Analyzing Women’s Strength in Fiction: Mental Strength in Webtoons

1. Yuri So, My Boo:

Subcategory: emotional

Yuri was born with the ability to see ghosts, but due to an incident in her childhood, she tends to avoid them. But when the home she moves into has a ghost named Jun already residing in it, she can’t exactly ignore him. Since he’s been alone for a long time, she has to learn to open herself up emotionally again. This is hard, as she has spent the majority of her life keeping her emotions bottled up. But as she grows closer to Jun and eventually falls in love with him, she becomes kinder and more open to experiences. She also finds determination she never knew she had. Yuri’s character journey from a broken, sad woman into someone more confident and stable is beautiful and bittersweet to see.

2. Teo Rakan, Kubera:

Subcategory: physical

Teo is a quarter (someone of Sura heritage) and the Chaos priestess. She’s one of the highest ranked magicians out there, but is also kind hearted; she gained an A+ ranking just so she could sponsor more halfs (Half Sura). Even though she seems merely kind hearted at first (taking in Gandharva, a Sura disguised in a human form) when it seemed he had nowhere else to go, she’s remarkably astute. She knows there’s something off about the mysterious guest staying at her home, and she’s determined to find out what. Teo is also very confident and frank, and tends to speak her mind.

3. Jane, Winter Woods:

Subcategory: emotional

Jane has always wanted to be a writer. She just hasn’t had much luck getting published. So when she meets a mysterious man who needs her help, she thinks she’s found her dream story. Little does she know that their meeting wasn’t a coincidence; it was planned by scientists, especially by one of her “friends”. He’s the creation of an alchemist, and isnkt even human. Soon, Jane begins to see the man (who she has now called Winter Woods) as more than a story, and she begins to help him become human. Jane has to cope with a lot of stress already, as even before these events, she was losing faith and hope in her dreams. Taking care of Winter only adds to her stress. And yet she not only copes, she truly enjoys and cares for him.

L4. Go-Eun Ma, Jack the American Ghost:

Subcategory: emotional

Go-Eun and her father own a haunted house at an amusement park. So when they’re threatened with the house being shut down, she goes to the Dunn Rose mansion, the house of the famed singer Jack Bland that is so haunted, you get a million dollars if you last two weeks there. Go-Eun is also known as the woman who’s even scarier than that haunted house, as she had a traumatic incident in her past that left her emotions incredibly repressed. Because of her repressed emotions, she’s also able to keep a cool head and remains logical and analytical, one of the few guests who rarely, if ever becomes frightened. However, once she learns the truth about the mansion and Jack Bland, she reveals a kind heart and determination.

5. Shin Ae Yoo, I Love Yoo:

Subcategory: emotional

Shin Ae is a cleverly deceptive character. At first, she seems like the usual loud-mouth, snarky main character with a hidden heart of gold. But she also has her own problems. Her parents divorced when she was young, separating her from her sister. Then she had a horrible experience in middle school that left her with only two friends. To top it off, her dad can’t make enough money and is likely an alcoholic, leaving them in a state of poverty. The fact that she can remain strong while saving what little money they have and job-hunting says enough. Also, the peeks we get into her mind and feelings are very psychological and interesting, and are often much too painfully relatable. She has more strength than she appears.

Next time, I’ll begin analyzing emotional strength!

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