WILLOWEDWOES

 

Fiction enables the human mind to delve within the canvas of creativity, representing the personal or outer experiences with the help of artistic exposures. When watching a movie/TV-show or listening to a song, the tendency of resonating with a particular character or lyrics is immensely common and appreciated. This showcases the beauty of connecting with fellow human minds with shared experiences within and beyond cultural, linguistic and social barriers.

In the contemporary times, when the societal pressure on women becomes prominent, the desires and ambition of them function as a passive influence on their personal life. This is where the interconnectivity between gender, feminism, mental health and the society comes front as a significant matter of discussion. Through the help of artistic creations, the analogy becomes more enriched as it gives out dynamic instances for the people to connect with those however they want.

 

In this following blog, we are to witness analysis of five key fictional characters and few songs which stood out to my perception as a production of complex commitment issues and hyper independence due to the surrounding societal affairs:

 

I.  Josephine/Jo March from ‘Little Women’

 

 

Louisa May Alcott’s first description of Jo March in Little Women: “Fifteen-year-old Jo was very tall, thin, and brown, and reminded one of a colt, for she never seemed to know what to do with her long limbs, which were very much in her way. She had a decided mouth, a comical nose, and sharp, gray eyes, which appeared to see everything, and were by turns fierce, funny, or thoughtful.” 

 

The abiding classic by Louisa May Alcott, later adapted into movies many times, features a fierce and self-reliant character- Josephine March. Set into the late 19^th century, the plot situates during and after the American Civil War, where Jo, the second oldest sister among four, is seen beholding extreme passion towards literature. Unlike her other sisters, Jo is seen being more prone to be ‘independent’ and beholding wary feelings over marriage. This setting showed Jo’s discomfort over the probability of letting go of her possible career and devote herself to a married life.

 

 

 

This sensation of helplessness once being tied up with the commitment and responsibility of any affair or marriage created an atmosphere of suffocation for Jo. At first glance, the situation might seem like a personal issue, but, if perceived properly, the contemporary societal and cultural setting burdened upon her the ideology of a woman’s life being sufficient and appropriate only when it is centred around her husband and children. In the 2019 movie adaptation directed by Greta Gerwig, the respective character played by Saoirse Ronan, Jo is seen presenting a monologue where she expresses how she fantasises the idea of being loved and how lonely she is yet ends up contradicting herself by expressing, “I’m so sick of people saying that love is just all that a woman is fit for.” This act showcased how misinterpreted women’s desires have been in the society and how they are incapable of expressing themselves without always needing to represent themselves within a certain categorised box. 

II. Yang Geum-Myeong from ‘When Life Gives You Tangerines’

 

 

 

 

Majorly focusing on the lifestyle at the Jeju island of South Korea, the 2025 K-drama beholds rich themes of family, hardships, culture and compassion. Played by IU, Yang Geum-Myeong, the eldest daughter of Gwan-Sik and Ae-Sun (the lead couple of the storyline), has been seen witnessing the struggles of financial instability and its negative outcomes further in her upbringing. Being the first generation university student of her family, Geum-Myeong is the beholder of immense expectations and ambitions. While the literary desires of her mother remained unfulfilled, the respective character functions as a symbolic bearer of another woman’s unmet desires to be met.

Despite proving academic excellence, the aspect of being the eldest daughter belonging from a rustic background with insufficient financial resources comes front as major factors which overshadows the privilege of her having an emotionally content family. Due to the monetary crisis since childhood, Geum-Myeong is shaped as an overly self-dependant woman whose primary focus is achieving material success in life. To think this tendency makes her grow ignorant and selfish towards her family, is to be greatly indifferent yourself.

 

As much as Geum-Myeong loathes poverty being the obstacle on the way of her possible success, instead of burdening her parents with the blame, she begins to hold herself liable for the further expenses that have to be taken care of solely for her sake. Later in the show, she is seen taking up part-time jobs and living in unsafe areas due to cheap rents during her student life to lessen the baggage from her parents’ shoulders.

‘Til the very last episode, Geum-Myeong is seen taking care of her parents from every aspect once becoming financially independent, as well as taking great care of her personal life amidst often occurring crisis. Instead of labelling her as ‘ungrateful’ at the very first glance, the in-depth reading of her complex characteristics enables one to explore how different financial upbringings affect children in different ways, along with the treatment of genders on the basis of contemporary societal and cultural settings.

 

III.  Bindu from ‘Meri Pyaari Bindu’

 

 

The 2017 film directed by Akash Roy, deals with a hopeless romantic writer (played by Ayushman Khurrana) and his unrequited muse- ‘Bindu’ (played by Parineeti Chopra), where the topics of idealisation, devotion and through these the creation of art comes front as primary themes.

While the narration is done by the male lead, we are enabled to perceive his muse through the lense of his biaseness, somehow. Yet, if delved into the plot with interest, the subtle yet significant traces of Bindu’s genuine characteristics can be found. Primarily focusing on the idea of the said muse, the film overtly showcases Bindu from a heavily romanticised lense. Yet, here is where the depper analysis deleves in. The heavily practised tendency of representing the fabricated version of one’s persona from one point of view is an opportunity to explore artistic exposures but from another hand blocks the path of subjective and detailed observation.

Within the stoiryline, Bindu is a highly artistic & ambitious girl and later a woman who always beholds a traumatic bond with her father and a late mother whom she lost to a car accident. Even with subtle presentations, it becomes obvious how trauma plays a significant role in her character. (Some chronic, stressful experiences in childhood that can cause trauma symptoms later in life are called adverse childhood experiences (ACEs). ACEs are linked to physical illness, depression, anxiety, and even early death in adulthood.

 

 

 

While the parting ways between the lead couple happened due to the given reason of Bindu needing to explore more of her career, it functioned as a coping mechanism to escape from vulnerability. The featured picture showcases how heavily Abhimanyu obsessesed over and worshipped the idea of her that it is aptly scribed down in his work. While the two interact again years later and Bindu reads his story, she is seen stating, “This is your version of the story, Abhi, mine would be a little different.”

 In the meantime, she is presented as a married woman with a daughter, somehow expressing how this is a way of her experiencing motherhood as a woman with a traumatic childhood. This is a great symbolisation of how the contemporary society accepts the achievement of feminism only through the materialistic aspects, yet Bindu was brave enough to break the stereotype without making a prominent proof to anyone.

IV.   Kook Yeon-Su from ‘Our Beloved Summer’

 

 

 

 

 

The 2021 K-drama starring Choi Woo-Shik (playing as Choi Woong) and Kim Da-Mi (playing as Kook Yeon-Su) focuses on a complicated romantic relationship between the two and its outcome. While emphasising on the bond, the individual focuses over the characters can also be consumed.

Here, within the show, Kook Yeon-Su is presented as an overly self-reliant and emotionally detached woman since highschool. Considering her relationship with Woo-Shik, she is seen always being reluctant about showing affection despite beholding such feelings.

Due to her struggling financial condition, she is always prone to suppress her sufferings or any kind of personal expression as a way of protecting her vulnerability and any outer harm. This habit later resulted her to push away her only love interest against will.

Often perceived as the cold and unfazed character, Yeon-Su beholds many layers within her personality like any other human being. Always overwhelmed by the worry of success, she began to view any kind of close bonding as an obstale and burden towards her path. The flawed emotional maturity showcases her incapability of expressing herself amidst the chaotic world.

 

 

 

 

Meanwhile being the avoidant one in the relationship, Yeon-Su is often witnessed presenting dual personality and behaviour while frequently breaking things off with Woo-Shik. When she, at last, took the decision of parting ways with him in her early life, the statement- “You’re the only thing I can get rid of.” functions as a prominent instance of her inferiority and avoidant complex. The compassionate side of Yeon-Su is being witnessed numerous times within the show yet heavily overseen due to the perception of her being immensely self-dependant.

The misconception and burden of being a finanially sufficient woman or being an absolute failure haunted Yeon-Su’s perceptions and desires, which is, indeed, an outcome of the societal expectations for the modern women and the misinterpretation ideology of feminism.

 

V.   Greta Lee from ‘Past lives’

 

 

The Academy winner 2023 film directed by Celine Song, ‘Past Lives’ deals with the concepts of immigration, identity and cultural barriers. Played by Nora, Greta Lee, was being witnessed as a character of great self-dependance, ambition and dedication.

Being a South Korean immigrant during her early life, Greta is seen adapting to the western lifestyle with time and escalating her career. The plot primarily focusing on the unrequited love, also delves into the concepts of the lifestyle of the asian immigrants, focusing on the contemporary cultural, economical and societal differences from the western people.

 

The tendency of idealisation of one’s romantic muse also becomes prominent in the movie, where Greta is a completely different woman through different cultural experiences than the little girl who matched the impression of the young Hye Soong. Acquiring education from a South Korean middle school and later from american education system, Greta learnt to gain the cultural adaptibility.

While it functioned as a form of foreignisation for the male lead to comprehend the outer cultural experiences. To idiolise Greta is to disrupt her individuality as person, especially a woman, who chose to explore herself through diverse experiences.

The proneness towards materialistic experiences, simeltaneously experiencing romantic bonds during the lifestyle showcases the life of women immigrants. The quote where she states, “The Greta Lee you fell in love with no longer exists.”, represents how different cultural and societal experiences shape people throughout time.

 

To conclude, the blog discusses over numerous types of hyper-independence in women and their traits. While most mentioned women characters acquire the tendency of hyper-independence and the characteristics of accessing self-reliance materialistically, the tendency of embracing one’s achievement through only material aspects and demeaning one from emotional aspect show how the matter of gender and feminism is yet sensitive to the Indian mass and is in need of more sensitisation and genuine knowledge.

The reference of Taylor Swift’s lyrics becomes significant to the respective topic where she expresses, “She could’ve been such a lovely bride, what a shame she’s messed in the head.” or “The only kinda girl they see is a one night or a wife.”