Female Literary Characters

This week is "Love of Reading Week" at our school...complete with dress-up days!  Today, many students dressed up as their favorite literary characters.  We had lots of Pinkalicious, Tinkerbell, Alice in Wonderland, characters from "Diary of a Wimpy Kid", Jedi Knights, Harry Potter and many others in children's literature of which I am not familiar.  Had I given it more thought, I probably would've dressed up as Katniss Everdeen...if I had Cinna as my stylist to dress me up in his genious costumes!  Seriously though, her character in Suzanne Collin's "Hunger Games" rocks! I think many of us can relate to her in some ways.

Another favorite of mine is J.R.R Tolkien's Eowyn.  I still remember when I first read the part in "Return of the King" when (so-called) Dernhelm faces the Nazgul in the Battle of the Pelennor Fields in defense of the fallen King:

"Begone, foul dwimmerlairk, lord of carrion! Leave the dead in peace!"
"Come not between the Nazgul and his prey!"...
A sword rang as it was drawn. "Do what you will; but I will hinder it, if I may"
"Hinder me? Thou fool. No living man may hinder me!"
...Dernhelm laughed, and the clear voice was like the ring of steel...
"But no living man am I! You look upon a woman. Eowyn I am, Eomund's daughter.  You stand between me and my lord and kin. Begone, if you be not deathless! For living or dark undead, I will smite you, if you touch him."
...The helm of her secrecy had fallen from her, and her bright hair, released from its bonds, gleamed with pale gold upon her shoulders.  Her eyes grey as the sea were hard and fell, and yet tears were on her cheek.  A sword was in her hand, and she raised her shield against the horror of her enemy's eyes...A swift stroke she dealt, skilled and deadly.  The oustretched neck she  clove assunder, and the hewn head fell like a stone.

Loved this!  Not just because I was totally suprised...but also because I think it is one of the greatest and honorable moments for women in the history of literature. Tolkien is the man!

So there you have it...2 of my favorite literary characters.  Katniss and Eowyn.