Top Ten Tuesday

 

Hosted by The Broke and The Bookish

Top Ten Favorite Kick-Ass Heroines

1. Katniss Everdeen (Hunger Games)

She takes care of her family now that her dad is gone.  She volunteers as a tribute to take her sister's place in the Games.  She partners with Rue and then Peeta more to keep them alive than to help herself, though she does want to get herself through the games.  She uses her brains to aid her brawn.  Well, okay, not brawn, but she is wickedly awesome with a bow and arrow.  She risks herself for her and other districts, for other people.  She puts her life on the line for the greater good (and in this sense the greater good is a good term).

2. Hermione Granger (Harry Potter)

Without her the trio would be dead.  She is the smartest witch of her age and without her brain Harry would not be able to defeat Voldemort.  She puts her life on the line to help the Wizarding World.  She didn't have to.  Voldemort and the Death Eaters would not have cared much about her if she was not friends with Harry and defied them.  Well, that is until Voldemort takes control of the Ministry and aims to get rid of the Muggle-borns.  Hermione fights for what is right not what is easy.  She stands openly for the light.

3. Lucy Pevensie (Chronicles of Narnia) - Queen of Narnia, the Valiant

She leads her brothers and sister into Narnia.  She is brave and as Aslan has dubbed, she is valiant (I guess that says the same thing!).  She fights to protect a world she is not a part of.  She is not afraid.  She does it out of love and the kindess of her heart.  She believes the strongest in Aslan.  

4. Susan Pevensie (Chronicles of Narnia) - Queen of Narnia, the Gentle

In the end she loses her heroine status, but in the Pevensies' main stories she is a heroine.  I focus on that.  She believes her sister when she talks of this place called Narnia.  She is a good sibling, getting along with her brothers and sister.  Like Lucy, she fights to protect a world she's not a part of. She's great with a bow and arrow.  She's a great older sister.  It's important for her to be there when their mother and father cannot. She's taken over the motherly role for her siblings.

5. Jill Pole (Chronicles of Narnia)

She was bullied at school.  Narnia taught a valuable lesson that she is able to use when she arrives home.  Her task in Narnia is to retrieve a person she does not know for another person she does not know.  But, she knows she has to do it.  This task allows her to face the taunting and her fears in her life.  I think Jill Pole is more of an ordinary girl than Lucy and Susan.  She shows that even ordinary people can do extraordinary things and overcome their adversaries.  

6. Lily Potter (Harry Potter)

The love of a mother cannot be matched.  She gave her life for her son.  She put herself in harm's way so her son would not die.  She defied Voldemort three times.  She fought for good.  She didn't just sit back and let someone else do it.  This was before the prophecy, before she got pregnant.  She was just a young witch who knew Voldemort was wrong and needed to be defeated.  She did this by joining the Order of the Phoenix, an active group in defeating the dark.  

7. Beatrice "Tris" Prior (Divergent)

I'm over halfway done with book 1 and she hasn't done anything overly heroic like the others listed here, but I still find her to be a heroine in her own right.  When the decision times comes she picks Dauntless over her family's faction, Abnegation.  It is brave, but not heroic, to choose a different faction, especially the one that honors bravery.  Like the others listed here, she doesn't sit back and let others do all the work.  Partly, she can't because that would have her kicked out of initiation and end up factionless.  She does care for her friends, the ones she makes during initiation.  She takes Al's place when Eric does things to him (I think this happens twice).  She cares enough to take care of Edward after he is attacked by Peter.  That's a sign, for me, of things to come.  I do believe there is heroic deeds coming her way as there is a reason she was named Divergent in her testing!  (If you have finished this book don't spoil me!)

8. Ginny Weasley (Harry Potter)

Every Weasley is brave, even Percy.  Ginny is no exception.  She wasn't placed into Gryffindor for nothing.  Her most heroic actions are joining Dumbledore's Army, fighting the Death Eaters at the Department of Mysteries in book 5, and openly defying Voldemort and the Death Eaters in book 7.  In book 7 while the trio is missing from school, she steps up with Neville and Luna to lead Dumbledore's Army.  She puts her life in her hands by doing such things as trying to steal the Sword of Gryffindor.  At the end, she defies her parents' wishes and stays to fight even though she's underage.  We are to obey our parents, but in this case disobeying them is the right move.  One more able body to help fight.

9. Molly Weasley (Harry Potter)

In my opinion, she's the ultimate bad-ass housewife and stay-at-home mother.  She's a member of the Order of the Phoenix.  She fights at Hogwarts in book 7.  She doesn't just raise her children.  Molly wants the world to be safe for her children and her future grandchildren.  When she believes in something she fights for it.  It's not just that that makes her a heroine.  She is one of the most loving mothers we see.  She takes in Harry and Hermione as if they were her own children.  She's not a mother to 7.  She's a mother to 9.  For an orphan like Harry, she's very important. 

10. Matilda Wormwood (Matilda)

She stands up to her parents and her wicked awful headmistress.  She could have just gone through school not making any noise.  She could make herself unnoticeable to Miss Trunchbull and be fine.  That's not her way.  Miss Trunchbull is a bully.  She bullies students and Matilda's teacher, Miss Honey.  Matilda sticks up for those who can't stick up for themselves, not to make them sound weak.  She has reached her ultimate brain power to do something others can't.  This ability allows her to stand up to Miss Trunchbull.  Matilda has a heart to guide her to stand up against the bullying.