Heroine Addict
Following my entry about Ginny and Bella, I got to thinking about the other major heroines in youth fiction. Well, some youth fiction. Well, mostly Harry Potter, Twilight and Buffy The Vampire Slayer. (I also originally contemplated Charmed and Xena, but they are a little older than the majority of youth fiction heroines)
So – Bella, Hermione, Ginny, Luna, Buffy, Willow and Dawn.
(And yes, I possibly need a life)
Name : Bella Swan
Series : Twilight
Age : 17/18
Appearances : Four Books, Three Films
General Description : Viewed as mopey and whiny by most people, but actually a very brave woman, willing to stand up for what she wants and for what she knows is right. And while she mostly talks in purple prose and expresses her thoughts in somewhat overly-angsty language, she is only 17, and – despite evidence provided by Dawson’s Creek, very few 17 year olds are well adjusted geniuses who express themselves like poets.
High Point : The Battle of Forks, standing up to the assembled might of The Volturi despite being a newborn. Despite knowing she, and her entire family, would be slaughtered without mercy, she didn’t consider backing down.
Low Point : The three months (or so) following Edward’s abandonment. While her reaction to Edward’s departure was understandable, she could have handled it a little better.
Special Citation : Her devotion to Edward despite all the trials that beset them.
Overall Notes : Bella Swan gets a very bad rap from most of the on line community, especially the Harry Potter fandom. But if you actually read the stories, and put her actions in to the context of the saga (as opposed to taking them out of the saga and comparing them to other heroines in similar genres), she is one of the bravest heroines in current stories, and one of the better role models.
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Name : Hermione Granger
Series : Harry Potter
Age : 11 – 18
Appearances : Seven Books, Eight Films
General Description : A remarkably smart young woman who – despite some overly-dramatic tendencies during her sixth year – stayed mostly loyal to her friends. During her early years, she had a slavish addiction to rules, and to obeying authority figures which caused some problems, but this was gradually broken, almost vanishing by the end of the sixth year.
High Point : Staying with Harry after Ron left them during their seventh year, going with The Ministry Six to rescue Sirius.
Low Point : Some people might pick her apparently hormone addled sixth year, where she spent most of the time drooling over Ron, but I would say her actions in the third year over the Firebolt and Crookshanks. Even though she was mostly proven right in both cases, it was not her finest hour.
Special Citation : I want to say punching Draco in Prisoner of Azkaban, but her persistent loyalty to her friends, esp Harry, is worth noting more than once.
Overall Notes : A strong willed young lady who, despite being smarter than her best friend, never abandons him when he needs her most. And while she does succumb to the problem of growing up (and all the hormones and mood swings that that entails) her loyalty to her friends and to the side of light is unquestionable and makes her another candidate for being one of the better role models in fiction today.
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Name : Ginny Weasley
Series : Harry Potter
Age : 10 – 17
Appearances : Seven books, Eight Films
General Description : A somewhat flighty young woman who, when she is younger, seems to be somewhat self-centred. And, while she does grow out of this a little as she gets older, the tendency to think of her self first and foremost does continue to be a major part of her life, at least until she leaves school. This manifests itself in the various boyfriends she has, her actions during her first year (Riddle’s diary) and various other incidents.
High Point : Duelling Bellatrix in the Final Battle.
Low Point : Her first year – writing in a diary that was clearly not right, and almost bringing about the death of every student in Hogwarts.
Special Citation : Her actions during her sixth year – when Hogwarts was under occupation, especially her willingness to fight in the Final Battle, against her parents collective will. (Though this does possibly support the self-centred theory – does she want to fight to make her own name, so she can be as famous as her would-be paramour? Or does she want to fight to stop the darkness?)
Overall Notes : While she does have her moments, Ginny is not all that impressive as a heroine, both in and of herself and when compared to others. She seems to spend more time obsessing over her own life, and over boys, than helping her friends with their war. Her actions in the last book do make up for this a little, but overall she is one of the least impressive heroines.
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Name : Luna Lovegood
Series : Harry Potter
Age : 14 – 17
Appearances : Three books, Four Films
General Description : At first glance, Luna is incredibly unfocused and appears not to be all there. However, once you look more deeply, she is one of, if not the most, loyal of Harry’s friends, willing to support him, help him and stand up for him no matter what. Even after she is kidnapped and rescued, she isn’t frightened off, and she takes part in the Final Battle, even going so far as to duel Bellatrix.
High Point : The Final Battle
Low Point : I honestly can not think of one.
Special Citation : Slughorn’s Christmas Party, her Quidditch Commentary and the Ravenclaw Common Room during the Final Battle
Overall Notes : Teased, bullied, mocked and belittled, Luna doesn’t let anything bother her for overly long, and she always come back ready to fight, to work and to help. And while she is not the best or the brightest, she is one of the bravest. She has a lot of characteristics that make her worthy of being a role model, however anyone replicating her unfocused and distracted nature are probably opening themselves up to being similarly teased, bullied, mocked and belittled.
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Name : Buffy Summers
Series : Buffy, The Vampire Slayer
Age : 16 – 22
Appearances : Seven TV Series, One Comic Book Series
General Description : Although she is picked by destiny to be The Chosen One, Buffy shows a devotion to this cause that outstrips a simple moral duty. She repeatedly puts her life on the line to save the world, and while she occasionally complains about it, she is still willing to go back and do it again. She stands by her friends, even when they don’t stand by her, and staunchly stands by her sister, even when her sister isn’t real.
High Point : There are quite a lot of hig
h points, but staging the fight against The Mayor was pretty impressive.
Low Point : Walking out on Angel and Giles during Prophecy Girl, leading to a few deaths, and more or less the whole of Series 6.
Special Citation : Stopping Glory without sacrificing her sister.
Overall Notes : She stands up for what she believes in, she is not willing to give up against the odds, she is willing to do what must be done, no matter the personal cost. All in all, an excellent heroine for modern times.
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Name : Willow Rosenberg
Series : Buffy, The Vampire Slayer
Age : 16 – 22
Appearances : Seven TV Series, One Comic Book Series
General Description : Grows from a remarkably shy young girl to a confident young woman who is one of the most powerful in the group, if not the world. And while she has a few bumps along the way, she is loyal to her friends and to what she considers to be her duty and destiny. She is also one of the more prominent gay characters in teen fiction, and handles it pretty well.
High Point : The ritual to bring Buffy back at the start of Series 6.
Low Point : The addiction to dark magic that nearly killed her and Dawn.
Special Citation : Her brave, if somewhat ill-fated, attempt to stand up to Glory after Tara is attacked.
Overall Notes : Despite not being the eponymous Heroine, Willow’s growth over the series is very impressive, and (magic/drug period aside) her loyalty to Buffy, her devotion to the cause and her love for both Tara and Kennedy are all things that make her someone with emulating.
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Name : Dawn Summers
Series : Buffy, The Vampire Slayer
Age : 14 – 16
Appearances : Three TV Series, One Comic Book Series
General Description : Considered by quite a large majority of the fandom to be the “Bella Swan” of Sunnydale. And, to be fair, for most of the first two series she appears in, she is a lot like people consider Bella to be – whiny and self-involved. However, she does get better as the last series progresses, from saving the three kids in the school to fighting in the final battle, and learns to be a fairly important part of the group.
High Point : Taking Giles’ place as the group’s watcher.
Low Point : Her excessively whiny period in the middle of Series 6
Special Citation : Standing up to Glory after she learns her true nature
Overall Notes : Grows in to a very impressive young woman, despite her somewhat unorthodox entry in to the world. And while she does have a fairly long whiny period, she is a teenager who is growing up and learning she isn’t actually real, so it’s a fair reaction. Overall, she is a good model for a heroine, up there with Hermione, Bella and her older sister.
I was going to have a go at rating them, but honestly, I thought that might be a step too far 🙂