Women are often taught to be apologetic; they are taught that in order to be liked they must be agreeable. It seems, when a woman, or more specifically a female character is given the term “unlikable” she is like many of the male characters that the literary world tends to love. Spanning throughout the ages, audiences love, or love to hate unlikeable male characters, for example Heathcliff in Wuthering Heights. Heathcliff is vengeful, angry, and aims to destroy the lives of those that tormented him in his youth. Yet, the audience seems to side with this destructive and angry character. They want Heathcliff to seek his revenge against Hindley for the abuse he caused, and they want him to win over Cathy. So much so, that many readers consider
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As the novels mentioned above are considered classics, and they are important, because they allow their readers to measure whether not the perception of character, specifically unlikable female antagonists. One of the most obvious examples of this is of Amy Dunne in Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn. Amy is manipulative, she is cunning, and she is even scary at times. Amy is willing to do whatever it takes to get what she believes she deserves including kill herself and destroy her husband’s life along with her own. Much like Heathcliff, who is willing to destroy the lives of those around him to take revenge on the life he believes he was robbed of.Then why is it then that she is not praised for it like her male counterparts? Perhaps, it is because Amy Dunne is complicated. Perhaps, it is because she supposedly perpetuates the “bitch” stereotype given to women when they do not fall into the categories that make women easy to love, because she is nonthreatening. When a woman does not fit into that very narrow very constricting outline of what a woman is supposed to be which is kind, loving, nurturing, she is often seen as a monster, because society, and even readers of literature want to see women as mothers, as individuals who serve no other purpose but to conform to the ideals placed upon them by the male
As the novels mentioned above are considered classics, and they are important, because they allow their readers to measure whether not the perception of character, specifically unlikable female antagonists. One of the most obvious examples of this is of Amy Dunne in Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn. Amy is manipulative, she is cunning, and she is even scary at times. Amy is willing to do whatever it takes to get what she believes she deserves including kill herself and destroy her husband’s life along with her own. Much like Heathcliff, who is willing to destroy the lives of those around him to take revenge on the life he believes he was robbed of.Then why is it then that she is not praised for it like her male counterparts? Perhaps, it is because Amy Dunne is complicated. Perhaps, it is because she supposedly perpetuates the “bitch” stereotype given to women when they do not fall into the categories that make women easy to love, because she is nonthreatening. When a woman does not fit into that very narrow very constricting outline of what a woman is supposed to be which is kind, loving, nurturing, she is often seen as a monster, because society, and even readers of literature want to see women as mothers, as individuals who serve no other purpose but to conform to the ideals placed upon them by the male