Men still make up an uncomfortably large majority of published authors; Perhaps this, along with many other factors, contributes to the dearth of strong female characters in literature. But whatever the cause, the truth is always obvious: heroines have been woefully underrepresented throughout centuries of literary development. There are, however, certain female characters who are positive representations of women and their potential, old and new: notably Jane Eyre, from Charlotte Brontë's novel of the same name, and Hermione Granger, from JK Rowling's modern classic Harry Potter. The two heroines represent not only women seen as heroes within their own gender roles, but also women seen as heroes by one's standards. Despite their obvious similarities and success at the same goal, the disparity between the two characters and the worlds they come from shows how far women have progressed in literature today. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essay In much of classic literature, the main female characters who some might consider "heroes" are not real heroes at all. They are simply women doing exactly what women are supposed to do: fall in love, have children, run the house, and obey their husbands. Some of literature's most notable female characters fall into this category; for example, Penelope, Odysseus's wife in the Odyssey, may be considered strong and courageous, but in truth, Penelope is considered a heroine simply for remaining faithful to her husband during his long leave. Blind loyalty was supposed to be his saving grace in this monumental epic, his defining characteristic. She was unable to deal with the suitors on her own, so she simply remained loyal to Odysseus, and when he returned, all her problems were solved and she was able to live happily ever after. True heroes, men or women, should play a role in their own destiny; Penelope did no such thing. This same concept applies to Desdemona in Shakespeare's Othello; throughout the play, she was subordinate to her husband, doing what he asked, remaining faithful to him even though he treated her poorly. Despite the fact that he ultimately kills her, she is considered a hero because she ultimately forgave Othello. But is this what a true heroine should be? Completely submissive to the point that she forgives her husband for his fatal distrust? Even the supposed heroines that many young girls look up to today, the princesses of fairy tales, are considered heroes because they find the prince of their dreams in the end. Ariel from The Little Mermaid completely transforms to become an achievable love interest for Prince Eric, sacrificing her voice, the very essence of her being, to do so. Princess Aurora from Sleeping Beauty is completely at the mercy of a man who comes to kiss her and wake her from her century-old sleep. Are these literary heroines really worthy role models for women? Each of them fails to achieve anything more than what is expected of women, and none manage to break the constricting gender stereotypes that were so prevalent in their society. This situation becomes even more serious; often, major female characters are placed solely to serve as temptation for the work's true male heroes. In Sir Gawain and the Green Night, Sir Bertilak's wife is seen as so insignificantthat he is not even given his own name; rather, she is defined by her marriage to the lord, and her sole purpose is to tempt the bold and courageous Sir Gawain to renounce his virtue. In the Odyssey, Calypso is meant to do nothing but tempt weary male travelers to give up their goals and stay with her forever. Then, most notably, Helen of Troy in the Iliad is literally placed in the epic to serve as an object of lust, to tear the heroes apart in their desire to claim her for their own. It has no true essence; it is simply there to be coveted. This has been the case for many prominent literary women throughout history; very few manage to overcome this stereotype. These women may not be considered heroes, but they so often appear at the forefront of many stories. When women are not temptresses themselves, they are often portrayed as prone to temptation, unintelligent, stupid, and inferior to men, not only in societal status, but also in mental abilities. Perhaps the most famous example is the Abrahamic creation myth itself; the blame for the fall of humanity is placed solely on Eve, our very first heroine, for being too curious and easily tempted into devastating disobedience. This conveys an obvious message that the woman is responsible for the sin, the woman is responsible for the loss of paradise. But this representation of women does not stop at ancient stories; Ophelia in Shakespeare's Hamlet is described as being of such weak spirit that worry about whether Hamlet loves her or not drives her to complete madness, which ultimately causes her to commit suicide. And finally, Daisy Buchanan in The Great Gatsby is the embodiment of a fickle, superficial and scatterbrained woman, choosing wealth and security over passion. His madness in returning from New York causes Myrtle's death. This recurring stereotype, in which women are seen as careless and stupid, making all kinds of messes for men to clean up, does nothing for the image of women in literature or in real society. If these are the heroines we admire, we need to truly question our views. There are, however, a few select heroines who deserve our attention and praise, especially because they manage to break free from the stereotypical female mold and succeed. and prosperity through their own actions, rather than under the protection of a man. Such heroines are more and more numerous these days, but they also began to appear a few centuries ago. Jane Eyre, a 19th century heroine, and Hermione Granger, the newest bushy-haired best friend of the beloved Harry Potter, present illuminating images of strong female characters, past and present. There are key similarities between their two stories that illustrate why these two heroines are so positive. First, both received an education, which is considered common today but was unfortunately quite rare for women in the recent past. Much of the beginning of Jane Eyre takes place at Lowood, the school for orphaned girls where Jane was sent when she was ten and where she spent her life until the age of eighteen learning and finally to teach herself. Jane emerges from Lowood as a competent reader and writer, proficient in French, an excellent artist and musician and, above all, able to reason and think for herself. At Lowood, she learned that through her own efforts she can achieve success, something most women of her time never hadthe opportunity to live. Jane's appreciation for education extends even further into her life, when St. John offers her a position as principal of a school for poor children who would otherwise not receive an education. Education is obviously also an important part of Hermione Granger's life; his intelligence is one of his biggest defining characteristics throughout the book series. She is quick-witted, educated, logical, intelligent, and resourceful, and often her brains are her saving grace in life-threatening situations. The vast majority of her story takes place at Hogwarts, her school, where she excels in practically all subjects and thus far exceeds the others. The importance of education in the lives of these two women and how it shaped their growth plays a huge role in their success as heroines and conveys messages to readers detailing the unerring power of an educated woman . all hero stories are a struggle overcoming difficult family situations; although in markedly different ways, both Jane and Hermione are burdened by their family and lineage and forced to rise up and become self-reliant. Jane, of course, was an orphan and had to spend years in the care of an aunt who didn't love her, among cousins ​​who treated her badly. Once she was sent to school, Jane's aunt cut off all contact with her, leaving the girl alone - but she was better off in the long run because she learned to be independent, a necessary quality in some ways. measure in every hero. Hermione's situation is certainly a little different, but still leads to the same result. Her parents are loving and caring, yes, but because they are Muggles, she is different from them in many ways. Due to their non-magical blood, they could not be allowed to play a role in Hermione's new life; she had to make her way on her own, without much support from her family who, despite their good intentions, simply could not understand the struggles she faced in the wizarding world. Additionally, Hermione's family situation – being Muggle-born or Mudblood – has earned her all kinds of mistreatment from right-thinking purebloods, and given her a lot more to overcome than if she were she came from magical ancestry. This goes hand in hand with Jane's difficulties; as an orphan, she was always entirely at the mercy of her guardians. Although perhaps she would have done even better at another school where life wasn't as hard for students, as a young orphan girl, Lowood was one of her only options. An orphan with few financial means will never be able to have the same opportunities as a young girl from a wealthy family. Both heroines had to overcome the obstacles presented to them due to their family situations with little help, but as is the case with all heroes, they came out better; the independence and strength gained during these trials will prove invaluable assets as they face arduous tasks and perilous decisions later in their stories. To truly be considered progressive heroes, Jane and Hermione had to overcome the female stereotype of subordination to men, and that's exactly what the two did. Neither allows men to control it; the nature of both of their personalities prevents this from happening. At all times, Jane aspires to be Mr. Rochester's equal, and rather than becoming angry with her for this, Rochester admires her in her. When she refuses to be his hidden mistress and leaves him, she shows that she has no desireto be constantly at his mercy. Hermione, even if her two best friends are men, is very often the driving force behind this magnificent trio; When Harry and Ron are lost, not knowing what to do next, Hermione takes charge and leads them in the right direction. She never becomes a follower, swept up in the wake of Harry's fame and notoriety; On the other hand, Harry owes much of his success to his advice. Hermione and Jane make a point of being the architects of their own lives, rather than being controlled by a man; a woman cannot break free from conventional gender roles until this has been accomplished. As stated previously, authors place many female characters in literature solely for romantic purposes. Hermione and Jane, however, dispute this; While both face the tantalizing prospect of giving in to their emotions and allowing romance into their lives, they don't let this get in the way of their ultimate goals. Jane intends to live her life with integrity and freedom, and although she has always loved Mr. Rochester and the idea of ​​spending her life with him, she is aware that doing so and giving up her values ​​would be an error. Once she learns of her ex-wife, she can no longer bear living as his secret mistress and abandons both the comfort of her life in Thornfield and the man she loves to protect her freedom and preserve it. principles. Hermione clearly develops feelings for Ron as the series builds, but never acts on them because she knows she has a bigger purpose than a petty romance. The most notable representation of her strength and determination to put this love aside is when she chooses to stay with Harry in his hunt for horcruxes, rather than leaving with Ron whom she already loves as more than just a best friend. Hermione knows that at this moment, she is needed to help defeat Voldemort and ensure the longevity of wizards and muggles alike; she chooses that over romance at the moment, and rightfully so. The strength required to forgo love for duty in these two women is exemplary and admirable, and shows readers that women have a higher purpose in life than simply falling in love and getting married. The best heroines must make choices for the common good; if love is true, it will be there when they return. However, there are clear differences between Hermione Granger and Jane Eyre; the big difference in publication times may explain this. Regardless, these differences illustrate how far women have progressed in literature over the past few centuries. On the one hand, despite her strong demeanor and fierce determination, Jane's options are always limited to lifestyles achievable for a woman. After finishing her studies at Lowood, Jane has very few options: either continue teaching and perhaps become a school administrator, or take a job as a housekeeper or governess. She chooses the last option from a very sparse pool of choices, hoping to be able to experience something new and different. But this low professional availability represents what life was like for a woman in the 19th century, and Jane Eyre, although a heroine, is no exception. Hermione, however, knows from the first time she sets foot in Hogwarts Castle that the whole world will be open to her once she leaves school. She could work for the Ministry, become a professor at Hogwarts, work in Diagon Alley or Hogsmeade, start her own wizarding talk show, or even take a job in the Muggle world, for which she would be well prepared due to his early upbringing. In this.