In today's society, women are often seen as helpless "damsels in distress" or as having to rely on a man to save them from difficult tasks. This stereotype is reinforced by television, literature and Hollywood. An article by Salma Yaqoob talks about such stereotypes among Muslim women. She says: “The perception of Muslim women in the West is invariably that of… victims” (Yaqoob). Most believe that these women “need to be rescued”. Similarly, women are often treated as inferior to men and need their guidance. The famous 18th century work Charlotte Temple is an early example of the stereotypical view of the helpless woman; while The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins goes against the grain and attempts to abolish the gender roles put in place by our society, featuring a strong female protagonist. Say no to plagiarism. Get Custom Essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”?Get Original EssayThe character Charlotte in Charlotte Temple is portrayed as an innocent and helpless fifteen-year-old girl. This character is not simply a fictional girl imagined in Rowson's mind, but is representative of women of this period. Charlotte is the symbol of a true young woman of her time and in the expected role. American and European women were uneducated and, "victims of a patriarchal society..." many "...sought to demonstrate the intellectual inferiority of women" (Barton). Women were subject to an oppressive patriarchal regime. As a result, Charlotte was untouched by the corruption of the world and often surprises her mentor, Mademoiselle La Rue, with her lack of knowledge of the world. Charlotte's innocent nature is first revealed after she returns from a night out with La Rue. Charlotte says: “…I thought these gentlemen were very free in their manners: I wonder if you would allow them to behave as they did. " La Rue insists that it was Charlotte's own folly to expect otherwise and says: "...if your delicacy has been offended by the behavior of these gentlemen, you need not return” (Rowson 18). This dialogue is used by the author to shape the character of Charlotte and La Rue; one as an innocent but ignorant young girl, and the other as a socially adept woman very familiar with the behavior of the world. Charlotte's female impotence will be revealed later in the novel. Yet it is this helplessness that society has determined the good young woman should possess, not as aberrant behavior that author Rowson portrayed in the character of Charlotte. Charlotte endures many trials throughout the novel and is unable to do anything about them. he. She can't help it. She foolishly travels with Montraville to America, who leaves her shortly after. Upon discovering that Montraville has left her, she immediately accepts that she is condemned to live a life in which “…shame, remorse and disappointed love will henceforth be [her] only companions” (Rowson 45). She doesn't know what to do and often bursts into tears thinking about her misfortune. She sends a letter to her parents, begging forgiveness for running away, but only after Madame Beauchamp asks her to. Charlotte is completely helpless. Not only is she incapable of saving herself, but she is entirely subject to the will of men. Leaving Charlotte, Montraville said to his companion: “It was I who seduced her, Belcour. Without me, she would always have been virtuous and happy in affection andprotection of his family” (Rowson 54). Charlotte's life is shaped by this man and she has no power to change it. Modern readers would view Charlotte's behavior as ridiculous, as no one in today's era would conceive of a woman behaving in such a stupid manner. Readers today would not identify with his helplessness or lack of control over his own well-being. However, this remains the expected role of a woman, to be secondary to men and dependent on men for the happiness and well-being of the female population of the society. In contrast to Charlotte's helplessness, Katniss Everdeen is resourceful and fends for herself in the poverty-stricken District 12. “Katniss functions as a subversive character in the sense that she goes against traditional female stereotypes” (Graf). Her character contradicts the gender roles set up by society and promoted through television and literature. Katniss's father died when she was young, and her mother was completely overcome by grief. Her mother could not find work to support the family: “She did nothing while sitting in a chair… staring at a point in the distance” (Collins 26-27). With her father gone and her mother mentally unstable, young Katniss had to take care of herself and her younger sister. “…she failed to live up to society's expectations of women because she became the caretaker of her mother and younger sister Prim after her father died. His role in the family differs from usual expectations” (Brooks). In every way, Katniss became the mother and the mother became the child she needed to care for and comfort. Katniss was thrown into a "do or die" situation and she handled it well. She looked for food to feed her family and sold the surplus in exchange for other necessities. Rather than turning to a man to save her from misfortune, she takes care of herself without complaint. It is Katniss who offers Prim's sacrificial protection by deciding to go to the games in her place. Even when she is forced to participate in the Hunger Games, she refuses to show weakness or ask for sympathy. She takes control of the arena and ends up winning. Collins didn't do something new by creating an incredibly strong female character. Hannah Blankenship of the University of Idaho Women's Center says, "Women defying typical gender roles or being perceived as 'tough' is nothing new, but their representation in society is rare” (Blankenship). Collins' first book was highly successful and widely read; however, she doesn't stop after one book. In the final two books of the trilogy, Katniss's strength is tested time and time again. She endures the deaths of loved ones, is sent into the arena a second time, and becomes the face of the rebellion. The rebels see her as their leader, once again breaking the mold of gender roles. Katniss leads them to the gates of the Capitol and rallies them to victory. Collins shaped his heroine, Katniss, to become a strong role model for modern men and women. Society often honors those who fight against all odds to achieve freedom, and this is what draws the reader to Katniss's fight, even as she fights against the social roles of women in society. The fact that she can hunt and kill animals as well as humans, to survive and protect her loved ones, is as aberrant as Charlotte Temple's lack of action, and both authors present shocking and memorable characters. These two novels are very different. But the main difference is that we comply with the.. 2013.