8 Female Literary Characters Deserving of Our Admiration

Unfortunately, there exists underrepresentation of noteworthy female characters in literature. Fortunately though, this post references eight powerhouse women that rule their literary worlds. Read more to discover eight female literary characters deserving of our admiration.

1. Beatrice from Much Ado About Nothing

In one of Shakespeare’s most beloved comedies, Beatrice proves herself to be a woman of wit. Through her clever insults towards Benedick and her witty nature as a conversationalist, the observer will unmistakably identify her as a woman of high standards and strong opinions. Her humanness is emphasized in that her skepticism is matched by a tendency toward idealism, particularly in a mate. She has a mind of her own and isn’t afraid to use and we love her for it. 

 “Yes, faith, it is my cousin’s duty to make curtsy and say, ‘Father, as it please you.’ But yet for all that, cousin, let him be a handsome fellow, or else make another curtsy and say ‘Father, as it please me.’”

(Act 2 Scene 1 lines 49-52) Beatrice Gives Her Cousin Advice On Finding a Man

2. Jo March from Little Women

This classic book is one with which all women seem to be able to find commonality. Louisa May Alcott’s novel seems to cover the full spectrum of life, with moments of laughter, moments of anger, moments of extreme grief, and moments of healing. Josephine (“Jo”) March is the eldest of the four sisters with a fiery determination to pursue her dreams of being a writer, whether or not they coincide with traditional methods. She remains steadfast in her pursuits, and is sustained by the deep love she shares with her sisters and Marmee.

“I’m happy as I am, and love my liberty too well to be in a hurry to give it up for any mortal man.”

Jo March

3. Katniss Everdeen from The Hunger Games

This one speaks for itself. Not only did she throw herself into a murder pit to save her sister, but she came out alive thanks to her intelligence and incredible skills with a bow and arrow. (We’ll never forget the moment she shot an arrow through the apple in the pig’s mouth!) Unwavering in her authenticity, she refuses to be a pawn in anyone’s game. We admire her for her strength as a mother figure not only to her sister Prim, but their own mom as well. Her courage is inspiring.

“I reach her just as she is about to mount the steps. With one sweep of my arm, I push her behind me. ‘I volunteer!’ I gasp. ‘I volunteer as tribute.’”

Katniss risks her own life to save her sister

4. Marie-Laure from All the Light We Cannot See

Marie-Laure’s character in Anthony Doerr’s All the Light We Cannot See shows incredible resilience amidst remarkable adversity. Despite being adventitiously blind and eventually orphaned, Marie-Laure shows incredible strength and capability. Her self-sufficiency is highlighted in her ability to navigate the city of Paris through the detection of storm drains with her cane. While this is extremely impressive for someone without sight, her accomplishments do not stop there. She also becomes a WWII hero by delivering secret messages in loaves of bread to be broadcasted through her grandfather’s radio. And when the war is over, she lives well into her old age and becomes a successful and well-travelled scientist, specializing in mollusks.

“When I lost my sight, Werner, people said I was brave. When my father left, people said I was brave. But it is not bravery; I have no choice. I wake up and live my life. Don’t you do the same?”

Marie-Laure after Werner Saves Her from Von Rumpel’s entrapment in the wardrobe

5. Minny Jackson from The Help

A black woman working as ‘the help’ for white women in 1960s Jackson, Mississippi, Minny Jackson is presented as someone who is toughened from a life of mistreatment, and is made stronger for it. As the mother of five children, and the wife of an abusive husband, she has a demanding home life. But she is only met with glaringly racist challenges, accusations, and disadvantages in the outside world. Yet, she knows her worth and makes her voice heard through her outspoken personality.

“It’s something about that word truth. I’ve been trying to tell white women the truth about working for them since I was fourteen years old…Truth. It feels cool, like water washing over my sticky-hot body. Cooling a heat that’s been burning me up all my life. Truth, I say inside my head again, just for that feeling.”

Minny Jackson

6. Jane from Jane Eyre

Many people believe that Charlotte Brontë channeled her own radical opinions regarding religion, socioeconomic class, and issues of gender through the character of Jane Eyre. Jane certainly does defy sexist conventions of her time. She was ostracized as a child by her Aunt Reed (who doesn’t love to route for the underdog?). Throughout the book, she seems to search for a balance between love and freedom, never allowing herself to settle for the title of someone’s wife at the expense of her independence. 

“‘I am not an angel,’ I asserted; ‘and I will not be one till I die: I will be myself. Mr. Rochester, you must neither expect nor exact anything celestial of me – for you will not get it, any more than I shall get it of you: which I do not at all anticipate.’”

Jane eyre

7. Titania from Midsummer Night’s Dream

Shakespeare certainly has a knack for bringing strong female characters to life. Titania is no exception! She is Queen of the Fairies and the wife of King Oberon. She wants what she wants and does not surrender her changeling boy to Oberon. Instead, she commits to caring for the boy out of love for his dead mother who had been Titania’s childhood friend. While she is not immune to the magic spell that leads her to become enamored with a donkey, we can’t blame her for that. Your Sunday brunch club can probably attest to her relatability. 

“The fairy land buys not the child of me. / His mother was a votaress of my order:/ […] But she, being mortal, of that boy did die; / And for her sake do I rear up her boy, / And for her sake I will not part with him.”

(Act II, Scene I, lines 492-493 & 505-507) Titania explaining her Loyal obligation to care for the changeling child

8. Mama from Roll of Thunder Hear My Cry

Last, but certainly not least, we look to Mama from Roll of Thunder Hear My Cry. This text is every bit as relevant today as it was when it was written by Mildred Taylor in 1976—perhaps, sadly, even moreso. Amidst the tragedies of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, and Breonna Taylor, we must learn from Mama’s wisdom and keep fighting against racial discrimination. She raises her three children, who must grow up in a world of inequality, with love and intelligence, and teaches them that their race does not lessen their worth. We must rise up and take action against racism; enough is enough.

“So, now, even though seventy years have passed since slavery, most white people still think of us as they did then, that we’re not as good as they are. And people like Mr. Simms hold on to that belief harder than some other folks because they have little else to hold on to. For him to believe that he is better than we are makes him think that he’s important, simply because he’s white. […] White people might demand respect, but what we give them is not respect but fear. What we give to our own people is far more important because it’s given freely.”

Mama