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Feminism: Sex and gender discussions

Female Atticus

26 replies

noddingoff · 18/07/2015 15:44

So the new book has come out and Atticus Finch turns out to be flawed. I've never read or seen To Kill A Mockingbird but I know outline of the story and much has been writtten about what an icon the "original" Atticus is - the principled hero, basically Rudyard Kipling's "If..." personified. There other male characters like this too - Rob Roy and Andy Dufresne for example.
Which got me wondering - what is the closest female equivalent to the "orginal" Atticus - a principled, brave heroine who would be considered a role model?
"Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it/ And - which is more - you'll be a Woman, my daughter!" doesn't rhyme or scan, but even if it did I don't think Kipling would have written that. Which books or films do you think contain female characters which come closest to achieving that ideal?

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noddingoff · 18/07/2015 21:56

Oh, I forgot that it was more polite to come up with some suggestions of your own first, so I thought that Charlize Theron's character in North Country would be my nomination. OK she was acting primarily in the interests of herself and her family, but she could have given up and got a job flipping burgers rather than helping make life better for all the women.

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