1. A female main character, of course
2. At least four other interesting and complex female characters. Note, they do not have to be likeable, only interesting.
3. A male character for *balance* (really more to show the dynamic between men and women, but saying *balance* is funnier)
4. A narrative that more explores a female's mentality and choices, rather than telling you if they are good / bad
The Silence of the Girls and it's sequel, The Women of Troy, follow Briseis after her capture during the falling of her city and her life as Achilles' war prize. Briseis reminded me a lot of some of the interviews Elle Fanning did when she played Aurora in Maleficent, in that Briseis is a very kind individual. She is full of an incredible kind of rage (as any woman would be) that simmers and stays with her throughout both books, but Briseis is not the type to pick up a sword and try to kill her captors. That does not make her any less strong or capable or rebellious. Briseis is quiet and clever in her rebellion, and she remains more focus on keeping girls alive than killing the men around her. There is strength in her resilience, gentleness, and compassion that cannot be overlooked, and though I am a very big fan of the modern age love for badass women, I feel it gets to a point where it's too much.
To go on a little bit of a tangent, female characters in media tend to lean one of two ways; either they are a badass dick-kicking swordfighter who refuses all vulnerability until the very last second, or they are sweet and soft and quiet. As time goes on it comes off more and more like we are saying there's only two good types of women; the one who has no traditionally feminine qualities and the one who has only traditionally feminine qualities. I've met a lot of girls in my day, you know how many act like that? NONE OF THEM. Dick-kickers can in fact vocally care about people, and soft speakers can be firm in their beliefs and boundaries. That is something that Barker does beautifully when it comes to Briseis; she is not one thing, she is constantly evolving, advancing, finding cracks to fill and expand within. She is real.
As for other complex female characters... Well there's Iphis, for one, who cares for Patroclus but is still his slave, and is kind and understanding to Briseis during her adjustment. There are the other prizes of war who Briseis acquaints herself with, who toil and taunt in ways she does not appreciate but, ultimately, are on one another's side. In The Women of Troy we meet Amina and spend a decent amount of time with Helen, Hecuba, and Cassandra, all incredibly interesting characters. I mentioned that I don't have to like the character as long as there is something about them that piques my interest, and Barker achieves this with ease. Even in the girls I do not particularly favor, they are easy to empathize with and to view as real, suffering girls. Take what I said above, about how women should be portrayed to have mixed, occasionally clashing traits all working or fighting with each other, and apply that to every character I already listed. There was substance to each and every one of them, and I liked the fact that we had Briseis' limited view and could only get smatterings of the girls. Even the things she does say, she does not bedazzle the horror stories or make assumptions where she ought not to. She states the things that happen to the girls, cruel and vile, as bluntly as she can, and then moves on without giving us an insight on that woman and her thought process that we have no right to have. Briseis says it herself in one of the books, though I can't remember which one; these girls have had everything stripped from them, the least she can do is allow them to keep some of their privacy. I like the sentiment in that.
This all ties in to the fourth point on my list, because maybe if we did have more insight into each of these characters and knew exactly why they made the choices they did we would be able to decide for ourselves whether they were good or bad. I prefer that we don't get that choice. I prefer spectating the girls as they are and making our own judgment calls, or better yet, making none at all. We don't know what we would do in that circumstance, and they didn't either until they were in it and had to do something. Who are we to cast blame?
Now, male characters. Achilles. Let's talk about Achilles.
This might be one of, if not my absolute favorite adaptation of Achilles ever.
Achilles is not a good person. Let's start there. I wouldn't say Achilles is an explicitly bad person, but I don't feel comfortable calling him good either. I don't feel comfortable calling Patroclus good, though that might be a little easier. In classical literature we use the word hamartia (ἁμαρτία) to describe a hero's fatal flaw in their tragic tale. Achilles', at least according to my classics professor, was his pride. He took threats to his honor and his name as if it was life or death. In class, we had a discussion about Achilles' rage after the death of Patroclus and why it was so important, and girl behind me said that it was important because Achilles had lost his humanity and was acting like an animal. I disagreed. Achilles had lost some of his humanity, true, but he wasn't acting like an animal. He was acting like a God, and when you take something from a God, I ask you, what do they do? Fuck shit up. Fuck literally everything up for literally everyone.
That is what Barker portrays in this adaptation of Achilles' tale. In other variations of the story that focus on Achilles, there is something grandiose, almost awe-inspiring about his rage, and we find a way to connect and sympathize with it. Furthermore, we kind of skip over the whole "he owns people" part of his character. Through Briseis' eyes, (you know, the woman surrounded and subjected to his rage) his behavior is nothing short of terrifying, and, surprise surprise, turns out the people he owns care a whole lot about the "he owns people" part of the program.
Another thing that really interested me about Achilles is how often he appears as The Silence of the Girls progresses, and how his memory lingers throughout The Women of Troy. On Goodreads, one of the reviews (which I know I shouldn't be reading, but oh well) disliked how much Achilles was mentioned and that there were chapters exclusively in his POV, but I actually really liked it. It is Achilles' story, it is Achilles' world, even, so why wouldn't he insert himself into the story of a girl who's family he murdered? Why would he care about granting a woman the attention and respect she is due? He wouldn't. Golden Achilles physically and emotionally bleeds across Brisies' tale because his hamartia demands it be so.
I am a chronic overthinker and know that I am analyzing this way more than I should. Don't try to tell me because I already know. But caring too much is better than not caring at all, and God forbid a girl enjoy things.
I have not read the final book in this trilogy, but I have strong plans to do so after I read the four other books I own and have not read yet. So maybe look for an update in a few weeks. Happy writing!
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