Boromir was given the task by his ruler. Eowyn, given a task by her ruler, chose not to do it. I don't think it's a gender thing (at least not for me).
I'm trying to think of another example where a character, either female OR male, was given a task and chose not to take it up in favor of doing what they wanted. Can you think of more?
The only one I remember is Beregond - he left his post against the orders of Denethor, and, like Eowyn, the result was positive (Faramir was saved), yet he there had to be a penalty for disobeying his ruler so was stripped of his rank of tower guard and sent from the city. In his case, justice was tempered with mercy and he was assigned to guard the man whose life he saved in Faramir's newly formed White Company in Ithilien. We don't see similar judgement - if it happened - in Eowyn's case, so we don't know what the Rohirrim thought! Logically, Eomer, as the king, should have judged in her case as Aragorn did in Beregond's. Right?
I'm not as canon-literate as I'd like to be and would love to find other examples and see what Tolkein does with them as well.
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branchandroot
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Date: 2006-07-06 06:43 pm (UTC)Boromir was given the task by his ruler. Eowyn, given a task by her ruler, chose not to do it. I don't think it's a gender thing (at least not for me).
I'm trying to think of another example where a character, either female OR male, was given a task and chose not to take it up in favor of doing what they wanted. Can you think of more?
The only one I remember is Beregond - he left his post against the orders of Denethor, and, like Eowyn, the result was positive (Faramir was saved), yet he there had to be a penalty for disobeying his ruler so was stripped of his rank of tower guard and sent from the city. In his case, justice was tempered with mercy and he was assigned to guard the man whose life he saved in Faramir's newly formed White Company in Ithilien. We don't see similar judgement - if it happened - in Eowyn's case, so we don't know what the Rohirrim thought! Logically, Eomer, as the king, should have judged in her case as Aragorn did in Beregond's. Right?
I'm not as canon-literate as I'd like to be and would love to find other examples and see what Tolkein does with them as well.