Resistant Reader

As I look at Mattie through the eyes of a resistant reader, I'm reminded of another famous female character in literature who sought an education despite poverty and loss of parent(s) - Anne (with an
"e," thank you) of Green Gables. This could be because I took my daughter to Prince Edward Island a while ago and we've been reading the series ever since (it's pretty wordy for a nine year old to read on her own... imagine reading that entire narrative out loud!!!)

It's strange - both girls live in conditions that are pitiable, but the authors develop their characters in drastically different ways. Anne is spunky, outspoken, and every bit as confident as her male contemporaries. She doesn't let the abusiveness of her foster parents dampen her spirits or stop her quest for knowledge, not even for a day. Compared to Mattie, she is an independent, shamelessly eccentric, a pioneer in a world that was probably much more prohibitive than Mattie's. She doesn't fawn over Gilbert or let him trip her up even for a minute, and is unafraid of her mother's resistance to her continued education. After Matthew dies, Anne does not abandon her plans to get an education out of pity for her mom, who is left alone with the farm; instead she comes up with a plan to continue her education. Anne is proactive and determined, not at all willing to accept defeat at any point in the novels.

Is it possible to develop a character female character in this context that is slightly less demure  and subordinate than Mattie? We love her for her vulnerability and pity her situation- but if you look at this through the lens of feminist criticism (I'm speaking here of  the first 150 pages so I'm a little blind to how she develops) she fills the traditional role and societal expectation of women, even in our 21st century eyes; still we love her for her weaknesses, excusing them based on context.

Can anyone else comment what they're seeing the resistant reader to be?

Comments

[Joe Fox]

That is an interesting point Tamara. I feel I need to a bit more reading maybe finish the book, before offering a response that would do it justice.

[Karen Stearns]

Tamara, I agree w/you. And the comparison to Anne is a very apt one. Interesting books to pair.

Would you agree that some of our resistance comes from applying early 21st century expectations for girls/women to an early 20th century character?

I wonder how you are feeling as you continue to read?

I think Mattie's struggle is informed by an early feminist consciousness.

The novel is a working through of just how hostile the forces Mattie opposes can be. However those forces are constructed in the novel the result is the same: nothing comes easy when she joins the fight for her freedom.

[Tamara Jolie]

Actually, before thinking about what an ideal reader was, I had NO resistence to Mattie. I accepted her character point blank and absolutely loved her. I'm simply attempting to look at her with another point of view.

Even with my Feminist leanings, I still have a preference for female characters that are fragile, vulnerable, and naive... young women that you want to shelter, nourish, protect, and mentor. (Interestingly, I was not instantly drawn to Anne of Greene Gables.) Why is this? As 21st century readers, I (and possibly many people) are still drawn to a certain type of female character.