature
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Over the past few years, there has been various books, films, and even songs about influential, heroic, women throughout the world. Some of the most recent heroic female figures include the fictional character “Hermione Granger” from the novel Harry Potter by J. K Rowling. Another strong female figure includes “Katniss Everdeen” from the novel The Hunger Games by Suzzane Collins. The two heroic women certainly share their differences. Hermoine was described as a bookworm who could be a tad bossy at times. Katniss was athletically inclined, however, lacked certain communication skills with people. Although Hermoine and Katniss have their distinct differences, they both become heroic female figures who show what the true meaning of bravery is. While both Hermoine and Katniss bravely fight against evil …show more content…
Originally from England, Hermoine attends school at “Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry”,which is located in the secluded highlands of Scotland. Her story takes place around the 1980s to the 1990s. Hermoine had a passion for school, studying, and was an avid reader. She was incredibly intelligent, but known as a bit bossy and nerdy. That is why during her first year at Hogwarts it was hard for Hermoine to make friends, even her future husband Ron at the time stated that she was a nightmare and it was “no wonder she had no friends.” Eventually, Hermoine is befriended by Harry Potter and Ronald Weasley and grows more comfortable with making friends throughout the series just as Katniss does in hers. Being known as a “mudblood”,or a witch with no magical parents, Hermoine was bullied, discriminated, and even burned despite her intelligence. Katniss was perhaps discriminated against, however, it was most likely because she lived in poverty, not because of who her parents were. Despite what others think of her, Hermoine is
Katniss and Theseus find themselves in similar situations that there are many literature parallels throughout both of their stories. Volunteering as a tribute for a cruel game like situation and come out as a victorious “hero”, both have to play along as if they love someone they don’t, and have people help them along the way. The only way to know how strong you are is not always a physical strength but mental or emotional strength also.
Katniss shows an amazing lead character. She showed independence and strength. “I volunteer” I gasped, “I volunteer as tribute.” (Ross) She showed strength by taking her sister's place in the games. Which means the possibility of death. Influencing her watchers that is it okay to be a woman and taking in responsibilities. The Hunger Games and Anthem bring us two different people but almost the same why by showing us weaknesses and strengths.
Science fiction writers create a particular setting not only to entertain readers but to give clues on lessons they believe human beings are struggling to understand. In both books, The Hunger Games and Catching Fire, Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark are introduced as the main characters to project the criticisms made by the author. Susan Collins creates a Dystopian society ruled by the Capital. Different areas of their country, named Panem, are separated into different districts. Two kids from each of the twelve districts are chosen at random to fight in an arena until 1 tribute is left, this is called The Hunger Games Both Peeta and Katniss fight together during the hunger games as a team from District 12. Between the two books, Collins portrays the idea that humans tend to be disrespectful and insulting, depending on another's wealth and/or authority and power. Both The Hunger Games and Catching Fire connect with readers but also indicated the problem with certain human behaviors that most people don't notice or fail to
James’ character did what most rebellious young American women would do. She broke free from cultural restrictions and lived her life as she pleased. A woman of passion, she chose to ignore the repressive attitudes of those around her. Women of today are still fighting for equality, but have authors of the past and women like the characters in their stories to thank for the improvements they made.
It has often been said that there is nothing new under the sun. In this vein, authors across all literary genres often borrow themes and plot from the stories of long ago. Many of those authors choose to borrow from the rich mythology of the ancient Greeks. Suzanne Collins has been asked on numerous occasions where the idea for The Hunger Games originated. She readily admits that the characters and plot come from Greek mythology and more specifically, from Theseus and the Minotaur (Margolis 30). One familiar with both both stories can easily recognize the identical framework upon which each of these stories are built. Both Theseus and Katniss Everdeen, Collins’ heroine, volunteer to go into battle for their respective homelands, they both fight beasts of strange origin, and they are both brave in battle and emerge victorious, but it is the uniqueness of the characters that makes each story appropriate for the time period and audience to which it belongs. Collins modernizes the classic hero of Theseus by changing his gender, his motivations and altering his selfish personality, and by doing these things she creates a heroine that better resonates with today's audience of young adults.
Due to traditional stereotypes of women, literature around the world is heavily male-dominant, with few female characters outside of cliché tropes. Whenever a female character is introduced, however, the assumption is that she will be a strong lead that challenges the patriarchal values. The authors of The Thousand and One Nights and Medea use their female centered stories to prove their contrasting beliefs on the role of women not only in literature, but also in society. A story with a female main character can be seen as empowering, but this is not always the case, as seen when comparing and contrasting Medea and The Thousand and One Nights.
In “The Lottery,” Mrs. Hutchinson says, “`It isn’t fair,’ she said. A stone hit her on the side of the head” (Jackson 7). Mrs. Hutchinson does not even try to get away, she only stands there and lets the townspeople kill her. She does not try to stand up to her society at all and she shows how she does not even try to change her fate. She only stands still and does not try to get away. Though these stories both have a female protagonist, The Hunger Games has a protagonist who stands up to her society in time to save herself. In The Hunger Games, the main character, Katniss, is one of the two participants still alive at the end of The Hunger Games. She and her fellow district mate, Peeta Mellark, are both still alive. The government says only one of them may win. Katniss convinces Peeta to eat deadly berries. They are just about to eat the berries when they are both declared the winners. Katnisss is reacting to the rule change. She is showing how she is not going to stand by and let the government control her. Katniss shows people should stand up for what they believe in and to not give into their society and to not be controlled. Both of the stories have a female protagonist differing how and when they stand up for themselves.
Harriet Jacobs takes a great risk writing her trials as a house servant in the south and a fugitive in the north. Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl gives a true account of the brutality slavery held for women. A perspective that was relatively secretive during Jacobs’ time. Jacobs’ narrative focuses on subjugation due to race but it also portrays many women an strong and often open roles. Women in these roles were minimal and often suffered for their outspoken roles.
For readers who observe literature through a feminist lens, they will notice the depiction of female characters, and this makes a large statement on the author’s perception of feminism. Through portraying these women as specific female archetypes, the author creates sense of what roles women play in both their families and in society. In books such as The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck and The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, the roles that the main female characters play are, in different instances, both comparable and dissimilar.
Over the past few years, there has been various books, films, and even songs about influential, heroic, women throughout the world. Some of the most recent heroic female figures include the fictional character “Hermione Granger” from the novel Harry Potter by J. K Rowling. Another strong female figure includes “Katniss Everdeen” from the novel The Hunger Games by Suzzane Collins. The two heroic women certainly share their differences. Hermoine was described as a bookworm who could be a tad bossy at times. Katniss was athletically inclined, however, lacked certain communication skills with people. Although Hermoine and Katniss have their distinct differences,
In Roxane Gay’s book Bad Feminist (2014), she writes an essay, “What We Hunger For”, about the difference between strength and surviving, and the importance of strong female characters. She argues that surviving something doesn’t mean you are strong; life throws unendurable circumstances as people all of the time, and people manage to overcome them and survive, but that doesn’t make them strong. Gay uses Katniss in The Hunger Games trilogy as an example of a relatable, strong female character. Gay describes her as a “heroine with issues” (p. 146). Also in the essay, Gay refers to Meghan Cox Gurdon’s article in the Wall Street Journal about how Young Adult fiction is too dark for its intended audience. Gay argues against it, stating that
It is obvious that the similarities between Queen Elizabeth I and Virginia Woolf outweigh the differences. Both were learners and thinkers, advocates for they believed in and strong women despite all of the issues that had happened during their short lives. It is important to recognize the similarities between these women, for the traits of bravery, persistence, and wisdom are what make brilliant role models for people throughout time. By pointing out the similarities and differences between these two women, it is easy to see examples of what people in modern times should follow: advocacy for what one believes in and triumphs over life’s dilemmas.
Katniss Everdeen, the protagonist in the novel, is shown as a dominant character. Katniss is in charge of her family and is the “woman of the house”. She defies the customary gender norms that state that a male would be the “man of the house”. Katniss hunts food for the family and “as soon as [she’s] in the trees, [she] retrieves a bow and sheath of arrows from a hollow log” (Collins, 9). Although Katniss’ father took care of the family, in the beginning, Katniss has been in charge ever since his death. This illustrates how easily gender roles can be reversed. Collins establishes a theory that a female can provide for the family as much as a man can. This proves that gender roles are not as absolute as society makes them
Katniss Everdeen is very determined. If she wants to do something, she tries until she achieves it. This is proved when Katniss wins the Hunger Games after she is told that she should try to win, by Prim, her sister and throughout the games she remembers these words and kind of uses them as her guide. She is also very strong in mental and physical ways. Her worst character trait is that she lets kind people root into her, so if someone pretends to be kind she will let them root in which means she lets them know about her and becomes easygoing with them. “A kind Peeta Mellark is far more dangerous to me than an unkind one. Kind people have a way of working their way inside me and rooting there,” (page 49). This proves that kind people have a way of rooting into her. Another important trait is that she is a survivor. She knows the way to get food to survive in any condition, like in the Hunger Games where she had to find food in the huge jungle while she was being hunted by other tributes. She also survived the Hunger Games using her skills and won, and in the process, saving a...
This theory from the French theorist, Helen Cixous, says that female authors cannot use man made language to obtain a point of view of a woman with out being objectified. Two central methods of the feminist theory criticism include, identifying with female character or female characters, and reassessing the piece of literature and the conditions in which the specific literature is read. The feminist theory suggest that women in literature were originally seen and displayed as objects from a male perspective. By identifying oneself with and relating to a lead female role model, the reader will challenge the male-centered outlook toward different characters. The Hunger Games incorporates this theory through the character Katniss Everdeen. Suzanne Collins wrote the trilogy with a strong female lead. Katniss portrays this feminism theory by having similar characteristics to a male protagonist. By providing a strong female lead, Suzanne Collins captured this theory of feminism in her trilogy The Hunger