My Top 5 Influential Women in Fiction - Number 2

Number two goes to Katniss Everdeen from The Hunger Games Trilogy. Created by Suzanne Collins, Katniss Everdeen is inspirational to a whole generation of young adults. Partially based on the greek myth, Theseus and the Minotaur, this fantasy book sparks the imagination in a way that few books can. 

Published in 2008, The Hunger Games Trilogy covers three books, The Hunger Games, Catching Fire and Mockingjay. They are set in a post-apocalyptic world in a country called Panem. Panem is split into twelve districts, each named by an according number. Katniss and her family live in District 12, a poor, coal-mining district, ruined with starvation and poverty. 

I didn't read any of the books until 2012, when I read all three in around two weeks. I just couldn't stop reading. The idea behind the actual Hunger Games, which take place annually within Panem, is just brilliant. There are two 'tributes' per district, and all 24 'tributes' fight to the death in an arena, with only one winner. The Hunger Games are aired on TV for all of the districts to watch, for their entertainment, and as a harsh reminder for them to follow the rules of Panem and not to rebel. I was absorbed into this fictional world where literally, anything could happen. 

Katniss lives with her mother and her little sister, Prim. Katniss and Prim's relationship shows the first powerful characteristic of Katniss, her nurturing and protective side. Katniss loves her sister, and will do anything to provide for her and ensure that she is safe. She hunts on a daily basis to ensure that they eat, and when Prim is picked as the female tribute for the Hunger Games, Katniss volunteers in her place. This protectiveness shows Katniss' loyalty and love to her sister. This is also portrayed through her relationship with Rue in the arena. Rue reminds Katniss of Prim, and I think this is the one and only reason their friendship even starts. 

Throughout the book, Collins portrays Katniss' resourcefulness. She's a hunter, she's a provider, she's a quick-thinker, and above all, she's a fighter. There are very few moments in the book where Katniss appears to give up, and even when she gets to that point, something inside her pulls her back to reality, and to her focused self. She has lived a life of survival; surviving in District 12 to surviving in the Hunger Games. This makes Katniss quite tough, she isn't sentimental about much, she's a closed book. I don't think it's clear to any other characters, or the reader, what Katniss is thinking at any point during the book. But I don't think this makes her unlikeable, like some have suggested, it just makes her a bit more of a mystery than other heroines may be. 

The closed side of her is also shown when she is plunged into the celebrity world of The Capitol. Prior to the Hunger Games starting, each tribute is made up, dressed, displayed and interviewed in front of all 12 districts. This is hard for Katniss as she's quite a private person, she's not a talker or a sharer, so to be interviewed about her personality, her feelings, her family and her love interests make her feel incredibly uncomfortable. It's at these moments that we quite often see the funny side of Katniss, she uses her sense of humour as a shield, to protect her from having to actually share her secrets. 

Although cliche, I think Katniss is one of those characters that everybody can relate to. She's a great example for girls to aspire to (and women if I'm anything to go by)...apart from the romantic side of her. Katniss' strength and control in all areas of her life make it difficult for her to show her true self. The only person that really knows her is Gale, her hunting partner and long-term friend. They share a few moments prior to Katniss going into the arena, but it seems like she forgets about him when she goes into the Hunger Games and creates a 'show-mance' with Peeta. Although this was directed by Haymitch, their sponsor on the outside of the arena, Peeta does actually fall for Katniss, and the way I saw it, she kind of led him on! So, there's a side of the strong, protective fighter that isn't so perfect, but that can only make her more relate-able. 

This is one of the few books where I actually enjoyed watching the film too. The film was almost as absorbing as the books were, and Jennifer Lawrence portrayed Katniss faultlessly. Katniss has definitely influenced mine, and many other young womens' lives. I have no doubt that The Hunger Games Trilogy will become a must-have shelf filler for many more generations. 

My Top 5 Influential Women in Fiction - Number 3

Number three goes to Jo March from Little Women. The novel was written by Louisa May Alcott in 1868, outlining the every day lives of four sisters, Meg, Jo, Beth and Amy, as their father fights in the civil war. A highly anticipated first novel for Louisa, it was followed closely by her second novel and it's sequel, Good Wives, in 1869.

I haven't mentioned this book in my blog before, and it was only when I was putting together this countdown that I realised that. I was surprised as this book was such a massive part of my childhood. As a child, I was overly chatty, clumsy, and slightly over-confident for my age. I was never quiet when I was supposed to be, unless I had my head stuck in a book, and I always made sure that I shared my opinions. If you've read Little Women, you're probably beginning to understand why I related to Jo, out of the four sisters, in particular. 

Jo is the second child out of the four, she's a tomboy, she thinks she knows best, she's opinionated, but she's happy, nothing gets her down. I am fond of Jo because of her ambition. In the time the book is set, women did 'women's jobs', they weren't meant to write novels or fight in the army, but Jo didn't care that she wasn't meant to, she still wanted to. Although whilst growing up she was never specific about what she wanted to do, she always wanted to do something 'great', and low and behold, she went on to have a novel published. 

Jo has a strong relationship with her sister, Beth. Beth is shy, gentle and kind, and their relationship works because they are complete opposites. Beth reminds Jo of the qualities that don't come naturally to her, yet she also helps her to become more comfortable in her own skin. Their relationship was the one that I enjoyed most throughout the novel, the one that I felt was the deepest and the most genuine. 

Jo's character was actually based on Louisa May Alcott herself. Louisa never married, but through pressure from her publishers, she was steered into providing Jo with a romance. This wasn't something she had originally planned for Jo, so in order to play with the publishers, and her readers, she didn't give Jo the romance that everybody was expecting - Laurie - she married her off to a secondary character, Mr Bhaer. Although I'm amused by Louisa not giving into expectations here, I was never a fan of this coupling. Jo should have married Laurie, they were a perfect match, contrasting yet so similar at the same time. And Laurie and Amy were never a believable pair. 

That small hiccup aside, this story truly is a classic. For me, Jo made the book, without her it just wouldn't have had the personality, the longevity or the punch that it did. 

My Top 5 Influential Women in Fiction - Number 4

Number four in My Top Five Influential Women in Fiction goes to Jean Louise Finch, or Scout, from To Kill A Mockingbird. Written by the amazing Harper Lee, and up until recently, her only published novel, To Kill A Mockingbird is a story that truly analyses the irony of human kind and the differences between good and evil.

I first read the novel during secondary school, maybe my fourth or fifth year. It’s one of the few novels where I actually watched the film before I read the book, something which I tend to avoid due to the use of ‘poetic license’ in a film production. However, in this instance, the film was actually quite true to the book. After the film viewing, I read the book over and over, and I fell in love with Scout as a character. I wanted to be as intelligent and as confident as her; I understood her view of the world and how contradictory it was; and I really enjoyed reading about the relationship she shared with her father and brother.

Set in the fictional town of Maycomb, Alabama, the story revolves around lawyer, Atticus Finch, and his family as he defends a black man for raping a white woman, in a predominantly racist town.

At the beginning of the story, Scout is just five years old. I was drawn to her character because she's such a unique little girl, she’s a fighter, she’s bright beyond her years and she is much more aware of what is going on around her than a normal five year old would be. She’s growing up in a time when children should be children, and girls should be ladylike, neither of which she cares to be. She speaks her mind and due to how Atticus’ has brought her up, she is forthright but good-hearted.

The story is narrated by Jean Louise Finch, or Scout as an adult. This was a clever move from Harper Lee; as well as getting the innocence of Scout and the genuine lack of understanding a five year old has, she also conveys the knowledge of the older Jean Louise, who has a different view of her father than the younger Scout. For example, Jean Louise is in awe that her father orchestrated Scout overhearing his conversation with Uncle Jack about the case and the repercussions on the family, and on Atticus, in order to prepare her for what was coming.

The story takes place over three years, and Scout grows up a lot and learns a lot of lessons between the ages of five and eight. The main lesson is how to walk in somebody else’s shoes, something which Atticus begins to teach her very early in the story, but she doesn’t truly understand until the end, when she is able to put herself in Boo Radley’s shoes. (Boo Radley was Scout’s neighbour, an avid curiosity of hers due to his speculated disability and the fact he doesn’t ever come outside). The ending of the book where she explains to Atticus why she thinks Boo was right to kill Bob Ewell, and ultimately save the children’s lives, shows how she has matured through the book and has developed a clearer understanding of right and wrong, and good and evil.

An analysis of the themes within To Kill a Mockingbird is another blog post, however, Scout’s character helps to convey those themes in such a way that the reader can’t help but to develop an affinity with her.

My Top 5 Influential Women in Fiction - Number 5

Number five in My Top 5 Influential Women in Fiction has to be 'Celie' from The Color Purple. It's very rare that a character grows so much through a novel; the change from passive, quiet and submissive young Celie to strong, independent and mindful older Celie really is a powerful journey. 

I first read The Color Purple during my A Levels. It was one of those books that took a while for me to really enjoy, but once I got there, I couldn't put it down. I particularly enjoyed the format of the book; the story is written through Celie's letters to God, a God to whom she doesn't actually feel particularly close to. 

The novel begins with Celie as a young girl in rural Georgia in the 1930's. She is constantly subjected to abuse at the hands of her step-father, Alphonso. She deals with this by doing all she can to make herself 'invisible'.

Her only form of expression are her letters; the early letters see Celie talk about her abuse, her relationship with her younger sister, Nettie, and the two children which her step-father took away from her at birth. She now presumes them dead. All of these things are hard for Celie to cope with, and her tone is saddened and self-deprecating. 

Before long, Celie is 'married off' to a man she only knows as Mr.______. He only married her so she could keep his house clean and cook for him, and, like Celie's step-father, he also abuses her. In Celie's eyes, the only good thing about the marriage was that she was able to remove Nettie from her step-father's house and protect her. Unfortunately, Mr.______ throws Nettie out of the house when she refuses his advances. Celie and Nettie promise to write to one another, but Celie doesn't hear from Nettie anymore.

Feeling alone, Celie feels that she doesn't have much to live for. And then she is introduced to Mr._____'s mistress, Shug Avery. Shug Avery is a beautiful and seemingly empowered character, Celie sees her as a role model and wants to be like her. 

Without the introduction of Shug, Celie wouldn't have had the opportunity to develop as a character in the way she did. Shug helps Celie to find her confidence and she begins to stand up to Mr._____ more than she has ever done before. With Shug's help, Celie discovers that Nettie's letters are hidden in Mr______'s trunk. Within Nettie's letters, she tells Celie that her step-father has died and that she has found her two children, Olivia and Adam, and she's with them in Africa, conducting aid work. This discovery, along with the letters, helps Celie to find her sense of self, build her confidence, and the process culminates in her becoming enraged at Mr.______. His response is his usual insulting manner, but they no longer affect Celie in the way that they used to. This turning point in the book is pivotal to Celie's character, she finds her voice and her power, and begins to get to know her own mind. 

Celie and Shug leave Mr.______'s house in Georgia and move to Memphis together. This decision changes Celie's life and transforms her into a happy, successful and independent woman. She starts up her own tailoring business, and after being voiceless for such a long time, is soon a contented individual who doesn't have to rely on anybody else.

Hers and Shug's relationship dissolves into a friendship, but a firm friendship. Shug will always be the person who pulled Celie from the depths of herself. Celie soon discovers that the family home back in Georgia was actually left to her and Nettie when their Mother died many years before, so she heads back to Georgia to prepare the house for Nettie's impending return, which will also bring Celie's children home.

Nettie, Olivia and Adam return to Georgia from their aid work in Africa, and Celie's life is finally complete, along with the growth of her character from the meek and scared young child who is abused so much that she wants to make herself invisible, to the strong, self-assured old woman at the end of the book. 

The novel ends with the lines: 

"But I don't think us feel old at all. And us so happy. Matter of fact, I think this the youngest us ever felt. Amen."

This in itself shows the full circle of the characters journey, she started as a young girl with the weight of the world on her shoulders, and ended as an old lady, with no worries at all. 

A Nod to World Book Day - An Early Memory of Books

To honour World Book Day today, I am going to share with you one of my earliest memories of books. The protagonist book in my story is When We Were Very Young by A A Milne. 

I was never a fan of Winnie the Pooh. Even now, whilst reading aloud to my daughter, I feel like there are too many words to get out in one breath and the sentences don't flow in the way they ought to. At the age of three, I didn't even know that Winnie the Pooh existed, nor that A A Milne was the author of the book I wanted to read. 

There were certain days of the week that I would spend the mornings with my Grandma, whilst my parents went to work and my sister went to school. I used to enjoy those days because it was mostly just me and her, I would help her clean the house and I'd play in the garden whilst she'd make lunch for my Grandad.

This particular day, I had got hold of this book, When We Were Very Young. It was quite a thick book; it had a pale blue cover with Christopher Robin in a white square in the middle. I was only three, so I couldn't read it myself, so I kept asking my Grandma to read it to me. As an adult, I can see that I was probably being rather irritating, I wasn't asking her when she was sat not doing anything, I was asking her when she was in the kitchen buttering bread or getting the hoover out. 

After what seemed like hours to my little brain, but was probably around twenty minutes, my Grandma sat down with me and started to read the book. 'Changing Guard at Buckingham Palace' was the second poem in the book, and as soon as she read it in her singsong way, I fell in love with it. I asked her to read it again, and every time she got to the end of a verse, I chimed in with, "Said Alice!". 

For a good while after this first read, every time she looked after me I would ask her to read the same poem to me, and she always would. It soon became our trademark poem, or song (we used to sing it more than say it).

One conversation I remember quite clearly about this poem was how confused I was by the pictures. I was sure the child in the pictures was a little girl, and I was sure that the little girl was Alice. I didn't understand why the little girl, Alice, was marrying a soldier...maybe she just really liked that soldier? I concluded. And where was Christopher Robin?

From the mind of three year old me, here's the poem, the song, one of the first memories I have of loving a book. If you get the chance, search for a version of the song so you can hear the rhythm, it'll stay with you for years...I can't stop singing it now...

They're changing guard at Buckingham Palace

Christopher Robin went down with Alice. 

Alice is marrying one of the guard. 

"A soldier's life is terrible hard," 

Says Alice. 

They're changing guard at Buckingham Palace

Christopher Robin went down with Alice. 

We saw a guard in a sentry-box. 

"One of the sergeants looks after their socks," 

Says Alice. 

They're changing guard at Buckingham Palace 

Christopher Robin went down with Alice. 

We looked for the King, but he never came. 

"Well, God take care of him, all the same,"

Says Alice. 

They're changing guard at Buckingham Palace 

Christopher Robin went down with Alice. 

They've great big parties inside the grounds. 

"I wouldn't be King for a hundred pounds," 

Says Alice. 

They're changing guard at Buckingham Palace 

Christopher Robin went down with Alice. 

A face looked out, but it wasn't the King's. 

"He's much too busy a-signing things," 

Says Alice. 

They're changing guard at Buckingham Palace 

Christopher Robin went down with Alice. 

"Do you think the King knows all about me?" 

"Sure to, dear, but it's time for tea," 

Says Alice.