An ode to women through novels

Society has always looked down upon womenand treated them as an inferior sex. In every facet and industry, due to patriarchal societal norms, women have to work twice as hard for the same recognition and paycheck as a man. But on multiple occasions, women have risen above the patriarchy and forced others to take notice of them for the right reasons.

This list of influential women includes female authors who have produced some of the most iconic content witnessed by the world. The plots of these novels and the words between the pages of the below mentioned books have opened doorsto possibilities never known before.

Below is a written ode to how the below boss ladies have influenced and continue to impact the world by their work. One such marvel being Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood which is currently adapted into a television series – The Handmaid's Tale. Watch 'The Handmaid's Tale' on 15 June and 22 June at 8pm on AXN.

The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood

Today, when we look at scenario, Margaret Atwood's 1985 fiction novel, 'The Handmaid's Tale' still stands true where lawmakers are trying to oppress women through their prehistoric patriarchy. A white, wide-brimmed bonnet and a red cloak have come to mean one thing: women's oppression.

The Handmaid's Tale seared this image into our souls with its depiction of a near-future dystopia in which women are forced into reproductive slavery to bear the children of the elite – and wear this uniform to underline their subservience.

Atwood conceived the novel as 'speculative fiction,' a work that imagines a future that could conceivably happen without any advances in technology from the present.Watch the TV series adaptation of The Handmaid's Tale on 15th June and 22nd June at 8:00 PM only on AXN.

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

It is an elemental book precisely because it speaks the truth.The problem in the South is not the problem with people of colour, it's the problem with white people, and it's coming from a white author's perspective. Thefiction book by Harper Lee, through the eyes of Scout Finch, tells about her father Atticus Finch, an attorney who hopelessly strives to prove the innocence of a black man unjustly accused of rape; and about Boo Radley, a mysterious neighbour who saves Scout and her brother Jem from being killed.

When readers encounter Atticus Finch, they must ask themselves if they would have the moral convictions that he possesses. It prompts readers to ask if both we as individuals and a society can possess the same type of transformative power to represent what can be in the face of what is. The novel expands the readers understanding of what it means to be a good and decent human being.

Harry Potter Series by J K Rowling

"It's important to remember that we all have magic inside us", said J.K. Rowling when her novels finally got accepted after 11 rejections. When the single mother had lost all hopes is when she became the author of one of the best-selling fiction novels till date.

In the series, Harry Potter, a young, orphaned boy with magical ability must overcome and defeat, with the help of his friends, peers, and Hogwarts teachers and affiliates, against all odds the most evil and powerful dark wizard of all time. The novel fashions around classic good versus evil battle and touches upon themes of hero's quest, friendship, resistance to violence and hatred, love and death. It has led to movies, theme parks, video games and plays.

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

Pride and Prejudice isa fiction written during an era when France was in the midst of a violent revolutionary disruption and vividly depicts the social response to those events in England.Where the power, wealth and privilege of the old aristocracy had gradually given way to the rising social status and power of the business class.

The novel focuses on the conflict between marrying for love or for economic reasons. None of Mr. Bennet's five daughters can inherit his estate, so they are pressured into finding security in good marriages. Elizabeth Bennet, the main character, struggles with the societal pressures of marriage and resists Mr. Darcy's advances and proposals. She refuses to accept the pre-set roles and identities handed to her. She rebels against this very society in order to gain the independence necessary for her.

Frankenstein by Mary Shelly

Frankenstein is a fiction novel which is one of the first and finest science fiction. In Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, Society causes the creature to become a monster because of the reactions to his physical appearance, for he is rejected by his maker, excluded from society, and misjudged.When people see Victor Frankenstein's creature, they are terrified and repulsed by his physical appearance; consequently, they shun him.

Even his creator, Victor Frankenstein, reacts in horror when he views his completed attempt at creating man.Despite of this theme, this novel was a landmark in the English literature and was later adapted into plays and films. The novel has also inspired Goth genre.