Reflection

While reading The Hero and the Crown, and learning more about Aerin, I couldn’t help but think about the last book we read in class, Alanna: The First Adventure. Personally, I preferred Alanna: The First Adventure since the writing held my interest immediately. It took me a few chapters to get into The Hero and the Crown.Both of these books are written by women, deal with themes of societal expectation of gender, and contain strong female protagonists.

Another similarity presented in both these stories is the social class of the protagonists. Aerin and Alanna were restricted from doing what they wanted to do because of their gender, but they both came from nobility. As a result of their social status, they were better able to maneuver in their societies. Alanna had Coram to teach her fighting, and Aerin had her cousin, Tor, train her how to fight. It would’ve been impossible for Alanna and Aerin to pursue their dreams had they not come from a higher societal class. In more recent YA books that center female heroines such as the Hunger Games series the protagonist comes from lower class. Maybe that reflects a change in how class is portrayed in YA lit, or it could be that these books are trying to accomplish different goals. I can’t wait to read the next part of the book to find out what happens next.

11 responses to “Reflection”

  1. hwseo1004 Avatar
    hwseo1004

    Indeed, there are many similarities between Alanna and Aerin (including the fact that both names start with an A). One thing that quite intrigued me was how both Pierce and McKinley portrayed their characters’ romantic relationships; for both Alanna and Aerin, there is a boy who fills the role of friend and young lover going through similar ordeals. Then again, there is a man who fills the role of friend, helper, mentor, and ‘grown-up love’. [SPOILER ALERT] One noticeable difference is that Alanna ends up with George instead of Jon, and Aerin ends up with Tor instead of Luthe. It is interesting to see how exactly the authors portrayed the romantic relationships of the protagonist because they seem to show the independence, the will, and the values of the protagonist. Well, what difference exists between what the two authors intend to tell their readers in terms of relationships? Is it random, or is there a certain reason the protagonists are set up with particular characters?

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    1. kedam07 Avatar
      kedam07

      It’s somewhat surprising to read that Alanna ends up with George. I say somewhat because I felt that George and Alanna did have a special bond. I find the question you present interesting.

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    2. elgriott Avatar
      elgriott

      Piggybacking off this: I was struck by the exact same dynamic. In both books there is a (pre-Twilight, and thus less dramatic, but /still/) love triangle involving the heroine and two male supporting characters; and, at the end, they both choose the “less likely” suitor. Why is this? Personally, I think the authors are saying different things about love and relationships. In “Alanna” we are led to believe by the narrative and, at times, Alanna herself, that Jonathon is the partner who makes the most sense to Alanna and is the most attractive. He’s handsome, rich, brave, high class, and he’s been her friend since the beginning; I believe he’s also the first man she sleeps with. Above all, Jonathon represents stability, safety, security. His position in life, and that of his partner, would be hard to challenge or lose. He holds respect and his heritage means he has access to all kinds of extensive resources. But Alanna, to his bewilderment, ultimately chooses George over him, and I think Pierce wanted to press him that George is the best fit for Alanna because he allows — and requires — her to grow and develop as a person. His life is tricky and opens up unending adventures and possibilities for her while Jonathon’s would mean she would always have to be in the Capitol, or else would have to satellite it for the rest of her knighthood; she’d also be pressured to have children and settle far sooner than she might with George. Aerin’s choice is the opposite. For some reason the narrative wants us to believe that a woman set out to prove herself, who slayed a dragon and is powerful beyond belief would give all of that up suddenly and settle down? Personally I didn’t believe it and saw it as a faulty on the author’s part. But if we want to be more gracious we could view the choices of both as the author’s trying to show that women are not a monolith and need different things to feel complete. Just because Alanna and Aerin are warriors does not mean they don’t want families and love. That read’s far too gracious for my taste, but that’s my take.

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  2. akaron Avatar
    akaron

    I definitely agree that Alanna and Aerin are similar in a lot of ways, which has a lot to do with their gender and class. As for romantic relationships however, I don’t think those are as important as the characters themselves, especially for Alanna because she is so young in the first book. George and Jon aren’t really love interests for her in the first book because for most of it they don’t even know she is a girl, and even after that she is way to young for them. Although I can definitely see that coming up in later books as she grows older. As for Aerin, she is a bit more mature even in the beginning of the book, and Tor obviously likes her, but weather she ends up with him in this book or a later one (is it a series?) It’s pretty predictable despite the fact that there may or may not be a huge age difference between them, which is something interesting and may have to do with the time period and setting. I do find it interesting though that both girls are strong and independent yet end up in a romantic relationship, maybe that says something about the role of a female in these stories, how she can be independent but still find love? Can’t wait to read more!

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    1. kedam07 Avatar
      kedam07

      I definitely agree that the authors are sending the message of independence for young women.

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  3. erinrosenfeld Avatar
    erinrosenfeld

    I also liked Alanna better than The Hero and the Crown! I found the second novel harder to read – it seems like the author often introduced concepts/characters/etc. and wouldn’t explain them until a few pages later. Additionally, I liked Pierce’s more explicit positive messages about gender, although part of this could be that The Hero and the Crown requires a deeper analysis to uncover these messages, and perhaps this book is geared towards a slightly older audience.

    Relating to one of the comments above on romantic relationships, I was really intrigued by the message about having two lovers, Luthe and Tor. To me, this was a really unconventional message for a YA book, especially in America where the traditional love narrative centers on life-long monogamy with one person. It’s interesting that at such a young age, Aerin had the wisdom to understand her destiny and love for two men in her life, and to realize that both could coexist simultaneously (or at least, one relationship could “sleep” while she lives out her life with Tor).

    I’m also wondering about the role of social class in each of these books. Certainly, having a high social class allows for a detailed setting and effortlessly creates calls to adventure, particularly for female protagonists – royals or knights are always engaged in adventure, and having a girl protagonist creates a simple conflict to start off the story. I don’t think The Hero and the Crown addressed social class that much, but it’s interesting that Alanna (and other characters in the novel, such as John) transgressed her social class and became close friends with George. Thus, it seems that Pierce is playing at a critique of social class and strict class-based hierarchies, just as she critiques the strict hierarchies associated with masculinity. It would be interesting to see how class gets addressed in future novels by both authors, as well as sequels to these books!

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    1. kedam07 Avatar
      kedam07

      I hadn’t considered the differing audiences for these to books, and I’m glad to hear that others like Alanna better than Hero & The Crown. I too was intrigued by the relationships Aerin has with both Luthe & Tor. I’m planning on reading more of Pierce’s work, and I’m guessing the themes she presents in this story will continue in the next book.

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  4. sarahweinberg24 Avatar
    sarahweinberg24

    I agree, I enjoyed Alanna much better than the Hero and the Crown. I found the latter harder to get into, and I was a little lost in the second half of the book. I found the passage of time in the novel confusing as well. I think Alanna’s and Aerin’s higher social class does enable them in instances such as learning how to fight. Furthermore, Alanna and Aerin both sought out their adventure, made easier by the fact they both had their own horses and weapons. The romantic interests in Hero and the Crown were interesting–I’m not sure exactly how I feel about them. It does seem rare in YA books to have two romantic relationships, in a non-love triangle context, so the deviation was something I picked up on. However, I felt I never really had a firm grasp on Luthe’s character and the relationship seemed to progress quickly (but maybe that’s just me). I do think the breakaway from meeting one person in the beginning and having them be the sole love interest can be good to show personal growth and exploration. Pairing up different characters, beyond a romantic sense, can bring out certain qualities more than others and results in different dynamics. The Hero and the Crown had a lot to do with Aerin trying to figure out her place in the world; she wasn’t entirely welcomed by her people or her peers, and she struggles with others expectations and opinions of her as the witch woman’s daughter. Her exposure to different people appeared to help her discover more about herself.

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    1. kedam07 Avatar
      kedam07

      I’m glad to read that more people are into Alanna! I also feel that the relationship between Luthe and Aerin progressed too quickly, but maybe it was done to keep the reader’s attention.

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  5. storylesher Avatar
    storylesher

    Thinking about social class is something I also thought was interesting, especially in relation to these books. Both are written for pre-teens and personally, social class isn’t something I ever thought about in middle school. Because of this, I think it is interesting that the authors chose to give their main characters this status. I wonder if it was purposeful, or if they just wrote about characters of higher social standing because princesses/medieval fantasy is something pre-teens enjoy reading about. If it was purposeful, what was their motivation? Tangentially, I wonder why this age group enjoys reading about medieval, higher class fantasy characters so much. I would think that they would enjoy reading a story about a hero that they can relate to.

    Finally, the whole concept of social class in Alanna and The Hero and the Crown is so different from messages sent in A Wrinkle in Time and The Giver. While social stratification is evident in the first two, while the second two stories send a message of equality (or more, identicality). It is just interesting that we see suggestions of complete opposite views about social status in books written for the same age group.

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    1. annabilly Avatar
      annabilly

      I want to build on to your idea because I was also curious as to why these books were so impressionable on the young adult readership. What is it about high fantasy that is so enticing? Does it have to do with placing one’s self in an alternate world that is not relatable to the one we live in? Is the remoteness and impossibility of magic enticing? I, personally, would want to have a more relatable character that I can identify with. But, I see how placing a character in the “real world” does not have to equate to identifying with particular traits or characteristics. I believe that the social hierarchy placed on the characters, making them elite comparative to their counterparts, sets them apart from the YA audience thus making it increasingly difficult to draw the reader in. Social schemas have played a large role in the novels we have read thus far and I wonder if this theme will continue to pop up in the rest of the books this semester. I am curious as to how they differentiate (or create similarity) between characters.

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