The Portrayal of Female Characters in Literature Essay Example

📌Category: Literature
📌Words: 997
📌Pages: 4
📌Published: 10 April 2022

Although most literature uses female characters, society's views during the time period greatly affects how characters are used and portrayed. Over time society's views of women have shifted from being misogynistic and derogatory to efforts at equality. Although we still have far to go before we see true equality, it is interesting to look at how female characters have changed and the effects society has on them. Through an analysis of the archetypes in The Odyssey, Wolf by Wolf, and The Little Mermaid, we can see how female archetypes have changed over time, which reveals how women are gradually gaining more independence and are able to assert their power in society.

Female characters have changed greatly throughout the years. The Odyssey is a great example of female roles from early literature. During the many years Odysseus was traveling across the sea, a generous number of suitors gathered to replace him. Some of Odysseus' servants had relations with these suitors and it is unknown whether or not it was consensual. When he discovered this upon his return, he sent his son, Telemachus, to kill them. Before doing so, Telemachus told them, “I would not give the clean death of a beast to trulls who made a mockery of my mother and of me too-you [traitors], who lay with suitors”(Homer.22.514-516). The irony of this situation is for seven years Odysseus himself cheated on Penelope, yet he is still viewed as a hero. Why is Odysseus praised yet servants belittled for the same thing? Back when The Odyssey took place as well as when it was written, women were thought to be housewives and in charge of the cleaning and cooking. Society at the time would shame women for the littlest things, sometimes things they were commanded to do. This reflects the role women play in The Odyssey almost identically, but as society progresses we are still faced with misogynistic books and movies.

In The Little Mermaid, the protagonist, Ariel, falls for the prince. As Ariel is a mermaid, she is unable to interact with him. The antagonist, Ursula, uses this to her advantage and offers to make Ariel human for 3 days, if by then the prince doesn’t kiss her, she will be Ursula’s servant for the rest of eternity. To pay for her service, Ursula asks for Ariel’s voice. When Ariel questions how she is supposed to kiss the prince without her voice, Ursula sings “You'll have your looks, your pretty face. And don't underestimate the importance of body language, ha! The men up there don't like a lot of blabber. They think a girl who gossips is a bore! Yet on land it's much prefered for ladies not to say a word and after all dear, what is idle babble for? Come on, they're not all that impressed with conversation. True gentlemen avoid it when they can but they dote and swoon and fawn on a lady who's withdrawn. It's she who holds her tongue who gets a man”(The Little Mermaid). Even with this movie being released in 1989, centuries after The Odyssey, we still see similar types of misogyny. We are exposed to Urula’s internalized misogyny as she is telling Ariel how to be with Eric. Ursula talks about holding your tongue when with a man, which brings back the idea that women are supposed to do as a man says to please him. She upholds society's expectation for women to be beautiful when she tells Ariel she only needs her looks and body to win over the prince. Even thirty years ago film and literature used female characters as servants or prizes for men, just as they did in the 1600s.

Wolf by Wolf is a great representation of how much women's roles in literature have changed as well as how far they still need to go. As the protagonist, Yael, was getting ready for the final race, she was approached by a young girl. Yael was disguised as Adele, a famous racer, so the girl assumed that is who she was speaking to. The girl told Yael, “I watched you race last year. You rode very well. Better than the boys. It made me glad. It gave me… Hope. hope that I, too, could race, even though I am a girl”(Graudin 323). Even though the protagonist of this story is a strong, independent woman, we still see the struggles she and the other females face. The girl, Ryoko, talks about how she feels because she is a girl, she will not be able to race. The idea that women are limited with what they can accomplish can be seen in modern day society. This book, written in 2016, portrays accurate challenges women face. Not only does Ryoko talk feeling held back because of her gender, she also displays the idea of men being the standard with the line “You rode very well. Better than the boys”(Graudin 323). Though the comment is meant as a lighthearted complement, it reinforces the belief that men control the expectations of society. 

Even though The Odyssey, Wolf by Wolf, and The Little Mermaid are ultimately unrealistic and very different plot-wise, they have many similarities that reflect society's values and beliefs. All three texts contain a form of misogyny. The oldest, The Odyssey, has the most and the most recent, Wolf by Wolf, the least. This overall reflects how society has progressed, as well as demonstrating how values and beliefs are reflected in literature. Fiction texts are more realistic than we often believe. They allow us to understand and identify the flawed beliefs of society as well as calling attention to the effect society's expectations have on women. As seen in The Little Mermaid, society’s beauty standards have caused women to have the mentality that only beautiful women get the guy. Society’s idea that women have to like ‘girly’ things and can’t be athletic or strong is demonstrated in Wolf by Wolf, this ideology causes women, in the real world as well as literature, to feel held back or pressured to participate in activities they don't enjoy. Overall society’s standards for the ‘perfect woman’ have caused many women to lose their sense of individuality and negatively affects the mental health of those who don’t necessarily fit the expectations of society. Although society has come so far since The Odyssey, looking at Wolf by Wolf  has shown how far we still have to go before women can truly feel accepted and appreciated.

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