A common theme in children’s literature is good versus evil. Often the protagonist finds himself facing a great challenge that must be overcome, not only for his own good, but for the good of humanity. Many times the hero must confront his flaws, whether it is to accept them, overcome them, eradicate them, or use them to his advantage. As a result, he gains independence, honor, respect, or a deeper understanding of himself. This holds true even more so for the female protagonist, who has much to overcome in any male-dominated society.

         Literature reflects the values and beliefs of the time in which it is written. The written word holds the power to persuade its readers to adopt new values, to challenge their beliefs, and to draw them into new worlds where anything is possible. A book can transform a character from a shy, reluctant outcast, to a wise, assertive leader in the course of a few chapters. It can convert faults into fortes and defeats into undeniable victories. Literature can transform the minds of its readers along with the characters as they follow the evolution of the protagonist. By demonstrating the empowerment of a female as she takes the central role, a book opens the mind of the reader to consider that, despite society’s constraints, being a woman is not a flaw in itself.

         A female finding herself in the process of overcoming a foe is the focus of these five children’s books: The Gammage Cup (Kendall), A Wrinkle in Time (L’Engle), Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH (O’Brien), The Hero and the Crown (McKinley), and Poppy (Avi). There are many parallels in the development of each female character as well as in the events surrounding her growth. Each evolves in her own way, gaining a new perspective of herself and her worth to society.

         Muggles, the main character of The Gammage Cup, is shown to be different from the other Minnipins from the beginning of the book (“Then, of course, there was Muggles.” page 7). The first chapter describes her as in good humor, eager to please, and a bit simpleminded. Her “piles,” as she calls them, are her unique way of organizing her little house, much to the displeasure of her tidier friends. She also enjoys sporting a bright orange sash around her waist, as opposed to the preferred brown. Despite these daring behaviors, Muggles is still careful not to defy the authority of the Periods and feels that Minnipins should be proper – “A place for everything,” she says on page 12. However, it is her bright orange sash, not her prudence, that initially allows her to be accepted by “Them” (Curley Green, Gummy, and Walter the Earl) on page 32, when Walter uncovers the ancient Minnipin treasures.

         Muggles starts out with a personal desire to conform to the ways considered proper for Minnipins. However, she also tries to protect the outcasts and defend their right to be different. Eventually, she begins to realize her own desire to be unique, such as on page 76, when she decides to wear her orange sash even after being asked to remove it. The town meeting is the pivotal point for Muggles, where she sits beside the outcasts, stating, “This is where I belong” (pg 107.) She speaks up for her own rights and the rights of her new friends; she even accepts the punishment of banishment along with them. From that point on, Muggles becomes the reluctant leader of the band of exiles. The others start to look to her for advice and insight as they begin a life far from their old homes.

         Muggles gains confidence in her abilities throughout the book and by the end, she becomes a key player in discovering and defeating the Mushrooms, who wished to destroy the Minnipin village. She helps to reveal truth to the villagers who once shunned her, and is hailed as a heroine (page 281). Previously considered simpleminded by the other Minnipins, Muggles wins their respect by sticking to her beliefs and doing what she knows is right.

         Meg, the protagonist of A Wrinkle in Time, is another character who tries to make sense of her life. Meg struggles with self-esteem: “…Meg Murry [does] everything wrong” (pg 4), “Why do I always have to show everything?” (pg 5), “…a monster like me” (pg 6). Her parents have assured her that she is very bright, yet Meg continues to struggle with her schoolwork and is in the lowest section of her grade. Once her journey with Charles Wallace, Calvin, and her three strange neighbor-women begins, Meg’s focus is solely on finding her father, who she feels will fix everything that has gone awry in her life. The dark, evil shadow that threatens to overtake the entire universe is secondary in her mind. At the start of her travels, Meg clings to others around her, seeking love, protection, and a logical explanation. Even though she is frightened and confused, Meg attempts to construct an understanding of what is going on and what is happening to her younger brother. But when Meg is given the gift of her faults on page 100, it is almost too much for her to handle.

         Throughout the rest of the three children’s journey, however, Meg’s impatience is what keeps them going (page 102, 104, 109); and that same impatience begins to resemble leadership on page 119, when Meg admits her fear but urges the group on anyway. It is Meg’s tenacity that helps her discover the phoniness of the man with red eyes and the whole state of the planet Camazotz. By page 137, she is determined to be brave and begins to rely on herself for comfort rather than “looking for a hand to hold” (page 137). However, she still clings to the hope that her father is going to make everything better. When she discovers that he cannot on page 155, she turns to herself, faults and all, knowing and accepting that she is the only one who can save her brother from the clutches of IT. Meg’s defiance and stubbornness enables her to resist giving in to IT. Finally, her love for Charles Wallace conquers the evil her father was not able to defeat.

         The next protagonist, Mrs. Frisby (Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH), is also very loving; she is a mother mouse of four small children, the youngest of whom is sick. Mrs. Frisby keeps to herself and is hard-working and practical; a no-nonsense protector of her children and home. Her husband has died, leaving her as the only provider for her family. It is for that reason that Mrs. Frisby always puts her family first; even well into the book, after she has heard the story of the rats of NIMH and seen all they have done, she is still wary of getting too overly involved with the rats. In the middle of Nicodemus’ story, she cuts him short and insists that her children are waiting for their lunch, and must leave (pg 150.)

         Mrs. Frisby is more than willing to be brave and risk her life for her children, but concern for the rats’ affairs does not surface until she is captured while trying to drug the cat. From her cage, she overhears the adults discuss having the rats under the rosebush removed (pg 197). At this point, she realizes the rats need her help as much as she needs theirs. Since her son became ill, she has learned a lot about the rats and about her husband’s involvement with them, and it had been difficult for her to get a grasp on it all. Up until this point, both she and the rats had built their lives on their own. By the end of the book, they become dependant on each other for survival as all of their lives are threatened. Mrs. Frisby began practical, cautious, and somewhat of a loner, and developed into a knowledgeable, confident mouse who has many new friends on her side.

         Aerin’s story, The Hero and the Crown, is similar to some of the others previously discussed because she is also an outsider. She is ashamed of herself for many reasons – her birth mother is believed to be a witch, she has orange hair, and she shows no signs of giftedness when everyone else around her has developed gifts quite well. Aerin only shows herself in public when she is required to do so. She is very aware of the fact that her people are suspicious and distrustful of her. The fact that she is constantly being oppressed by Galanna and Galanna’s husband, Perlith, does not boost her self-confidence, either.

         When Aerin becomes passionate about a pastime, her character really blooms. As she travels into town gathering ingredients for kenet, the dragon fire repellant, the townspeople find her “charmingly unpretentious,” with “a smile for everyone” (pg 61). Aerin earns the respect of many when she tames Talat, her father’s injured war-horse and begins riding him as her own. Aerin’s journey to heroism truly begins when she slays her first dragons in a nearby city. As she continues to aid other cities plagued by small dragons, she earns welcoming smiles, endearing nicknames, and sincere words of gratitude. Eventually, Aerin realizes that she cannot hide herself in her room any longer, and she continues to gain confidence in her abilities and in her worth to the kingdom of Damar.

         After killing Maur, the great black dragon who threatens to destroy the entire kingdom, Aerin is left weak and near death until she travels to a far off place in search of a man she saw in a vision. Through this man, Luthe, Aerin is healed and she regains her strength. Luthe teaches her many things, and Aerin learns that her mother was not a witch after all. She learns that she is more gifted than anyone in the royal family is. Most of all, Aerin realizes her right to become queen of Damar. Once an outcast considered a “bad luck token,” Aerin comes to contribute far more to her kingdom than could be expected of any one person. She defeats the dragon Maur, retrieves the long lost Hero’s Crown, and helps win the war against evil in Damar. After the war is over, Aerin finds that she was truly missed by the people; “Any price is worth paying to have you here again…” (pg 237.) She takes her rightful place as queen and is loved and respected by all.

         Poppy is another hero who fights for what is right in order to save her family and friends in the book entitled Poppy. Poppy is a cautious mouse whose boyfriend, Ragweed, is eaten by Mr. Ocax one night when the two venture out without his permission. Mr. Ocax, an old owl, claims to be the ruler of Dimwood forest where Poppy and her family live. The mice, including Poppy, believed the old owl was very wise and was there to protect the mice from their horrible enemies, the porcupines. The only mouse who questioned the claims of Mr. Ocax was Ragweed, who was considered somewhat of an annoyance to the other mice. Poppy, however, defends his uniqueness. The night Ragweed is killed, Poppy is so frightened that she vows never to leave home again.

         This vow is soon broken when Poppy is asked to accompany her father to see Mr. Ocax about moving the colony to a new home. From the time of this meeting on, Poppy uses great insight to find out more about the new house and why the old owl seems to fear the mice moving to it. In this process, Poppy develops into to a brand new mouse, wise and brave. Instead of believing everything she is told, she takes it upon herself to find the real truth. The previously unquestioning Poppy begins trying to think like her old boyfriend, Ragweed, in order to decide her next move on her journey.

         Despite her fear and her wish to always remain in the safety of her home, Poppy embarks on a long, dangerous journey to the new house. On this journey, Poppy meets a porcupine for the first time, and discovers that they are not enemies after all and that the owl is the one that eats mice. She realizes that Mr. Ocax has not been protecting the mice from porcupines – he is actually terrified of them. Once at the new house, Poppy quickly ascertains Mr. Ocax’s fear and finally defeats him, enabling the animals of Dimwood forest to move about as they pleased without fear. She shares the truth about Mr. Ocax and his lies with the other mice and earns her family a new beginning full of food and moonlit dancing.

         Each female character discussed in the preceding books develops in her own way. However, there are many similarities between the protagonists and the events in each. A common theme in all five is the female’s defeat of evil in order to protect her people. The protagonist of each book begins with a fear that is mostly for herself. Each starts out wanting to do good for her own benefit, and then becomes aware of the contribution she can make towards the good of her community.

         Misconceived notions are a similarity among A Wrinkle in Time, The Gammage Cup and Poppy. Each protagonist in these books has a faith in someone else to protect her or to do the right thing, and in each case, that someone fails. In Wrinkle, Meg’s father fails to make everything right in her life and she finds that she must fight her battles alone. Muggles’ faith (Gammage) is in the family of the Periods, who were supposedly clever Minnipins descended from a great forefather. She trusts the rules that the Periods make as best for the village, but she soon discovers that the village is in great danger and the Periods do not have mind to believe the claims of Muggles and her friends. The mice in Poppy also follow the rules of a leader who turns out to not be so wise - Mr. Ocax. This owl claims to rule over the forest as a protector of the mice family, but Poppy uncovers the truth – that he is nothing but a liar and a coward, himself afraid of the very thing he purports to protect the mice from.

         Similar events are the common thread between The Hero and the Crown and Poppy. Aerin and Poppy both venture into the dangerous unknown to complete their missions. They each face a foe that no one else has been willing to stand up to – Agsded (Aerin’s evil uncle) and Mr. Ocax. Along the way, each female meets some unusual helpers. Aerin meets Luthe, as well as a band of animals similar to cats and dogs that accompany her on her journey. Poppy befriends a porcupine, previously thought to be the most fearsome enemy of the mouse community.

         Aerin has something in common with another female mouse – Mrs. Frisby. Both protagonists are loners who keep to themselves and eventually become the vital components in gaining victory for their respective communities. The biggest likeness between the two heroines is their hearts for helping others. Mrs. Frisby helps a crow that has his foot caught, even though staying behind to help him put her own life in danger. The crow would have been killed by the cat had she not lent a hand. She also knows she is the only one who can help the rats to get out of their former home before the farmers have them removed. Aerin’s kind heart helps to tame Talat, and her compassion leads her to slay the small dragons in nearby towns at the request of the townspeople, and eventually to face imminent death as she fights Maur and Agsded.

         Family plays an important role in the books A Wrinkle in Time and Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH. For Meg, the focus of her journey is solely upon finding her father. Similarly, Mrs. Frisby wants to find a way to save her son, Timothy, from sure death. She is told that the rats can help her, and despite all of the interesting stories they tell her, her sight remains on her children and how to keep them safe until Timothy is well. Both Meg and Frisby are willing, by the end of the books, to take extreme risks in order to save their family members. Mrs. Frisby tries to drug the cat, and Meg faces IT alone.

         Personal gifts connect Meg with Aerin. Both books describe these females as having low self-esteem. The overriding theme of both books is that the heroines overcame their awkwardness and turned their faults into distinguishing qualities. Meg came to believe that she was capable of facing her worst fears on her own, and Aerin learned that she was not the laughingstock many around her were trying to make her to be. Both learned these lessons by facing an evil that was far stronger than they were – for Meg, IT; for Aerin, Maur and Agsded.

         One of the parallels between Poppy and The Gammage Cup is the friends that the two protagonists have. Poppy’s boyfriend is looked down upon by the rest of the family because he asks too many obnoxious questions instead of simply believing what he is told. Muggles befriends a gang of outcasts in her village and joins with them when they are exiled. These defiant, outrageous characters become key in saving the community from danger. Poppy frees the mice from the wrath of an angry, frightened Ocax, inspired the whole way by her late friend’s rebellious way of thinking. Muggles’ friends spur the Minnipins who once rejected them on to war just in time to save the village.

 
 
 
 

“It doesn’t matter how you dance, my children, slow or fast, by jumps or steps. As long as you are free to dance in the open air by the light of the moon, all will be well…” ~ Poppy, Avi