5 Books with Inspiring Female Fictional Characters

Women's day is nearby(March 8th). I was thinking about my favorite female fictional characters and how they inspire me. I couldn't stop talking about them, so I thought of sharing it with you. This is a tribute to all the women :)

1. A Song Of Ice And Fire Books(Game of Thrones series):

This one takes the first place because almost all of the women in this series are portrayed as strong and independent characters. Following are just a few of them:

Khaleesi
From being a helpless thirteen year old kid at her brother's mercy and 'traded into a marriage' for the Dothraki army to becoming The Unburnt, Mother of Dragons and the Breaker of Chains, her story is way too awesome. She in general has good intentions and wants to free people from slavery and abuse.

Khaleesi Quotes

 Arya Stark

She is a tom boyish kid, who is often mistaken for a boy. She considers herself as a "lone wolf" and is trained by Syrio Forel, helped by Jaqen H'ghar and made a Faceless Assassin by Faceless Men . Her trials and tribulations after her father's death from escaping King's Landing, surviving the journey with different identities and ending up as "No one" proves not just her survival skills, but also her determination to avenge her family.

Arya Stark Quotes

Sansa Stark

Yeah, yeah, I know, you probably hate Sansa for being stupid, for being dreamy, for being all lady like, for being delicate, for being a damsel in distress. I did too. Now she is done being naive, trusting people blindly, dreaming of getting married to Prince Charming. All her life, she was taught to be a lady and now she wears that demeanor as her armor. From the show that has progressed a lot more than books, it's clear that she has gone from being a pawn to a player.

Sansa Stark Quotes

Catelyn Stark

She is a mother who goes to great extents to protect her family. She defends Bran with her own life, holds Tyrion as hostage, tells Robb not to release Theon,  kills a Frey to defend Robb. She ultimately becomes "Lady Stoneheart" after resurrected by Beric Dondarrion and becomes ruthless with a vengeance for Freys.

Catelyn Stark Quotes

Ygritte

She is a free soul and a true wildling, who made Jon Snow realize for the first time that wildings are just like them with all their fears and hopes. Her famous taunting "You Know Nothing, Jon Snow" makes Jon realize that he doesn't know the big picture. He repeats this to himself several times after her death whenever he is in a moment of decision. She is a great archer and she couldn't kill Jon as she truly loved him.

Ygritte Quotes

 

Brienne Tarth

Brienne is the epitome of loyalty. She believes in her oaths and she believes that a knight should always protect people.

Brienne Tarth Quotes

Asha Greyjoy(Yara Greyjoy in the show)

She defies traditional gender roles by leading her own army and challenging Euron as the heir to her Father's throne.

Asha Greyjoy Quotes

 Other strong female characters

ASOIAF may depict lot of women oppression and abuse in general to suit the Westeros history and culture. But it also gave us a lot of other strong women characters among which few are greyed. Nevertheless, they stand up for themselves.

GOT Quotes

2. Harry Potter series:

Hermione  

She is not just a walking encyclopedia, she is witty, brave and loyal to her friends. Without Hermione, Harry and Ron wouldn't have made out of their troubles. The way she fights for elf rights by establishing SPEW and defends muggleborn wizards/witches, not letting herself to be convinced of "mud-blood can't be great wizards" makes her even more inspiring.

Hermione

Luna Lovegood

She is quirky and weird and - the best part- she doesn't give a damn about what others think about her. She knows that others find her weird , but that doesn't affect her. She looks at everything from a unique angle.

Luna Lovegood Quotes

Professor Minerva McGonnagal

She is stern and strong, but she has good intentions and she aids Harry and other Hogwarts students in raising mayhem against Umbridge. She leads the Hogwarts battle against Voldemort in the end. Her dry humor and her 'dislike' for Umbridge makes her a favorite despite her sternness.

Professor McGonnagal Quotes

Molly Weasley

Through out the books, she is the protective mother who wants her kids to be fed well. She treats Harry like her own kid. Her outbursts of anger against mischief of Ron or Fred and George reminds us of our own mothers! If Lily Potter has sacrificed herself to defend Harry, Molly Weasely killed Bellatrix Lestrange in a fit of anger and out of grief of losing a child already. No one messes with Molly Weasley's kids.

Molly Weasley Quotes

Other favorites:

Harry Potter, of course, is incomplete without Lily Potter, who's love made Harry "The Boy Who Lived".

3.Millennium series/ Girl with the Dragon Tattoo:

Lisbeth Salander

She is definitely not your girl next door. It's not just her appearance with tattoos and piercings, it's her tenacious character in going to extremes for punishing people and brilliance in hacking, which makes her unforgettable.

Lisbeth Salander Quotes

4. Book Thief:

This is one of my favorite books. It's simple and yet very moving. It inspires me to read more and more. Liesel Meminger is an nine year old girl who finds joy in books during World War. Her own passion to read and learn about words, her courage and skill that makes her read out stories to people hiding from bombs, her struggle to write "as if your eyes could speak" makes her an inspiring character for all book lovers.

Liesel Meminger Quotes

 I just love this entire book. No sentence is ordinary. Everything is a great quote.

5. Alice's Adventures in Wonderland:

Alice inspires me because of her highly imaginative thinking and curiosity. The way she thinks the most impossible things and combinations like "a grin without a cat", eternal tea time, things that can grow and shrink you, floating in your own tears and many more.

Alice Quotes

 

Other favorite book characters:

Irene Adler from Sherlock Holmes:

And that was how a great scandal threatened to affect the kingdom of Bohemia, and how the best plans of Mr. Sherlock Holmes were beaten by a woman’s wit. He used to make merry over the cleverness of women, but I have not heard him do it of late. And when he speaks of Irene Adler, or when he refers to her photograph, it is always under the honourable title of the woman.



Scout from To Kill A Mockingbird:

"Atticus told me to delete the adjectives and I'd have the facts."

Atticus, he was real nice.
"Most people are, Scout, when you finally see them.”



Jo March from Little Women:

“I want to do something splendid before I go into my castle--something heroic, or wonderful--that won't be forgotten after I'm dead. I don't know what, but I'm on the watch for it, and mean to astonish you all, some day. I think I shall write books, and get rich and famous; that would suit me, so that is my favorite dream.”  


 
Jo March is someone who writes honestly. She pursues trivial writing to earn some money, but then feels disgusted by it. She then stays true to her work. She inspires me to write with integrity.

A complicated favorite character

Dominique Francon from The Fountainhead

I was in a dilemma about her, but this article isn't complete without her. She is quite a complicated character. She is brutally honest, she destroys what she loves, she thinks that the world doesn't deserve Roark or his work, she doesn't hesitate to do whatever she thinks of doing and her love for Roark starts off very controversially. But all these traits are because of  her underlying passion for true human potential and her disgust for "the parasites" or non-original thinkers. She is a thinker with her own ideas and thoughts.

"My real soul...? It’s real only when it’s independent...”





~ Phew! That's quite a list! Who is your favorite?


PS: Thanks to Devesh for suggesting Dominique :)