Analyzing Three Types of Strength in Women in Fiction: Physical Strength in Books

I’ve been reading a lot of articles lately on what makes strong women, and noticed that many of them noted women who were physically above average. But then I thought about how many female characters I personally admire wouldn’t do so well in a fight. And then I wondered; what makes these characters, who probably wouldn’t be able to beat someone up, so likeable? Are they strong? I have nothing against physically strong women; in fact, I find them admirable and they help motivate me to become healthier and stronger. I came up with the idea that there are three types of strength: physical, emotional, and mental.

This week I’m covering notable female characters in books who are physically strong, how they differ from each other, and how well-liked they are. Why the last one? Simply because I want to see what type of strength the public likes the best, and figure out why. Yes, I want to look at the kinds of women people tend to gravitate towards. I will compare and contrast five female characters from books, and soon, movies, TV, and Webtoons. Also, there will be a subcategory of their second type of strength; they aren’t just physically strong, after all!

Books:

Honorable mention: Cecily Herondale, Clockwork Princess

1. Maximum Ride, Maximum Ride series:

Subcategory: mental strength

Max is a leader who never backs down from a fight. She can analyze battlefield situations and direct her flock well. She is stronger than most adults, and of course, she can fly. Max is a mixed review kind of character: several readers seem to like her sarcasm and fighting skills, but others find her rather irritating, and say she doesn’t do well with emotion. I find both sides to be true; she’s a brilliant fighter, and her sarcasm is fun, but sometimes it’s overdone to the point of being annoying, and I have to admit she’s rather blind to emotions, whether it be her own or the flock’s.
2. Evaline Stoker, Stoker and Holmes series:

Subcategory: emotional strength

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Evaline comes from one of the most underrated book series I’ve read. She is a vampire hunter, or Venator, in an alternate 1800s England. She must cope with Society and the low expectations it places on women. Yet she proves to be an exceptional hunter who learns from her mistakes. She is impulsive, and doesn’t always think before she acts. She’s loyal, and despite being very emotional, can put them aside during one of the hardest vampire slayings of her life. Evaline has mixed reviews, as well  : some commend her for her heart and bravery, but others find her impulsiveness bothersome. I personally like her a lot; she develops well, and learns from the mistakes she makes without thinking.

3. Katniss Everdeen, The Hunger Games series:

Subcategory: mental strength

Easily the most well known name on this list, Katniss is flawed and well written. She is incredibly human. She is a brilliant archer, but that is not the only way she’s physically strong; no matter how injured she is, she always forces herself forward, and no bodily injury will break her. Of course, the best proof of her physical strength is that she won the Hunger Games. Katniss has many fans, but many haters. Many people applaud her for her talent and being a far cry from perfect, but others say she doesn’t have much of a personality and is rather selfish. I think Katniss has a personality; selfish and protective, loyal yet desperate. I also like the fact that Suzanne Collins tackled mental illness with her.

4. Tris Prior, Divergent series:

Subcategory: mental strength

I almost put Tris in the mental strength article I have planned in the future due to her strong convictions in her beliefs, but I decided on physical strength. I mean, she survived Dauntless initiation. That’s not for everyone. But Tris went from merely having the potential to survive Dauntless, to being capable and tough, as well as finding out that the factions have more in common than she thought. Some dislike her for her originally prejudiced views, especially against the factionless, while others like her for development. I think both reasons make her an interesting character; after all, while Abnegation wanted to help the factionless, her society as a whole was rather prejudiced against them. To me, her development is interesting, and makes the books stronger.

5. Reyna Avila Ramirez Arellano, Heroes of Olympus series:

Subcategory: mental strength

Link: Rickriordan.com

What! Some of you are probably thinking. What about Annabeth? Thalia? Relax. I’ll explain. First off, Reyna is a Roman, which is much more brutal than Greek. And then comes one of her most interesting abilities; the power to lend strength to others. First, you have to already have a huge amount of are strength available to do that. And second, it must be so draining to have that ability, yet it appears Reyna used it whenever the Romans went to battle. And there are a lot of Romans, and Reyna always joined the fight. At first, not many people liked Reyna; they found her stiff, and personally, I don’t think they liked the fact that she had liked Jason, and then later Percy. But as her character developed and changed, I don’t understand why some people never warmed up to her. Her main source of strength is physical, but she has shown to have strength in all thre areas, while still being very human.

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