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[miriambarton-blog]

Classy Female Characterization on Melanie Dickerson’s The Warrior Maiden

Melanie Dickerson crafts hot topics like decolonization and the subversion of typical domestic fiction gender roles into her newest novel The Warrior Maiden.  A historical fiction based in the early fifteenth century German regions of Europe, Dickerson effectively adapts the ancient Mulan legend with some refreshing twists.

Mulan fights as a knight, dressed as a man, to provide for her mother after her father dies.  When she first enters the camp with fellow soldiers she “wished she had rubbed some dirt on her face to disguise the fact that she had no beard, no stubble of any kind emerging from her chin or upper lip.  She did her best to make her expression stern and...masculine? [...] She did her best to deepen her voice” (31).  She worries over being “strong, but just not as strong as a man” (22).  Her cross-dressing secret is soon discovered, as the story goes, but by then she has proven herself so invaluable that she is kept on as a Captain of the Guard.  

What I was most interested in was Mulan’s character development. Of course, some women are quite strong in their upper bodies but most women really have potential to outclass men in lower body strength.  I found it refreshing, and more realistic, that Mulan was made into a female warrior that was still clearly characterized as female (though trying to appear male).  A huge red flag for me in literature is when stories are written about strong women who are characterized as having masculine attributes – as if that is what would make a woman strong. Furthermore, our perspectives as feminine females are quite valid without having to appropriate masculine airs to be legitimized.   Clearly, Dickerson understood this concept when shaping Mulan’s character.  Mulan’s battle tactics focus on subterfuge and the use of a light bow and arrow, instead of the heavier weapons used by the other soldiers that are male. She becomes so accustomed to battle that, even after her sex is discovered and she is promoted to captain after a fierce battle, she debates in the mornings which outfits would suit her work for that day best: a dress or a tunic with leather hose (170).   While serving in the military she allows herself as much femininity as possible.  There is careful consideration on the part of Dickerson with regards to the choices Mulan would make; not just a soldier, not just a woman, not just a woman pretending to be a man in order to be a soldier - but Mulan the person, herself.  She is written as a real person with believable motivations and desires.

She is slight but sincere.  Self-conscious but brave. Firm but kind. Tired at times but always diligent and unstoppable. It is this kind of consideration and care with the shaping of female characters that earns my respect.

Cheers, to all of the warrior women out there – fighting your own battles of womanhood, family, individuality, community, success, and even survival.  We keep the world turning and I am proud to be one of you!