A Heroine Stands Alone

While watching “Tabula Rasa”, we primarily focused on how a heroine is made in both the Buffy series and in Austen’s Northanger Abbey. I think a major question we need to ask ourselves when answering this query is: who or what does each character rely on when things get difficult? A female protagonist needs to stand alone and rely on herself and no one else in order to become a true heroine. Furthermore, starting with a blank slate, alone with no one to help them forces both Buffy and Catherine to find their own way and prove their worth as heroines. Whedon and Austen portray their female characters as innate heroines who are born into their roles, Buffy as the Chosen One or Slayer and Catherine we are told is destined to be a heroine in the first chapter. In O’Reilly’s article, “The Wonder Woman Precedent: Female (Super)Heroism on Trial”, the author mentions that Buffy goes through a process called the “hero on trial” which is meant to prove her worth as a heroine within the show and that heroines in any medium must “justify possession of their conferred powers” (274). In this sense, both Buffy and Catherine must learn to depend on themselves and demonstrate their own prowess at taking care of themselves and others when the time comes and to be able to show that they deserve to be deemed heroines.

In “Tabula Rasa”, the Scooby Gang has their memories erased because of a spell Willow casts. Willow does not portray a heroine in this episode because when things get tough in her life, she instantly resorts to using magic to fix things. Instead of being brave and facing her troubles with Tara and Buffy face on, Willow takes the easy way out and does what only she thinks is best without thinking about the consequences. Also, we watch as both Buffy and her Watcher struggle because Giles feels the need to distance himself from Buffy in order for her to learn reliance on herself and not him. Throughout the series, Buffy has turned to Giles for guidance and advice on how to handle difficult situations, however this episode was a turning point for their relationship. Giles feels that after Buffy’s traumatic experience, she needs to learn to depend on herself instead of others and that she needs to relearn how to be strong in the world that she lives in. A true heroine must be able to overcome difficult times alone and therefore, it is not an option for Buffy to give up once Giles leaves. Instead, she has to keep fighting. This is an important opportunity for Buffy to truly prove herself as the heroine she was born to be.

In Austen’s Northanger Abbey, we are immediately told that Catherine is going to become a heroine. Thus, we are able to watch as her experiences test her and shape her into the woman that she was meant to be. Catherine’s first step to growing into her persona as a heroine was to leave her family and travel to Bath with Mr. and Mrs. Allen. This allowed her to distance herself from the reliance on her close family and taught her how to act on her own accord. Furthermore, when she is abruptly dismissed from Northanger Abbey, Catherine must face a long and somewhat treacherous carriage journey home, alone. These difficult circumstances allowed Catherine to meditate on what had happened and come up with her own solutions without being aided by any outside source. Therefore, Catherine’s isolation from her family and people she did not want to associate with, like Isabella Thorpe, allowed her to grow into a strong, confident and productive heroine. Both Catherine and Buffy, along with any heroine in training, must learn to depend on themselves alone through tough situations in order to prove their true worth as a fictional heroine.

O’Reilly, Julie D. “The Wonder Woman Precedent: Female (Super)Heroism on Trial.” Journal of American Culture, September 2005, Vol. 28, Issue 3, p273-283. Tuesday 25 October 2011.