The Eowyn rant

[sally_maria]

I've been threatening this for a while - so here is my view on why a common complaint about Eowyn's character is misconceived.

The question of Eowyn, "Heroine or Deserter" has been raised in various places - the most interesting essay I have read on the topic lately is "The Problem of Éowyn: A Look at Ethics and Values in Middle-earth" by Dawn Catanach http://www.unm.edu/~tolkien/Greybook/eowyn.pdf

There is another common view of Eowyn that I have seen in various places which often seems to pass without debate. There seem to be quite a number of fans who have problems with the fate that Tolkien describes for the character.

They see Eowyn as "settling" for Faramir and accepting that women shouldn't be warriors but should instead be relegated to a role as home builders and healers. That what Tolkien is doing is taking a strong female character and forcing her back into her "proper place".

This seems to me to be based on several misconceptions.

There is no doubt that Eowyn has some skill as a warrior; though her triumph over the Witch King is mainly due to courage, stemming mostly from despair, rather than any great skill with arms. In the society and even more the family she grew up in, male-dominated as it was, it is not surprising that she saw battle as the way to gain the respect she craved both for herself and for her people.

The problem is that Tolkien didn't see being a warrior as the most worthy occupation for the people of Middle-earth. He makes it clear that while skill in battle and as a leader of men was to be respected, that wisdom and knowledge were even more important. He didn't see healing as a purely female role, after all Elrond was one of the most skilled healers left this side of the Sea. He also chose "healing" to be the mark of the True King, "the hands of the king are the hands of a healer".

So in showing Eowyn as putting aside warfare for healing, he is not downgrading the character but showing her increased maturity. She is shown as having grown as a person as a result of her experiences, not being forced into some kind of stereotypical female role.

Her choice of Faramir is another sign of her increased maturity. It is made clear that the feelings she had for Aragorn were a kind of hero-worship, rather than a mature love. She no longer longs to be a queen, instead she wants to be with this particular man - who is after all well-deserving of her respect. He is both a formidable warrior and a man who is kind and wise. Their relationship may flower quickly but it shows every sign of being long-lasting.

And after all, the other mortal characters are shown to have happy endings with marriage and family. Why should it be any different for Eowyn? To see marriage as automatically downgrading to a female character seems to me to be the projecting of modern attitudes into a universe that doesn't work that way - the power and influence of women in Middle-earth is not affected by their marital status. After all, just look at Galadriel. ;-)

Comments

[na-lon.livejournal.com]

Eep... something has gone wrong with the code in this... Fix it please so I can read your thoughts? Ta!

[sally_maria]

Seriously wrong - I didn't know it was possible to include a command to randomize what you typed, particularly by accident. ;-)

Thanks for letting me know, I hope I've sorted it now.

[na-lon.livejournal.com]

Hear, hear! :-) I totally agree with you.

I don't think that seeing marriage as downgrading a woman is a universal (western) attiude, however. I am a modern, married woman. I did not perceive becoming married as in any way diminishing to me or to my skills and self-esteem. I am still me, just as Eowyn is still herself. I always thought that in Faramir she found someone that would be happy for her to be herself, just as she would be happy for him to be himself, and as such I see their bond and marriage as liberating and strengthening. They complement each other so well and respect and love each other. What could be more important than that?