A Character Comparison

          Oh, hi there. I feel bad that I haven't posted anything all that great lately. Sure, lists are fun, but there's no depth. I also feel bad that I haven't continued my book photo challenge or my Ireland posts. I've got a good reason for the latter and a decent excuse for the first. You see, I left my Ireland notebook at home and I don't get to go home for another 9 days and 15 hours or so. To say I'm desperately homesick would be a touch of an understatement, but I've already written a post on that, so I won't do it again. As for the book photo challenge, I do have most of my books here, but the one I have in mind for the next day is currently not in my possession (I do have a habit of thrusting books I love into my friends' hands). So, unable to do either of those and with a desire to give you something more than a list, I'll give you a realization.
          Before I begin, I'd like to say that there are going to be book spoilers in this post for Graceling by Kristin Cashore, and probably for Fire as well (same author). And The Hunger Games (If, by some reason, you haven't already heard how it ends, I will spoil it.) Also, if you haven't read these books and you don't care about spoilers, you might not really care about what I have to write anyway. However, I came to a realization about a character, or even the comparison between to characters, and I want to write about it, savvy? (Also, I've been thinking about pirates).
          Ready? Last chance to turn back....Ok. Here we go:

          Both of the main characters in Graceling and Fire are female characters, Katsa, from Graceling, and Fire, from Fire. Katsa is a graceling with the grace of killing (or so she thinks). Naturally, with a grace like that, it's got to be difficult to lead a peaceful life (which she doesn't). Fire is a Monster (which means she is the most attractive thing in the world, pretty much, and she can enter and influence the minds of others). Generally, readers adore Katsa and like Fire pretty well. However, I have always liked Fire more and almost disliked Katsa. It finally hit me while I was rereading the books the past couple of weeks why I dislike her.
          See, there's this idea of the 'strong, female character' that they all seem to fit into. These characters are fiercely independent and reject the feminine aspects of being female (Being pretty? No. Getting married? I don't need no man. Children? Bah, who needs 'em?). These strong, female characters are sometimes more masculine than they are feminine. Just because she is strong, doesn't mean she has to emulate masculinity. Now, most 'strong, female characters' will take on a few of these traits. Katniss from The Hunger Games, for example, is very independent and rejects the idea of beauty, becoming a very masculine soldier against the capitol. However, in the end, she is with Peeta and they have children. She becomes a mother, even though it scares her, so she can have a family with him. Tris from the Divergent trilogy is also rather masculine. She chops off her hair and throughout the trilogy is mostly concerned with fighting. And yet, there is a softness to her. She loves Tobias and Christina, and even Caleb. That strong love is pretty feminine.
          And then there is Katsa. She is the most masculine, uber-feminist character that I've encountered so far in my readings. As mentioned before, she has a killing grace, which is understandably difficult to live with, but it turns her into such a cold, unfeeling person it's hard to like her. Even when Po softens her, she still is pretty manly. She doesn't care about beauty, which, let's be honest, neither do I. But Katsa takes it to a whole other level. Not once in the course of the book does she ever want to look pretty. Her feminine form is a burden to her. She chops of her hair and wears men's clothing. She also abhors the idea of having children. The biggest issue I have with her, though, is her selfishness in regards to Po. He is willing to do anything for her, because he loves her. Love is supposed to be like that, a give and take. But all Katsa does is take everything Po gives. She refuses to marry him because she doesn't want to be owned by him. She is too selfish to give herself to him in an equal relationship based on mutual trust.
          Fire, on the other hand, I adore. She is what I envision a strong, female character to be. Her being a Monster, and the last of her kind, has always set her apart. She's had very few friends in her lifetime and she's always been afraid of her ability to take another person's mind. Despite all this, the people she has in her life, she cares very deeply about. We get to see her heart stretch and fill with more people. She isn't afraid to love. And Fire is very brave. She does what she has to do to protect people she loves and even those that she doesn't even know. She desperately wants children, but she knows that the Monster bloodline must end with her. The scenes involving her decision to sterilize herself are gut wrenching and you can feel her pain at having made the decision. One thing I love about Fire, and Brigan agrees with me, is her pain. It humanizes her and makes her stronger for overcoming it. Katsa is always impervious to pain, even her emotional pain isn't all that bad. But Fire feels whatever she feels very deeply. She also overcomes her fear of herself. She learns how to become who she is supposed to be and she does it selflessly. Which brings me to her relationship with Brigan. While they had a rocky start, as did Katsa and Po, once they began their relationship was built on trust. The scene discussing the need of a guard, for both of them, is a great example of the trust that they have built with each other. They are equals.

          And that, folks, is why I like Fire better than Katsa. I apologize for the rambling nature of the paragraphs regarding my character comparison. Someday, maybe, I'll turn this into an actual character analysis essay. But today is not that day. Instead, I shall leave with a quote. Good day!



"It made Fire so angry, the thought of such a medicine, a violence done to herself to stop her from creating anything like herself. And what was the purpose of these eyes, this impossible face, the softness and the curves of this body, the strength of this mind; what was the point, if none of the men who desired her were to give her any babies, and all it ever brought her was grief? What was the purpose of a woman monster?" -Fire by Kristin Cashore

The Book List

          I meant to post this last weekend, because it was my birthday. Of course, time got away from me and I've had midterms this week (I've actually got one in a couple of hours...but I just can't study anymore). Anyway, I turned 20 last Saturday and I thought I should at least post something for my birthday. I couldn't really think of anything to write about because currently my life is all about school, which isn't that interesting. So, in lieu of something touching or thoughtful, here is a list of 20 books that I have read that were published in the last 20 years (all of which I would recommend). Enjoy!

1. Maskerade by Terry Pratchett (1995)
2. Calvin and Hobbes: It's a Magical World by Bill Watterson (1996)
3. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling (1997)
4. Holes by Louis Sachar (1998)
5. Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson (1999)
6. How Do Dinosaurs Say Goodnight? by Jane Yolen (2000)
7. Pay it Forward by Catherine Ryan Hyde (2001)
8. Tithe by Holly Black (2002)
9. The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini (2003)
10. The Truth About Forever by Sarah Dessen (2004)
11. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak (2005)
12. It's Kind of a Funny Story by Ned Vizzini (2006)
13. 13 Reasons Why by Jay Asher (2007)
14. The Host by Stephanie Meyer (2008)
15. City of Glass by Cassandra Clare (2009)
16. Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins (2010)
17. The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern (2011)
18. The Fault in Our Stars by John Green (2012)
19. The 5th Wave by Rick Yancey (2013)
20. City of Heavenly Fire by Cassandra Clare (2014)
21. The Mime Order by Samantha Shannon (2015)

"I guess it's hard for people who are so used to things the way they are - even if they're bad - to change. 'Cause they kind of give up. And when they do, everybody kind of loses." -Pay it Forward by Catherine Ryan Hyde