About Lyra's role in The Subtle Knife
Recently, someone posted that it is a common criticism of his Dark Materials that after Lyra meets Will, she let's him take over as the hero and becomes "the chick", only occasionally stepping in to provide lies (something that could be seen as a more "feminine wiles" kind of role).
I do think it could be said that, in a subtle way, in the amber spyglass Lyra and Will take on respectively feminine and masculine characteristics as they get more mature. But i'm not convinced it's done in a problematic way. That's a slightly different issue from the one raised above, however, which is about their roles after they meet in The Subtle Knife.
Lyra turns into "the chick"? I don't see it that way, because of this: while the Golden Compass is Lyra's story, I'd argue that The Subtle Knife is Will's. Lyra is still a very important part of it, but I think it can be considered Will's story (I could name a bunch of things to back this up, but let's just stick to the fact that it started with him in his world, they're looking for his father, and the subtle knife, after which the book is named, is now his.) And if it is Will's story, it will be more powerful if his decisions are able to shape it at least some of the time. Just like Lyra's did The Golden Compass.
Lyra helps Will in his quest and not vice versa, but I don't think this decision is based on gender roles, but on storytelling relating to whose story this is, as well as on the logical way to further develop her character. Because putting her in the situation of needing to help and think about someone else's well-being is a brilliant thing to ask of her! It's a real stretch for Lyra, who has always operated alone or with underlings, always as a leader, never as an equal to someone her own age.
So it doesn't happen to the detriment of her character; quite the opposite. And I think that's the main difference. Female characters in the role of "the chick" are by definition tokenized; they don't carry the weight and complexity (and hence ability to shape the plot) of being fully-realized and competent, active characters like their male counterparts. But Lyra's development as a person is just as emphasized here as it was in the Golden Compass, and I don't get the impression the author is placing any less importance on her as a person just because some of the events are more seminal to Will's story than hers.
It can be easy to mix up the idea of "having an empowered, weighty character" with "having a character who physically fights and wins". Especially because so many people have subverted the traditional weaknesses of women characters by having them take on fierce, physical fighting roles. This in turn makes us hyper aware of any female characters who *aren't* taking on physical fighting roles, and it's led to a whole new problematic binary in which "empowered" means "able to kick butt like Lara Croft" not the more subtle "empowered by the author to be fully realized people who shape a story in a miriad of ways and are allowed to change and encounter situations in which their character development is crucial to the story. etc."
I do think it could be said that, in a subtle way, in the amber spyglass Lyra and Will take on respectively feminine and masculine characteristics as they get more mature. But i'm not convinced it's done in a problematic way. That's a slightly different issue from the one raised above, however, which is about their roles after they meet in The Subtle Knife.
Lyra turns into "the chick"? I don't see it that way, because of this: while the Golden Compass is Lyra's story, I'd argue that The Subtle Knife is Will's. Lyra is still a very important part of it, but I think it can be considered Will's story (I could name a bunch of things to back this up, but let's just stick to the fact that it started with him in his world, they're looking for his father, and the subtle knife, after which the book is named, is now his.) And if it is Will's story, it will be more powerful if his decisions are able to shape it at least some of the time. Just like Lyra's did The Golden Compass.
Lyra helps Will in his quest and not vice versa, but I don't think this decision is based on gender roles, but on storytelling relating to whose story this is, as well as on the logical way to further develop her character. Because putting her in the situation of needing to help and think about someone else's well-being is a brilliant thing to ask of her! It's a real stretch for Lyra, who has always operated alone or with underlings, always as a leader, never as an equal to someone her own age.
So it doesn't happen to the detriment of her character; quite the opposite. And I think that's the main difference. Female characters in the role of "the chick" are by definition tokenized; they don't carry the weight and complexity (and hence ability to shape the plot) of being fully-realized and competent, active characters like their male counterparts. But Lyra's development as a person is just as emphasized here as it was in the Golden Compass, and I don't get the impression the author is placing any less importance on her as a person just because some of the events are more seminal to Will's story than hers.
It can be easy to mix up the idea of "having an empowered, weighty character" with "having a character who physically fights and wins". Especially because so many people have subverted the traditional weaknesses of women characters by having them take on fierce, physical fighting roles. This in turn makes us hyper aware of any female characters who *aren't* taking on physical fighting roles, and it's led to a whole new problematic binary in which "empowered" means "able to kick butt like Lara Croft" not the more subtle "empowered by the author to be fully realized people who shape a story in a miriad of ways and are allowed to change and encounter situations in which their character development is crucial to the story. etc."