Strong
Women: In Fact and In Fiction
By
Julie Coulter Bellon
Women
are multi-faceted people, usually wearing many hats in a complicated
world. But it can generally be said that most women have a commitment
to something, whether it be a way of life, a cause of some sort,
or a relationship with another person. It is through these commitments
that inner strength is born, nurtured and tested — when we decide
if that is really where our loyalty belongs.
LDS
fiction, particularly the suspense genre, highlights committed
women who are strong and capable (yet still feminine), able to
solve problems (but still need support from friends and loved
ones), and are more like the multi-tasking modern woman of today.
Women (as well as men) have to deal with emotional issues regarding
family relationships, wanting to feel loved and accepted, wanting
to make a difference in the world and be respected by peers.
However, women are often called upon to draw upon an inner strength
in order to feel successful in those commitments. LDS fiction
illustrates this strength by characterizing strong women who deal
with problems in a realistic way.
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For
example, No Way Out by Christine Kersey shows a
heroine who is committed to her marriage and uses that as a strong
foundation for her family. Yet her hidden strengths as a person
are revealed when she has to redirect her commitment to solve
the mystery behind her husband’s disappearance. She must find
out if her husband really is a criminal or defend the man she
knew him to be — all the while holding her family together. It
is when her commitment is tested that her personal strength is
truly shown.
Should
she stay with her husband? He’s had problems in the past; has
he returned to his previous ways? What should she do?
The
author takes the reader through all these questions and more as
the story unravels and the heroine is forced to look closely at
her marriage and where her loyalty lies. When she is at her breaking
point, it is then that she realizes what she wants out of life
— for both herself and her family. It is then that she truly
knows for the first time that she has the strength to deal with
it head on.
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An
example of an entire family of strong women is in Jeffrey Savage’s
new book, House of Secrets. He has crafted a multi-generational
mystery of three women and the people who surround them, with
the introduction of Shandra Covington. Shandra is committed to
trying to sort out the family issues of why her grandmother ran
away from the home she loved, why her mother never spoke of her
past, and how these situations affected Shandra as a young girl
and now a woman. Shandra needs that connection to her past and
is committed to putting her family’s history together so she can
move on with her life. Her commitment changes, however, when
she is drawn deeper and deeper into a mystery that forces her
to use an inner strength that she didn’t realize she had, not
only to face her family issues, but also to preserve her life.
No
woman lives in a vacuum however, and Shandra is no exception.
There are police officers, co-workers, and others who live in
her grandmother’s hometown to help her, support her, frustrate
her and frighten her. The way Shandra shows her strength, however,
is how she deals with the emotional gamut. When she discovers
her family’s secrets, a part of herself that had been buried is
also found. In the process, strength is born and nurtured, her
commitment is tested as she is pushed to her limits, almost loses
her life, and yet is able to learn from her own mistakes as well
as her family’s. Jeffrey Savage does a good job of writing from
a woman’s perspective, and House of Secrets addresses
emotional issues that many women deal with on a daily basis.
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Another
example of a strong heroine is Georgiana in Jennie Hansen’s new
release, The Bracelet. Georgiana is a servant
girl who has big dreams for her life, and is committed to climbing
the social ladder. When her dreams are shattered, her commitment
doesn’t change until she truly comes to a realization that her
real purpose is in trying to better herself rather than her station
in life and satisfy her need for knowledge. This commitment is
immediately tested, however, when she finds herself with no money,
no home, and not a lot of options. But she sticks to her moral
standards, even as she is threatened to do otherwise. She is
proactive in getting what she wants, sometimes to the extreme,
but she doesn’t do anything half-heartedly.
Georgiana
eventually finds friends and falls in love, building a support
system for herself, but not giving up any of her individuality.
She finds her talents, most quite by accident, but she is able
to use them to improve her circumstances. Her thirst for knowledge
spurs her to learn to read and she is given the opportunity to
learn about the gospel of Jesus Christ. She is compassionate
and kind, but feels heavy guilt for mistakes she has made in her
past that need to be reconciled before she can have a future.
Her decision making processes are sometimes painful just because
of the guilt that she feels. When she is finally able to move
on and realize that once you have done all that is possible to
make restitution then you need to let it go, she is able to commit
to living the life she’d always dreamed about.
The
hero in this book, Robert, is also very well done in that while
he disagrees with some of Georgiana’s decisions, he supports her
in making her own choices. He doesn’t derive his strength at
the expense of the heroine. Though at times Georgiana’s decisions
seem extreme, the reader can see the growth of the character from
the first chapter to the last. Georgiana was obviously born with
an inner strength to make it through the trials she was given,
but that strength is refined and burns ever brighter as she is
tested and pushed to her limits.
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Kerry
Blair’s heroine in Mummy’s the Word quickly became
one of my favorites. When Samantha Shade commits to a cause, everyone
else had better watch out. She has a strong sense of moral justice
and she wades into a situation before she has all the pertinent
information, which gets her in trouble, yet she sticks to her
guns, even though it seems to be a losing battle. One statement
she makes near the beginning of the book sums up her approach
to life: “I might as well admit from the start it’s the ifs in
situations that usually get me into trouble.” She knows she’s
quirky and is unsure of herself, usually trying too hard and questioning
her own motives, however, she is always wanting to appear like
she knows what she’s doing.
Samantha
is committed to proving to everyone that she is capable enough
to take over the family detective agency, with her uncle’s partners
as mentors and friends. These associates encourage her and help
her see that her choices and decisions may not always be right,
but her heart is in the right place and they don’t force their
will on her. All of the members of the agency seem to be equally
yoked, with skills that complement each other and build on their
individual strengths. However they are aware of how committed
Samantha is, and that it is this commitment that sometimes blinds
her in a sort of tunnel vision.
She
dreams of being a superhero and righting the wrongs of the world,
and at the same time, is trying to figure out how to fit into
the world around her by seeming more normal and less odd. Her
commitment changes however, when she is drawn into a mystery of
a mummy, and in the process finds herself and finds love — but
not without the threat of losing it all if she can’t figure out
the mystery before those she loves are harmed or killed.
Samantha’s
strength as a character is that she takes commitment to the next
level. When she says she’s going to do something, she does it
with gusto and most of the time doesn’t think it through. She
is endearing to the reader, however, because of her self-doubt,
trying not to hurt anyone, hoping that she can ask for forgiveness
later, and believing that she is doing what’s right.
Her
hidden strengths are that she is morally strong and courageous
in the face of adversity, she makes mistakes, but learns from
them, she is compassionate without being a doormat, and realizes
that while her family may be looked at as strange, they are solid
and a good support system for her.
Samantha
wants to prove herself in what is traditionally a man’s world
and keeps trying even when everything seems to go wrong. Just
for that reason alone, she is inspiring to others around her.
When everything goes wrong, when things couldn’t look worse, Samantha
Shade raises her chin — she is not beaten, and her inner strength
is revealed.
All
of these characters have one thing in common. At the core of
each unique woman is an inner strength, an inner commitment and
compass if you will. LDS fiction highlights this strength by
showing the growth that is achieved when the heroine is tried
and tested and draws from deep inside herself to stay true to
the commitment she has made, no matter what that may be or how
that commitment may have to be re-examined and re-directed. The
heroines in each of these four books are women I would like to
have as friends because they inspire me, they make me laugh, I
can cry with them, but most of all I can identify with them as
they struggle to find where their true commitment lies and in
the process find their true selves.
No
Way Out by Christine
Kersey, Covenant Communications, softcover, 289 pages, $15.95
House
of Secrets by Jeffrey
Savage, Covenant Communications, hardback, 295 pages, $18.95
The
Bracelet by Jennie
Hansen, Covenant Communications, hardback, 296 pages, $18.95
Mummy’s
the Word by Kerry
Blair, Covenant Communications, hardback, 285 pages, $18.95
