12.1.2009
Something that I have noticed in a lot of our books is that the heroes are often immature and spoiled. And by heroes, i mean the men of the books. Not the women or heroines. Waverly and Caleb Williams especially are this way. They do whatever they want. when someone or something doesn’t go their way, they get really upset and act childish to get their way. as in waverly’s case, he switches sides so he can always be in the group in control, or whichever group will benefit him the most. They all like to be in control, and behave immaturely when they aren’t the “top dog”.
The heroines, however, are not this way. occasionally, the exhibit signs of a damsel in distress, but for the most part, they are strong characters that take care of the own problem in a logical way. Catherine, from Northanger Abbey, logically deals with Thorpe by ignoring him, and actively pursued Mr.Tilney (as activelyas was possible for women to do so in the early 1800s) . She is taking control of her life, or as much control as she can as a woman, unlike the heroes of our novels.
odegaard said,
December 12, 2009 at 12:22 am
I will agree with your statement, with the exception of Equiano. He at least knows that no one else is going to watch his back, and thus earns everything on his own.