Final Project- Blog 4: Shared Experiences Among Female Characters

After I analyzed the films and texts for comparisons of experiences, I found quite a few of them. There were some themes though that seemed more prevalent than others, which were being tricked by a male character, helping male characters defeat a villain, being physically abused by a male character, and having a savior help them and change their life.

The first shared experience I looked into was being tricked by a male character. There were two different women that shared this experience, and they were Catwoman and Wonder Woman (the graphic novel). Catwoman was tricked by the male character that gave her a second chance and allowed her to have a secretary position within his office. He told her that she would be able to move up and make a great life for herself, but in reality, we know that that can't be true because there are really no true promotions to being a secretary. Secondly, Catwoman is tricked when the male doesn't tell her that he knows of her true identity, and when she finds out, he throws her off a building to her death. Wonder Woman shared a similar experience to Catwoman. She had a man take interest in her, which made it seem like he was trying to allow her to grow and form a better life for herself. We later find out that this man, War, did not care about her at all, and he was actually using her in a plot to destroy all of her enemies, so he could live a carefree life with no worries or problems.

The second shared experience was helping
male characters defeat the major villain within the text or the film. Two women shared these experiences, and they were both from films. They were Wonder Woman and Holly, known as Elastic Girl, ("The Incredibles"). In "The Incredibles," Holly is told to stay home and that her husband will be able to defeat the villain on his own, but Holly decides not to listen last minute. When she shows up to the battle, it appears that her husband, Mr. Incredible, needs her help more than ever. She jumps into action and starts to defend her husband, but she her life begins to be threatened drastically as well. Elastic Girl and Mr. Incredible than realize that they must work as a team if they wish to defeat the villain, and that is just what they did. Wonder Woman shares many similarities to that of Elastic Girl. Originally, Batman and Superman are facing some large demon from another universe, and they do not ask for her help. When she shows up, Batman and Superman are getting their butts kicked from the villain. She jumps into action to help, but soon realizes that she too can't defeat him. So, Batman and Wonder Woman work together to fight and distract the villain, while Superman finds and acquires the kryptonite to defeat him. In both of these films, the leading female character must work together to defeat the villain, but he help and skills were drastically needed for the safety of all members.



The third theme or shared experience I found was female characters needing a savior. Three women that shared this theme was Supergirl, Wonder Woman (comic), and Catwoman. Supergirl was being kidnapped by robots and having her butt kicked by them, and even though she was trying her best to fight them off, she wasn't good enough. Eventually, Superman shows up and saves the day, and ultimately, by Superman showing up, it controlled her future life and destiny. Wonder Woman shares a similar to experience because at the end of the graphic novel, she decides to spare the Matador, but War becomes extremely displeased with her. War begins attacking Wonder Woman, and she can't seem to defend herself fully or protect herself, but because she didn't kill the Matador, he regains his strength and kills War, which ultimately spared Wonder Woman and protected her when she could not protect herself. Finally, Catwoman experienced something a little different than the last two. She didn't have anyone protect her physically, but someone that tried to protect her mentally and emotionally. The man that gives her a second chance serves as a savior because without him, she wouldn't have learned about her true identity. Also, this causes him to push her off of a building, which results in Selina Kyle to become Catwoman. Without this man inserting himself into her life, Selina Kyle would have just been Selina Kyle, and she would have never realized the true potential of herself and her identity.


The final theme or shared experience I saw was a female character experiencing physical abuse by a male character. There were two women that shared this experience and that was Catwoman and Wonder Woman (comic). Previously discusses, Catwoman is beaten by a passed employer and thrown into an alley way by a dumpster. After that abusive and physical encounter, she is then thrown off of a building by her new male employer. Both of these instances are extreme cases of physical abuse, but Wonder Woman does not experience physical abuse to this level. When Wonder Woman disobeys War, he begins attacking her and beating her up, but because she had the Matador right there, the abuse was short-lived and she left with minor injuries.

With all of these shared experiences or themes, it shows the female leading characters as weak, vulnerable, and victims. Hopefully graphic novels begin to move away from these themes, so women can be portrayed as strong and mighty individuals and not as helpless. The only positive theme I could find was in both of the movies and they work together to defeat the villain with their male counterparts.