20th-century children's literature novels depicted a general theme of women in traditional female domestic roles. The cliché of the perfect 1950s housewife is recognizable in almost every novel; the pastry chefs in their frilly dresses and puffed sleeves. It was a time when women were repressed and the best career a woman could have was of course taking care of her husband and home. These differences between the two sexes were reinforced by writers like Coventry Patmore who coined the term "Angel in the House". This essay will talk about two books, “Anne of Green Gables” and “The Hunger Games,” in which women are not portrayed in this stereotypical way. While domesticity and feminine themes are subtly reinforced for Anne, they are completely subverted for Katniss. The characters in both novels had to overcome certain obstacles to prove their worth to the world and be accepted as they are. They were not born righteous, but the path they chose forced them to become hardworking and persistent. While Anne dreamed of her coping mechanism of fighting against society's narrow and fixed mentality, Katniss chose to fight against the domination of the Capitol which had a corrupt system of engaging its districts in a sadistic game of death slow. Anne has her own agency while Katniss does not have her own agency. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay Anne was not fighting directly for feminist rights; the book was written in the early 1900s, when women had almost no rights. His world focused more on the beauties of nature and Anne's schoolgirl dreams. But Anne stood up for herself and those close to her whenever she needed to. The story begins with her being adopted by a couple from Avonlea, but she soon discovers that it was a boy they wanted to adopt and not a girl. The first instance where she stands up for herself and proves that she can be a boy's equal is when she convinces Marilla and Matthew to let her stay in Green Gables, even though she is not a boy: The child quickly raised his head, revealing a tear-stained face and trembling lips. “You would also cry if you were an orphan and you came to a place you thought was home and found out they didn't want you because you're not a boy.” This also depicts favoritism towards boys. . Matthew and Marilla want to adopt a boy so that he can help them on the farm while Anne, being a girl, would be more of a liability than a help, because the only way for her to help the couple was to do the household. Another moment where Anne proves she won't let anyone get away with disrespecting her when she shows she's not a typical girl who fancies boys. On the first day of school, she defends herself when Gilbert Blythe harasses her. Gilbert Blythe is one of the famous boys at school and the girls find him very charismatic and dreamy, but Anne makes him understand that he cannot touch a girl's hair without consequences and makes him pay for what he does. he did, regardless of his social status. status at school: “She gave Gilbert an indignant look with eyes whose angry spark was quickly extinguished by equally angry tears. “You mean, hateful boy!” » » she explained with passion. “How dare you!” » And then — bah! Anne had placed her slate on Gilbert's head and smashed it – the slate, not the head – across it. By punishing Gilbertright then and there, she teaches the implied child readers that it is not okay for a man to touch a woman without her. permission by hitting Gilbert's head. Likewise, another instance where she stands her ground is when Mrs. Rachel ridicules Anne's appearance and makes fun of her red hair. "Well, they didn't choose you for your looks, that's for sure," was Mrs. Rachel Lynde's emphatic comment...Anne continued to face Mrs. Rachel undeterred, her head held high, her eyes flamboyant, hands clenched, passionate. Indignation exuded from her like an atmosphere. “How dare you say such things about me?” ". Another way to prove that Anne is not confined by the male-dominated society and that she has much more potential than just staying at home and taking care of the house is to not be afraid to say what she means, excelling in studies and not feeling limited by her gender In a time when women were expected to behave like "good" girls, sitting at home and quietly waiting for their husbands, Anne said what she thought in front of everyone, without caring what others thought of her: “I've been told [children should be seen and not heard] a million times if I do. 'did once. And people make fun of me for using big words But if you have big ideas, you have to use big words to express them, right?'.Anne. was passionate about learning and wanted to excel in her studies She was not afraid to take on boys and her determination to succeed meant she beat the boys in her class in academic studies: Anne threw herself into it. and soul in his studies, determined not to let himself be surpassed in any course by Gilbert Blythe… Now Gilbert he was director of the spelling course; now Anne, with a toss of her long red tresses, spelled it out. One morning, Gilbert had all his calculations done correctly and had his name written on the roll of honor; the next morning, Anne, after struggling furiously with decimals all the previous evening, would be first. Anne never felt discouraged by her gender. She thrived on just being a young woman. For this reason, she became ambitious about her goal and it was her ambition that led to saving her adoptive parents' farm: "I will win this scholarship if hard work can achieve it", she resolved ... “Oh, it’s delicious.” have ambitions. I'm so happy to have so many. And it seems like there's never an end to these projects – that's the best part. “I am still as ambitious as ever. Only, I changed the object of my ambition... My future life seemed to stretch out before me like a straight road. I thought I could see many milestones there. Now there is a turning point. I don't know what lies ahead, but I'm going to believe that the best will do it. It is worth keeping in mind that she was able to be ambitious and not feel limited by her gender because her adoptive parents were a source of support for her. Her adoptive parents admired her for her goals and she was praised for her actions traditionally reserved for men and often looked down upon by girls: "I'd rather have you than a dozen boys, Anne," Matthew said, patting her on the head. hand. . “Be careful, rather than a dozen boys. Well, I guess it wasn't a boy who got the Avery scholarship, was it? She was a girl – my daughter – my daughter that I am proud of. Her adoptive parents didn't even object to her going to college, an act strictly reserved for boys in the early 1900s. Even though everyone else in the village told them not to let her go and hated the factlet her do an "unladylike thing", they left it up to her to do what she wanted: Mrs. Lynde placed her substantial figure on the stone bench by the door... "I don't believe in girls who go to college with the men and stuff their heads full of Latin and Greek and all that nonsense. “But I’m still going to study Latin and Greek, Mrs. Lynde,” Anne said, laughing. It's almost as if Marilla's parenting has fallen on Anne's deaf ears. It seems that Marilla is learning from Anne and not the other way around. The way Marilla punishes her is often seen as ultimately wrong. The reason why Anne's coping mechanism is defined as "dreaming" is that although she had wanted many things in her life and was full of ambitions, she ultimately has to do it. take on the role of a traditional woman and be a housewife. Matthew's death causes Anne to change paths, moving from college to caring for her family at home. She eventually married Mathew Gilbert, the boy she often competed against to be better in her studies. As she approaches puberty, Anne becomes “a tall girl with serious eyes,” “pruned and branched” (274). Anne's free world slowly returns to the male-dominated world as she grows up. So even though at first Anne's character seems different from the Imperial female characters, at the very end her goals end like a dream as she grows up and faces the reality of the world around her. However, it is important to note that it was her decision to stay home and help her mother and marry Gilbert rather than conform to what society expected of her. The case of Katniss Everdeen in The Hunger Games is a little different because the novel is not written at a time when women are considered inferior to men. However, she is continually forced to maintain an act and conform in order to be recognized and survive. When she enters the Game Makers' room before the games to get analyzed, they act as if she isn't there. To be accepted in the eyes of the game creators' sponsors, she is forced to show her courage and archery skills by shooting an arrow into the game creators' zone: Suddenly I'm furious with my life in game, they don't. I don't even have the decency to take care of myself. That I'm overshadowed by a dead pig. My heart starts beating wildly, I feel my face burning. Without thinking, I take an arrow out of my quiver and send it directly to the Game makers' table. I hear cries of alarm as people step back. The arrow sticks the apple into the pig's mouth and pins it to the wall behind him. Everyone looks at me in disbelief. “Thank you for your consideration,” I said. Then I bow slightly and head straight for the exit without being sent away. "She is constantly forced to pretend and act like someone she is not, whether at home or during play: When I was younger, I was scared to death my mother, the things I let slip about District 12, about the people who run our country... Eventually, I learned to hold my tongue and turn my features into an indifferent mask so no one could ever read my thoughts. Doing my work quietly at school. Making impolite chatter in the public market... Even at home, where I avoid discussing delicate subjects like the harvest, the food shortage or the. Hunger Games. Prim could repeat my words and then where would it be In the arena, Katniss realizes that she can gain sponsorship and thus increase her chances of survival by acting as if she is in love with..