Mina and Mattie: Examples of Femininity
Written by Susan Severson
I am due with a new little one any day now (prayers appreciated!), and the very clear reality of labor and birth is looming over me pretty much non-stop. While I must admit that I am battling some fear, I am also incredibly aware of my posture in front of this reality. This baby is coming, and only I can walk the road before me. It is a task that I have been given, and I must either grudgingly accept or gratefully receive. Both of these options are open to me, but it seems that there is one that offers more freedom. Freedom for me is in the active surrender of saying yes.
Femininity as receptivity is a concept that I’ve been contemplating due to the disquisitions of Mariologist Fr. John Nepil. Fr. John speaks with great clarity and passion about true femininity. He’s also a wonderful friend to Well-Read Mom and sees this movement as true, beautiful, and necessary (check out his podcast episode: CSYSK goes to Barbie Land). He also wades into the subject of masculine and feminine complementarity.
I thought it would be interesting to briefly apply this insight to two female characters who have graced our novels this year to see if they embody this receptivity and to see if their femininity complements the male characters’ masculinity. Who better to compare than Mina Harker from Dracula and Mattie Ross from True Grit? I couldn’t think of two more outwardly contrasting humans. They are both female, but is that where their similarities end?
Obviously, Mattie Ross is a little spitfire who gets what she wants mainly by mental erosion. For a mere 14 years old, she’s strangely capable of making her way in the kill-or-be-killed Wild West on her quest for vengeance and justice.
Mina Harker seems a more mild-mannered creature. She’s poised, mannerly, and (seemingly) submissive. At first glance, she looks like the stereotypical Victorian lady with a corseted waist and personality.
These two women seem very different, and they certainly are…but I would say that they are both examples of true femininity. It has been absolutely heartwarming to take the time to consider their similarities. They’re both incredibly intelligent and intuitive. They’ve been given traumatic experiences to wade through: Mattie’s, the murder of her father, and Mina’s, of a supernatural terror.
I find it interesting that they both enlist the help of men in their plight. Those men, in turn, are transformed into examples of true masculinity: heroic and self-sacrificial. Even the morally questionable Rooster Cogburn throws caution to the wind in the noble pursuit of saving Mattie’s life. He is drawn out of his ruthless self-preservation to a higher calling of love and sacrifice. Rooster and Mattie save one another. Mina also finds herself in dire straits, and the men who aid her in her turmoil stake their lives to rescue her from the jaws of evil. These men are pulled out of themselves and are born anew because of the strong surrender of a woman.
It’s clear and beautiful that this reciprocity between the male and female characters is mutually beneficial and not in any way diminishing. Both female characters shared a deep surrender at a certain point in their journeys, a vulnerability that could have led to their demise but instead carried them all into a renewal of life.
What does this have to do with my impending labor and delivery? Everything.
How much more peaceful is it to say yes, to surrender to what I have been given, and to accept the accompaniment of my family and friends? I don’t view this as an apathetic surrender…but an active surrender to something that will make me new. And not only me, but my husband, my children, my community. The receiving multiplies. Oh, what a joy to be a woman!
Oh, what a joy to be a woman!
About Susan Severson
Susan Severson is a wannabe saint, a homeschool slogger, a sometimes-but-wants-to-be-all-the-time writer, and a mother to four little rapscallions. Prayers are welcome. She resides in Crosby, MN.
About Well-Read Mom
In Well-Read Mom, women read more and read well. Our hope is to deepen the awareness of meaning hidden in each woman’s daily life. We long to elevate the cultural conversation and revitalize reading literature from books. If you would like us to help you select worthy reading material, we invite you to join and read along. We are better together! For information on how to start or join a Well-Read Mom group visit our website wellreadmom.com
