Category: Films

Last year, I wrote this blog post about my favourite female fictional characters. The announcement that the new Doctor is going to be a woman (I’m incredibly jealous by the way; I wanted to be the first female Doctor!) has been accompanied by complaints that in making the Doctor a woman, we are losing one of the few non-violent fictional male role models that exist. Aside from the fact that of course women can and should be role models for boys/men too, I thought that I’d make a list of some of the other fictional male characters who don’t primarily use violence to solve their problems. This list will therefore exclude a multitude of male superheroes and other men who mostly rely on violence, whether it be through their physical strength, their weapons or special powers. Even without those characters, as you can see below, there is still a plethora of male role models to choose from. Enjoy!

• Chuck Bartowski, Captain Awesome and Morgan Grimes (from Chuck)

Chuck is my favourite TV show of all time. The protagonist, Chuck Bartowski, is a kind, playful, nerdy, computer expert who likes to talk about his feelings a lot. When all the intelligence services’ information becomes embedded in his brain, he becomes an indispensable asset. He’s a fish out of water in the secret agent world that he’s thrust into; it’s amusing to see how an ordinary person reacts in situations that usually only highly trained spies experience. Oh, and he hates guns, which is a bonus.

Devon “Captain Awesome” Woodcomb is the boyfriend of Ellie (Chuck’s older sister) and is a surgeon. He’s a genuine, loving, “straight-arrow” of a man and is multi-talented (hence the ‘Awesome’ nickname – everything he does is awesome). He is surprising and different from what you’d expect of a man like him; he’s very loveable.

Morgan Grimes is Chuck’s loyal, if immature, best friend. He’s always there for Chuck when he needs him.

• Daniel Jackson (from Stargate SG-1)

Daniel Jackson is a brilliant linguist and archaeologist who is fascinated by other cultures. His open-mindedness, sensitivity and empathy are often in stark contrast to the mindset of the military people around him. He is highly skilful at communicating with others and connecting to them in some way, even if they’re not human.

• Sherlock Holmes

Sherlock Holmes is an eccentric and exceptional detective. He often astounds others with his deductive reasoning and intellectual capabilities. His confidence can border on arrogance though and he can come across as cold and phlegmatic. But as soon as an investigation begins, he becomes animated and excited once again.

• Toby Ziegler, Sam Seaborn, Josh Lyman, President Bartlet, Charlie Young and Leo McGarry (from The West Wing)

All these men have wit, intelligence and integrity in spades. I think Toby is my favourite.

• Gilbert Blythe (from Anne of Green Gables)

Gilbert Blythe is unflinchingly honest, intelligent and loving, with a playful sense of humour and wit. He provides a respectful academic rivalry for Anne, which pushes both of them to excellence. He behaves admirably and honourably and sacrifices a lot for those he loves.

• Chandler Bing (from Friends)

Ms. Chanandaler Bong is by far the best character in Friends. He is sensitive and funny (he has a wonderfully sarcastic sense of humour). He comes into his own through his relationship with Monica and really blossoms and deepens as a character.

• Neal Caffrey, Peter Burke, Clinton Jones and Mozzie (from White Collar)

Some people might argue that Neal Caffrey isn’t a good role model since he’s a criminal (whom has been released into the custody of the FBI White Collar division to consult on cases) but he’s exceptionally quick-thinking, charismatic and talented. He’s able to outwit everyone. Also, when it comes to the crunch on important matters, he does the right thing. He hates guns too.

Peter Burke is excellent at his job and becomes Neal’s handler too. He’s the only one who can keep up with Neal’s brain and antics. Peter is a man of integrity and tries to turn Neal’s life around through the good example of the way he conducts himself and how he lives his life.

Clinton Jones is another FBI agent in the White Collar division, who is highly competent and intelligent. He is very loyal and is one of the only people Peter can fully trust.

Mozzie is Neal’s quirky and unusual partner in crime. He’s the joint mastermind behind many of Neal’s schemes but is really a big softy at heart.

• Rodney McKay and Carson Beckett (from Stargate Atlantis)

Although Rodney McKay can be arrogant and condescending, he is also a genius physicist and engineer who has a knack for problem-solving under the pressure of impending death, thus saving the day. He is grumpy and a hypochondriac but is also capable of great courage.

Carson Beckett is warm, kind and funny. His medical expertise and experience with the discovery of the Ancient gene make him an invaluable member of the team.

• Spock, Scotty, Bones and Captain Picard (from Star Trek TOS and TNG)

I first encountered Star Trek through the film ‘Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home’ when I was about four years old. I watched it countless times and am still extremely fond of it to this day. During my early teens, I also LOVED the television series ‘Star Trek Voyager’. I enjoy the more recent Trek films too. However, my experience of TOS and TNG is limited to having seen a few sporadic episodes of those television series (I’ve seen most of the TOS and TNG films though); it’s more than enough to know that Spock, Scotty, Bones, Sulu and Picard are all worthy of being on this list though.

• Leo Fitz (from Agents of SHIELD)

Fitz is a bubbly and enthusiastic genius engineer and technology specialist, who wears his heart on his sleeve.

• Merlin and Gaius (from Merlin)

Merlin is a friendly, cheerful, loyal and brave young man who is on a journey of discovery as to how powerful his magic can become and finding his role in life.

Gaius is a caring, gentle man but is a strict teacher and mentor to Merlin. His knowledge, wisdom and expertise prove invaluable to Merlin. He becomes like a father to Merlin.

• Richard Castle (from Castle)

Richard Castle is a best-selling crime author who becomes a consultant to the NYPD. He has a playful sense of humour and although he can be cocky and immature at times, his flair, imagination and knowledge of obscure subjects often lead to breakthroughs in murder investigations. He is also a great single-parent father to Alexis.

• Harry Potter, Remus Lupin and Albus Dumbledore (from Harry Potter)

My favourite characters are actually Hermione, McGonagall and the Weasley twins but this list is about male role models so Harry, Lupin and Dumbledore are probably more appropriate.

It’s made clear in the books that the thing that is so special about Harry is not any particular magical ability but his capacity to love. Despite the trauma of all that he’s been through and all that he’s lost, he doesn’t lose his ability to love. In the end, he goes through with the greatest sacrifice of all.

Lupin is a great teacher and also a caring mentor towards Harry. When Lupin was at school, he was the more sensible, hardworking, steadying influence in his group of friends, despite being a werewolf; it was probably often necessary to try to rein in James and Sirius a bit.

Dumbledore is an eccentric wizard with a twinkle in his eye. Despite being one of the most powerful wizards of all time, he prefers to use his considerable intelligence and knowledge to solve problems and figure things out.

• Sheldon Cooper and Leonard Hofstadter (from the Big Bang Theory)

Sheldon and Leonard are brilliant physicists. Despite their flaws, their passion (both for science and for their geeky interests and hobbies) is infectious and admirable.

• Maurice Moss (from the IT Crowd)

Maurice Moss is a socially awkward, nerdy IT technician. He is genuine, honest and has a good heart.

• Henry McCord (from Madam Secretary)

Henry is a professor of ethics and religion, who is loving, encouraging and supportive of his wife, whom is Secretary of State. [I just have to add here that I love Elizabeth McCord as a character sooo much; I didn’t know of the show ‘Madam Secretary’ until this year, which is why she doesn’t feature on my list of favourite female characters that I wrote last year.]

• Peter Petrelli and Hiro Nakamura (from Heroes)

Peter is a highly empathetic individual. It’s this that makes him special and his powers are just the natural extension of his empathy.

Hiro is a gentle, eager and joyful character who has a pure heart. He aspires to heroism and keenly feels a responsibility to use his powers (the ability to manipulate time and space) for good, to help others and save the world.

• Atticus Finch (from To Kill a Mockingbird)

Atticus is a man of strong morals, empathy, reason and justice. He is presented as different to other men in the town in that he doesn’t gamble or play sports, doesn’t drink, smoke or hunt, but loves to read. He is respectful, polite and has a quiet strength, honour and integrity.

• Hercule Poirot

A brilliant and eccentric detective who uses his ‘little grey cells’ to great effect.

• Sandy Cohen (from the O.C.)

Sandy is a lawyer and a committed family man who has integrity and strong morals. He’s compassionate, funny and goes out of his way to help others, even if they are complete strangers.

• Billy Elliot (from Billy Elliot)

Billy has to defy expectations and gender stereotypes to pursue his passion and raw talent for ballet dancing.

• Wash (from Firefly)

Wash is a talented pilot who is kind, playful and laid-back.

• Professor X (from X-men)

A compassionate, philosophical and devoted teacher and genius, who is always looking for a peaceful outcome.

• Harold Finch (from Person of Interest)

A gentle man who is a genius with computers and technology.

• Giles (from Buffy the Vampire Slayer)

Giles is a mild-mannered and polite man. His encyclopaedic knowledge, intelligence and experience make him an invaluable mentor to Buffy.

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To be honest, this list could go on and on. There are so many more non-violent male role models in literature, film and television. All mediums are awash with male characters so you’re spoilt for choice.

Let me know in the comments if I’ve missed anyone really great off the list. I’d love to know your favourite fictional male characters and role models.

In general, there is a paucity of fictional female characters compared to the number of male ones and there are even fewer that are really great, three-dimensional characters. I’ve decided to celebrate the ones that do exist. Here’s hoping for more characters as interesting as my favourite ones below. I have divided them into three categories: television, books and films. Remember, these are only my personal favourites so don’t be upset if your own favourites are not included.

TELEVISION

• Lorelai, Rory, Paris and Emily from Gilmore Girls

I love these four people. All of them are witty, intelligent, unique characters. Lorelai and Rory are obvious contenders for this list due to them both being awesome (and immediately likeable). Just don’t ask me to pick a favourite; it’s a near impossible task. I’m probably more similar to Rory, or at least I used to be before I became ill, but I do also have Lorelai’s love of silliness. I think that there’s more than a little bit of an inner Paris in me too.
Although Emily and Paris start off as not so obvious choices for this list, I came to love them almost as much as the other two, especially Paris. They really grow on you and are very amusing to watch.

• C.J. Cregg from The West Wing

C.J. is brilliant. She is by far the best character in The West Wing. She has a bit of a rocky start but I blame the writer for that. She’s intelligent, quick-witted, compassionate with a wicked sense of humour.

• Starbuck, President Laura Roslin and Dee from Battlestar Galactica

Starbuck is great. She’s a hothead with a tendency to get into trouble and has a problem with authority. She also happens to be the best pilot in the fleet. She’s my favourite character in Battlestar Galactica.
President Laura Roslin is completely different but I love her self-belief when everyone else thinks she’s crazy. She has the conviction and courage to carry on anyway and saves everyone. She does have a few annoying moments but I’m willing to forgive her for them!
I like Dee. She has an awesome moment in S2E6. With a few brave words, she brings Adama to his senses and the fleet back together. She changes everything.

• Kaylee, Zoe and River from Firefly

Kaylee is my favourite in Firefly. She’s the cheerful, exceptional mechanic of Serenity. She sees the best in everyone.
Zoe is hardcore tough-as-nails but she’s also a fully fleshed out person on top of that. She has a dry sense of humour and an affectionate but realistic relationship with her husband. She has a lot of heart alongside a strategic, military mind and her soldier’s instincts.

• Donna Noble from Doctor Who

Donna is awesome. She is the best companion to the Doctor by far. The pairing of her and the tenth Doctor was perfect – a partnership of friends and equals. For me, those two together were the peak of Doctor Who’s brilliance and that is why the whole of the fourth season is my favourite season of Doctor Who ever. It’s unlikely that anything will surpass it.

• Joan Watson from Elementary

I would go as far as to say that Joan Watson is my favourite depiction of Dr. Watson in any Sherlock Holmes adaptation. She is the most interesting and nuanced, with a marvellous depth of character and progression. She is what makes Elementary stand out from the crowd of other adaptations.

• Sam Carter from Stargate SG-1

A genius. Astrophysicist and engineer. She always comes up with a solution to a problem just in time to save the day. She avoids being a one-dimensional character though; she has friendships, hobbies and relationships. She shares the curiosity, compassion and love of knowledge of Daniel Jackson, the soldier mindset of Jack and Teal’c, as well as the leadership skills of General Hammond. Stargate SG-1 was my favourite TV show in my mid-teens.

• Jane Rizzoli and Maura Isles from Rizzoli & Isles

Jane is an excellent detective. I like her because she’s a multidimensional tomboy, who is competitive, intelligent and funny.
Maura is a genius, with an encyclopaedic knowledge of just about everything and a love of order. She’s a doctor of forensic pathology and the Chief Medical Examiner of Massachusetts. She’s the polar opposite of Jane but their growing friendship is one of the greatest draws to the show.

• Melinda May, Jemma Simmons and Skye/Daisy Johnson from Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.

Agent May is the consummate SHIELD agent. She is a woman of few words, often favouring to just give someone a look instead, but is brilliant at her job, the best of the best. She is a formidable fighter and is extremely loyal. She’s the only one whom Coulson can always truly rely on and trust.
Jemma Simmons is a genius, an exceptional biochemist. Her partnership with the equally brilliant Fitz often saves the day when they come up with a solution to a problem. She is enthusiastic with a deep passion for science.
I like Skye/Daisy because even before she became an inhuman with superpowers, she was a master hacker. She has a dry sense of humour and becomes a skilled Agent through her training.

• Captain Janeway from Star Trek: Voyager

Way back in my early teens, Star Trek: Voyager was my favourite TV show. Janeway wasn’t my favourite character (Tom Paris was) but she still deserves to be on this list. A few inconsistencies in the writing aside, she was a great captain. Human and flawed, yes, but she did the best in an impossible situation, stranded in a different quadrant of space. It was her leadership and dedication that brought the crew home with the fewest amount of deaths possible.

• Diane Lockhart from The Good Wife

Diane is my favourite person in The Good Wife. She is an excellent lawyer and loves it. She’s a really interesting character.

• General Beckman, Ellie Bartowski and Sarah Walker from Chuck

Chuck is my favourite television show of all time. When I came to write this list though, I realised that all my favourite characters in it are male (Chuck, Cpt. Awesome, Casey and Morgan) but there are some good female characters in it too that just about make the cut for this list.
On the outside, General Beckman is stern and severe but she has a wonderful wry sense of humour and is really just a big softie.
Ellie Bartowski is a caring and protective older sister to Chuck. She’s highly intelligent, an excellent doctor and is always looking out for her brother. Unfortunately, she spends most of the show being lied to due to being kept in the dark about Chuck’s spy life as the Intersect.
Sarah Walker is harder to warm to as she hasn’t exactly got bags of personality or much depth. I wish that she had been written better. She is an exceptionally skilled CIA agent though who does have growth and character progression.

• Snow White, Emma Swan and Regina from Once Upon A Time

I love Once Upon A Time’s refreshing retellings of traditional stories. It’s really fun. The women are particularly great; each character gets her own complex backstory which explains her motivations and choices.
Snow White still has a good heart and sees the best in people but after being forced out of her home and hunted by the Queen, she learns to fight for herself and survives as a bandit. Snow White and Prince Charming (Snow teasingly dubs him thus) become equal partners and leaders in the fight against the Queen (and later, other foes) and he is just as often in need of her help as she is of his.

• Kate Beckett, Captain Gates and Alexis from Castle

Kate is a gifted homicide detective with the NYPD. She is tough, hard-working and dedicated but has a softer, compassionate side when dealing with the families of murder victims.
Captain Gates is highly competent at her job. She can be uncompromising and likes to play things by the book and not waver from the rules.
Alexis is Richard Castle’s level-headed daughter, who has a slightly firmer grasp on reality than her dad. Sensible and very intelligent but with a sense of fun too. She grows a lot as a character throughout the show’s seasons, starting off as a sweet but naïve teen and progressing through to adulthood.

• Diana Berrigan from White Collar

FBI Special Agent Diana Berrigan is chronically underutilised throughout the show. Despite this, she is superbly competent, intelligent and a most trusted colleague to Peter. Her growing relationship with Neal is wonderful. She has her head screwed on straight so she views Neal with the amount of suspicion that he deserves but they find a rhythm and a banter that makes the show better. They eventually come to find a way to trust each other.

• Veronica Mars from Veronica Mars

Veronica is a proactive, witty, smart teenage detective. She relentlessly pursues the truth and has the best snappy and irreverent one-liners.

• Betty Suarez from Ugly Betty

Betty is friendly, enthusiastic and hard-working. She’s always upbeat and positive. Her need to take care of everyone and her tendency to put everyone else’s needs before her own can get her into trouble. She is a good leader though and is very capable; she always manages to overcome the obstacles she faces.

• Monica Geller from Friends

Although Chandler is my favourite character in Friends, Monica is my second favourite. They are the best characters by a long way. Though not without her flaws, Monica is caring, intelligent, funny and highly competitive, which are always good things in my book.

BOOKS

• Darrell Rivers from the Malory Towers series by Enid Blyton

Darrell is clever, great at sport, good-hearted, responsible and sensible but, crucially, alongside these things, she also has a great sense of fun and mischief. She gets involved with pranks on the teachers, which become legendary. Unlike Alicia, who can play the fool in class and still get top marks in everything, Darrell learns that she herself is not able to do both. She becomes best friends with the level-headed Sally instead, who is a better influence on her than Alicia.
Darrell was my favourite character ever as a child and I wanted to be just like her (apart from her temper).

• Hermione Granger from the Harry Potter series by JK Rowling

Extremely intelligent, hard-working and logical. Unashamedly enthusiastic about learning and reading. She has an enormous heart with a strong conscience and always does what is right. She sets up S.P.E.W. and valiantly fights for the rights of the oppressed, despite everyone else mocking her for it. Harry and Ron would both have been dead without her knowledge of magic and cool-headed logic in extreme situations. She should have been the protagonist instead of Harry Potter. Awesome personified.

• Alanna of Trebond from The Song of the Lioness quartet by Tamora Pierce

Alanna swaps places with her twin brother and disguises herself as a boy in order to train to become a knight. Unwaveringly determined, stubborn and courageous. She becomes the first female knight in a century. I admire her toughness, defiance of gender stereotypes and inner steel.

• Jo March from Little Women by Louisa May Alcott

An outspoken, energetic girl with a good heart, lively imagination, massive intellect and a passion for writing.

“I hate to think I’ve got to grow up, and be Miss March, and wear long gowns, and look as prim as a China aster! It’s bad enough to be a girl, anyway, when I like boys’ games and work and manners! I can’t get over my disappointment in not being a boy; and it’s worse than ever now, for I’m dying to go and fight with Papa, and I can only stay at home and knit, like a poky old woman!”
~ Jo March

• Sonea from The Black Magician trilogy by Trudi Canavan

Sonea is from a poor family and discovers her magic through chance when she angrily throws a stone at the Guild magicians’ shield while she is being forced back to the slums during the annual Purge. We discover that she is one of the few magicians whose powers have developed naturally without the assistance of another, which means that she is extremely powerful.
During her first year studying at the Magicians’ Guild, she becomes even stronger by straining her powers to their limits to fend off her rival’s attacks. She also learns to develop clever strategic thinking to achieve victory in the arena. She is highly talented and hard-working; she learns two years worth of knowledge in half the time. Sonea always wants to protect those who need defending and help those who are suffering.

• Professor McGonagall from the Harry Potter series by JK Rowling

I love Professor McGonagall. She may be strict but she is always fair, even to the detriment of her own House. She is great at her job, brilliantly intelligent and capable. She’s a good person, someone of substance and integrity. I love how she lets go and forgets herself at Quidditch matches, jumping wildly up and down when Gryffindor win.

• Scout from To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

A fierce tomboy who is intelligent, curious, thoughtful and good-hearted.

• Kestrel “Kess” Hath from The Wind on Fire trilogy by William Nicholson

Kess is a girl of action who rebels against the society she lives in and wants to make it a better place. Her twin brother Bowman is reflective, empathetic and sensitive, leading people to say of Bowman and Kess “He is the one who feels, she is the one who does.”

• Lyra from His Dark Materials by Philip Pullman

Lyra is a scruff who prefers to play in the streets with other children than be at Jordan College, which she finds stuffy. She is rebellious, unruly, independent and fierce. She is quick-witted and canny, which leads to her being called Lyra Silvertongue.

• Sara Crewe from A Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett

Kind, generous and clever. She has a vivid imagination and is great at making up stories. Even when she is starving and poor, she gives up the food that she has to someone whom she believes is even more worse-off than herself. This generosity and relentless determination to be good to others, even when they are not good to her, is what sets her apart.

• Sabriel and Lirael from The Old Kingdom trilogy by Garth Nix

Sabriel is intelligent, strong-willed and determined. As Abhorsen, she is forced to shoulder a massive responsibility. She has to maintain extreme self-control over herself at all times so that the Dead will obey her. She wants to hurry to save her father but her compassion to those both living and dead means that she shows kindness to those who need it.
Lirael has to overcome the pain of being different and of being the only Clayr that is unable to see the future. She has to find her identity and destiny herself. She is strong and determined and has emotional depth. She is also inquisitive and always pushes herself to learn and grow.

• Matilda from Matilda by Roald Dahl

Matilda possesses an intelligence far beyond her years and loves to read. She is bullied and neglected by her parents and brother; she plots ingenious tricks on them in revenge. She discovers that she has the power of telekenesis. I think that we all tried to move objects with the power of our minds after reading Matilda.

FILMS

I really struggled to find great fictional women in films. This says a lot about the film industry. There really is a dearth of female characters and the ones that do exist are a bit rubbish. I managed to recall some that I love for this list but they are mostly younger roles; there were only a few adult roles that I deemed good enough (Hollywood, do better please). Here are my favourites:

• Anne Shirley from Anne of Green Gables

I love Anne’s energy and enthusiasm. This, along with her passionate, stubborn and sometimes impulsive nature, can get her into scrapes. She is a daydreamer who often gets lost in her imagination, in a fantasy world. But she is also good-hearted, gets top marks in class and has an unquenchable thirst for learning and books.

• Katniss Everdeen from The Hunger Games

There isn’t much to say about Katniss that hasn’t been said already. On top of the obvious strength, fierce determination and resourcefulness, I also admire her selflessness and love in not even hesitating to trade places with her sister by volunteering as tribute. At that point, she doesn’t know that she will survive the Hunger Games so her action in that moment is effectively the same as stepping in front of someone whom is being shot at in order to take the bullet. We all hope that we would possess that same bravery for those we love.

• Pai from Whale Rider

Pai is a natural leader. She has great respect for her tribe’s traditions and culture but she happens to defy the gender expectations of her community. Just by being true to herself, she expands what is possible for women to be in her tribe. I love her growing self-belief and determination.

• Mulan from Mulan

Mulan is the best animated film of all time and Mulan is the best animated character ever. End of. We can’t be friends if you don’t agree (kidding…sort of). Mulan is awesome.

• Jess from Bend it like Beckham

Jess loves playing football and is great at it. She joins her local football club. Unfortunately, her strict Sikh parents have very different ideas about what is appropriate for a young woman to be and do, which results in them banning her from playing football. She loves her parents very much but has to be strong enough to carry on being herself and doing what she loves.

• Jo from Twister

Jo’s dad died when she was little in an F-5 tornado. This is what drives her storm-chasing and her life’s work to gather data from inside tornadoes’ funnels to better understand how they work and create an early warning system to save people’s lives so that nobody else would ever have to go through what she went through. She is passionate, determined and tough.

• Dr. Ellie Arroway from Contact

Ellie is a brilliant scientist who works at SETI, searching for signs of extraterrestrial life. Due to her dedicated pursuit of this, she has long suffered the derision of the scientific community but she sticks to her guns and is passionate, intense and iron-willed. Her passion is fuelled by a deep fascination with the mystery of human existence and whether we are alone in the universe.

• Gracie Hart from Miss Congeniality

Gracie Hart is the most intelligent and capable FBI agent but sometimes has a problem with following orders because she actually has a brain and thinks for herself. This gets her into trouble with her boss. She’s tough, dedicated and a lovable scruff who is thrown way out of her comfort zone.
As with most films where a female character undergoes a makeover/transformation, I prefer the person pre-transformation to afterwards (another good example being Sandy in Grease).

• Lina Mayfleet from City of Ember

Lina loves to run and is fast. She becomes a Messenger in the underground city of Ember, which means she gets to run about all day and meet people, delivering their messages. She is curious, open-minded and notices everything, which is how she gradually begins to unravel the secrets and mysteries involved in the failing city as the power outages get longer and longer. Her bravery and determination take her out from the world she has always known.

• Anastasia from Anastasia

Without anything except her necklace as a clue, Anastasia sets out from the orphanage that she grew up in to try to find any family that she might have. She is playful, quick-witted and determined. It’s a long journey to find what she’s been looking for.
Anastasia is the second best animated film of all time. I love it. The songs are great too.

• Deloris Van Cartier/Sister Mary Clarence from Sister Act

Deloris is outgoing and funny with bags of personality and wit. She is thrown into a situation where she is a fish out of water but manages to make friends and revitalise the convent. Her energy and natural leadership bring about a lot of good as she persuades the nuns to leave the four walls of the convent, connect with the community and give it the practical help and love it needs.

• Merida from Brave

Merida is adventurous, bold and brave. She just wants to be free to be herself and to be free to make her own decisions; she pushes back against the expectations of her mother.

• Sarah Baker from Cheaper by the Dozen (1 & 2)

A mischievous girl who loves sport, being active and playing pranks.

• Annie and Hallie from The Parent Trap

Annie and Hal are the impish twins in this well-known film. Lovable and mischievous, they devise ingenious schemes first against each other at summer camp and then to swap places so that they get to meet their other parent and then to get their parents back together.

• Vada from My Girl

A precocious, curious girl who is growing up and has to deal with experiencing loss and grief.

• Amy from Fly Away Home

After losing her mother in a car accident, Amy is left bereft and has to go to live with her father, who is a stranger to her. At first she is sulky and sullen but she starts to heal. Things begin to change for the better when she finds some goose eggs that she nurtures and hatches. Through her determination and her growing relationship with her father, she achieves an epic feat, involving flying a glider across the US in order to save her geese and give them a normal life.

• Maddy from Catch That Kid

Athletic and resourceful, Maddy goes to extreme lengths when her parents don’t have the money for an operation which her much-loved father needs.

• Mia Thermopolis from The Princess Diaries

A socially awkward teenager with a wry sense of humour, who discovers that she is the heir to the throne of another country.

• Grace from The Horse Whisperer

After a tragic accident that results in the death of her best friend, Grace is left with a partially amputated leg and a traumatised horse who becomes uncontrollable. Grace becomes bitter and withdrawn but the horse whisperer helps her and her horse begin a journey of healing together and overcoming the grief and trauma.

• Leslie from Bridge to Terabithia

Leslie is fast and can beat all the boys at running. She’s adventurous, compassionate and stands up for what’s right. Her boundless imagination and creativity make her see magic in the ordinary and she creates a fantasy world, which she shares with her best friend.

• Calamity Jane from Calamity Jane

In order to hold her own in a man’s world, Calam dresses, speaks, rides and shoots like a man. She is capable and well-meaning but also disaster-prone.

• Annie from Annie

Annie is a lovable scamp who is kind to her fellow orphans at the orphanage and looks after them. She is energetic, forthright and endearing.

• Nim from Nim’s Island

Nim lives on an uncharted island with her father, having adventures across the island with her animal friends. She has a passion for books and is fascinated by wildlife and nature. She is good-natured, independent, resourceful and imaginative.
 
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What do you think about my favourite fictional female characters? Are they much different from your own favourites? Who are your favourites? Let me know.

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[NB This blog post has been sitting as a draft blog post for a couple of years. I’ve been gradually adding to it, tapping it out on my iPhone with my thumb when I’ve been able. I recently realised that it was complete so I’ve finally hit the publish button. There will probably be a few mistakes and omissions but it’s the best that I can do in the situation I’m in. I don’t know how interested anyone else is in this kind of thing but I love creating these sorts of lists so that’s what matters, I guess. I haven’t been able to get onto my iPhone for months at a time of late. My hands, wrists and forearms are very damaged and completely destroyed at the moment so please don’t expect replies to any of your comments. I’d love to be able to reply. Sorry that I can’t. I’d still love to hear from you though.]