Four Fictional Female Characters I've Come to Like

This is what happens when you frequent TVTropes too much--you deconstruct the elements of fiction and write about fiction. I happen to have pondered on fictional characters in this case, hence this post.

I have strong affinity towards interesting female characters in fiction, as one of my previous posts has probably portrayed as well. These are a few other characters from fiction (movies, books, TV series) that I find fascinating one way or another.

Eponine (Les Miserables)

Eponine has one of the best solos in the history of modern musical theatre, and her chest voice (all of the official Broadway productions have always cast a tremulous chest-voiced contralto for her part) just is powerful and full of emotion. Though I liked Fantine and her tragic life as well, I hold Eponine in high regard mainly because she’s alive in the book and movie more than Fantine was, hence more exposure and more development. Eponine is basically the girl who falls madly in love with someone who does not and will not ever love her back. One major thing I like about Eponine is her commitment and her burning passion for Marius, is spite of her love for him being a lost cause altogether. She comes off as a bit stalker-like, but she never falls into the manipulative bitch trope who steals the guy for herself—she was unnaturally accepting of the situation, in spite of expressing her distress and hurt over it. Eponine is the poster child for unrequited love.

Her death was translated superbly in the theatre version’s “A Little Fall of Rain” duet, but I did like her death scene in the novel. Here, she dresses in a garb akin to a man’s and followed Marius around to give him a letter from his one-true-love Cosette. A few paragraphs before the dialogue between her and Marius, the reader sees an anonymous hand stopping a ball from a musket aimed at Marius—and we eventually find out Eponine just saved his life, in spite of him “not caring” about her much.

"We do meet again, don't we? Take your letter. Take it. Now, for my pains, promise me---Promise me! Promise to kiss me on the forehead when I am dead, for I shall feel it.
(falls back as if she was dead, but then again opens her eyes and says the following sweetly, as if already from another world)
" And then, do you know, Monsieur, I believe I was a little in love with you."

What a martyr. *sniff*

Fa Mulan (Mulan, Disney)

A girl worth fighting for, the hero of China, Mulan breaks the tradition of Disney damsels. Mulan is based on the legendary Hua Mulan of ancient Chinese texts, about a woman who takes her father’s place in the army and rises up the ranks because of her skill and strategy. One has to admire Mulan’s strength and honour code, considering since she was a woman living in a very sexist time and place.

Mulan: How ‘bout a girl who’s got a brain, who always speaks her mind?

Guys: Nahhhhh!

Mulan sings the most existential solo of Disney lore, “Reflection”. Although a natural beauty, her talents and her personality do not fit with the norms of her time. Mulan struggles with her identity and braves through a war and a whole lot of prejudice before finding her niche in society. I find it a bit disappointing though that most of the Mulan merchandise use her girly portrayal and not her soldier depiction, but of course Disney and modern day America has its reasons. Nevertheless, Mulan is marketed as “not a typical Disney Princess” because of her moxie.

And Mulan ends up making a man out of Li Shang. Let’s get down to business, oh yeeeeeah. (Sorry, it was just right there)

Lois Lane (Smallville)

This could be because I have a bone to pick with the TV series’ Lana Lang. While the similarly alliteratively-named Kristin Kreuk is undoubtedly my #1 girl crush (the perfect mix of the west and the east, she is), I just didn’t like Lana. I’d get frustrated with Clark’s obsession for her, which was close to hero-worship of the seemingly perfect girl-next-door-who-tried-to-be-action-girl-but-always-ended-up-as-the-damsel-in-distress-who-strung-Clark-along. Lana just needed someone to listen to her, help her resolve her issues, and she needed saving. Of course, his history with Lana made him into the Clark Kent he needed to be, but I can’t believe it took him 8 long seasons to come to terms that Lana was not his soulmate and their ill-fated love affair was merely a plot point to his growth into Superman.  Now here’s an idea for another blog post. Clark Kent shouldn’t be with someone he needs to constantly save, he should be with someone who grounds him.

Enter Lois come Season 4. I liked this girl’s spunk. Smallville’s version of the gutsy Daily Planet reporter showed a lot of the army brat upbringing she had, especially through her fight scenes and come-at-me-bro attitude. This version of Lois Lane (played by Erica Durance) was smart, catty, tough, sexy, enough to be the right combination of what Clark Kent would (and should) fall in love with. Durance has said of her character, "because of Lois’s self-imposed walls, even if she thought about Clark in a romantic notion for just an instant she would immediately make it out to be a joke because she is not ready for that type of closeness, yet”—if you wanted good plot, there’s your character background precursor. As far as TV relationships go, theirs is one of the better-written ones. At some points during the series run, you’d want to root for them even if you didn’t know they’d end up together eventually.

As a journalist, she does everything she can to get the story, even resorting to lying and bribing (in different degrees). Additional points to you for dedication to the job, woman. Lois can hold on her own, whether it’s on her career, investigating a strange case, or butting heads with Lex. And when they eventually end up together, she is basically one of Clark’s/Blur’s/Superman’s major support systems that 1) doesn’t impede his character development, 2) doesn’t come across as smothering. Plus, this Lois is so snarky she’s so sexy. Lois and Clark’s banter translates to me as sexy.

In other news, Teri Hatcher should just stay on Wisteria Lane.

Robin Scherbatsky (How I Met Your Mother)

This one’s also a given, and there’s no need to discuss much. I’m Robin Scherbatsky. Minus the boobs. Back me up here, Ben.

**Notable exceptions:

Jo March (Little Women)—I just wrote about her

Sarah Kerrigan (StarCraft)—I just wrote about her too

Cersei Lannister (A Song of Ice and Fire/Game of Thrones)—I’m still debating with myself on whether I like her or hate her, and how much of both

Regina George (Mean Girls)—her character resolution at the end was not satisfying enough for me