My Favorite Literary Heroines, Part Two

     Maybe Mary Lennox seems an odd sort of character for a child to emulate, as she is selfish and sour and has abominable manners when we first meet her. However, all that was the result of her lack of proper upbringing; her rich mother was too self-absorbed to pay any attention to her, and an ayah, no matter how efficient, is no maternal substitute. What I love about Mary is her journey from spoiled brat to loyal friend and companion. She is a hopeful heroine. She taught me that however unlikely the original material, there is potential to be a good person, and a happy one. She also taught me that happiness is acquired, not given, and never to be taken for granted.
     As fond as I am of Mary, my favorite character in The Secret Garden is Dickon. What a shame that the 1993 film sold him rather short! He's such a unique and fascinating person in the book, totally without pretention or preconceptions; he sees the good in everyone, even Mary, unquestioningly and unconditionally. Yet he is no "goody two shoes." Dickon is a great role model for both boys and girls.

     What young girl doesn't love Jo March? So ahead of her time! Jo is a heroine for the ages, never dated, always relevant. I hardly need to expound on her exemplary qualities, as they are well known to the billions of readers of Little Women, but I would like to stress what I think is her greatest quality as a role model, which she shares with Mary Lennox: her potential to be a truly good woman. More than her intelligence and independent spirit, young girls should learn from her struggles to overcome her faults. And, though many are disappointed that she doesn't end up marrying Laurie, they should realize that a good man is more than a handsome appearance and solid financial state, and a good husband is more than someone to pal around with -- not to take anything away from Laurie, of course; but Jo was really very wise in recognizing that marriage with him would have been a great mistake.

     I admit, I also had a soft spot for Amy when I was a kid. For all her selfish, pretentious little ways, she turns out great -- plus, she hooks herself a great husband in Laurie. Wrong as he is for Jo, he's just perfect for Amy and she for him. Amy has the tact, which Jo doesn't have, to handle him and his mercurial temperament; and her sense of the tastefully elegant serves her well in running hers and Laurie's house. I can't imagine Jo managing the household staff of such a grand house, or ordering a suitable dinner for Laurie's business associates, nor can I see her being hostess at such a dinner. No, Jo is much better suited for the academic life.

     No one ever seems to think of gentle Beth as a heroine. Indeed, in the first few years of my acquaintance with the March girls, Beth was my least favorite. Perhaps she was Tasha Tudor's least favorite, too; her famous color illustrations include none of Beth, except in the group portraits. But in recent years I have come to love Beth most of all. I think the reason some people find her unappealing is that she's so shy and timid; they equate that with "weak." The truth is, Beth suffered from severe social anxiety disorder -- but because she had such a good, loving heart, she was able to overcome her affliction when she saw someone in need, like the lame Vaughn brother or the poor children in her neighborhood. That takes real courage, the kind that too often goes unnoticed. I also think too many of us need to learn the difference between a virtuous prig and a genuinely good, pious, and giving person. Maybe the reason we do find it difficult to see the difference is that true goodness makes us uncomfortable with ourselves. Understandable. No one likes to face his shortcomings. We can all learn from Beth.

     Does anyone besides me not "get" Meg? Of all Alcott's character portraits, Meg is the least clearly drawn and therefore the least memorable. But maybe Alcott made her so on purpose. In almost every family, there is a Meg -- sort of "white bread," if you will, neither here nor there, not flawed enough to be deeply interesting to us readers, nor angelic enough to make us face, albeit reluctantly, our own flaws. Maybe Meg is supposed to be the note of calm and predictability in a gallery of such challenging characters.

     Moving away from Alcott and Burnett, I of course have to list Laura Ingalls among my favorite heroines, though she, being a real-life person, belongs in another category. And you may be asking, "Where is Anne Shirley?" Well, I confess -- Anne didn't come along till much, much later in my life, so perhaps I'll write about her later.

     So many great characters, so many role models! All I can say, along with Jo March, is: "Christopher Columbus!"

All of the above illustrations were done by the legendary and beloved artist, Tasha Tudor.