100 Kick-Ass Female Characters: #90
90. Gillian Owens, as seen in the novel Practical Magic by Alice Hoffman and the film Practical Magic, portrayed by Nicole Kidman
I have a lot of siblings, none of whom I have anything in common with; in fact, there are often times where I find myself looking at them and wondering how we are remotely related. I go through life spending about 75% of my time wanting to strangle one of them and trying to convince myself I was switched at birth. However, the other 25% of the time, they are the only people in the world I want to be around and the only people who really understand me. It is a tricky balance, and I don't think there's any relationship which is as complicated as the ones you have with your siblings. Practical Magic does a great job with this dichotomy.
In the film, there is a great deal of emphasis placed on the magic of the Owens family, but, in the book which is considerably different on every level, the emphasis is on the differences between big sister Sally and little sister Gillian. Born only 11 months apart, Sally and Gilly are best friends, especially in the wake of their parents' deaths and moving in with their elderly great-aunts. Sally is the one who never breaks the rules, and Gillian is the sister who has never found a rule she didn't want to break. While Sally marries and settles into a "traditional" lifestyle, Gillian sets out to live an exciting life. This becomes a string of brief, failed marriages, a string of messes Sally has to clean up for her, and, ultimately, an abusive relationship which ends in murder. Whereas in the film Gillian becomes possessed by the ghost of her murdered lover, in the book it is much simpler. Gillian begins to move on, trying to cobble together a normal life for herself with a high school science teacher it is something she chafes at from time to time, her wanderlust frequently kicking in, and it often leads to clashes with Sally over the mess Gillian continues to leave at Sally's door.
What I love about Gillian is her fearlessness. Most people would not hurtle themselves into the situations Gillian does, but, for better or worse, Gillian refuses to restrict herself to a life she does not want simply because other people tell her that's what she should want. Bad relationships and her inability to hold jobs do not define Gilly; she is defined only by herself, and so much of the friction between herself and Sally is over Sally's attempt to put her in a box and dictate to her. Gillian is a mess and a woman who would drive you nuts if she was actually your sister, but she's also wonderfully creative and exciting and unapologetic for not wanting to settle.
And that's kick-ass.
I have a lot of siblings, none of whom I have anything in common with; in fact, there are often times where I find myself looking at them and wondering how we are remotely related. I go through life spending about 75% of my time wanting to strangle one of them and trying to convince myself I was switched at birth. However, the other 25% of the time, they are the only people in the world I want to be around and the only people who really understand me. It is a tricky balance, and I don't think there's any relationship which is as complicated as the ones you have with your siblings. Practical Magic does a great job with this dichotomy.
In the film, there is a great deal of emphasis placed on the magic of the Owens family, but, in the book which is considerably different on every level, the emphasis is on the differences between big sister Sally and little sister Gillian. Born only 11 months apart, Sally and Gilly are best friends, especially in the wake of their parents' deaths and moving in with their elderly great-aunts. Sally is the one who never breaks the rules, and Gillian is the sister who has never found a rule she didn't want to break. While Sally marries and settles into a "traditional" lifestyle, Gillian sets out to live an exciting life. This becomes a string of brief, failed marriages, a string of messes Sally has to clean up for her, and, ultimately, an abusive relationship which ends in murder. Whereas in the film Gillian becomes possessed by the ghost of her murdered lover, in the book it is much simpler. Gillian begins to move on, trying to cobble together a normal life for herself with a high school science teacher it is something she chafes at from time to time, her wanderlust frequently kicking in, and it often leads to clashes with Sally over the mess Gillian continues to leave at Sally's door.
What I love about Gillian is her fearlessness. Most people would not hurtle themselves into the situations Gillian does, but, for better or worse, Gillian refuses to restrict herself to a life she does not want simply because other people tell her that's what she should want. Bad relationships and her inability to hold jobs do not define Gilly; she is defined only by herself, and so much of the friction between herself and Sally is over Sally's attempt to put her in a box and dictate to her. Gillian is a mess and a woman who would drive you nuts if she was actually your sister, but she's also wonderfully creative and exciting and unapologetic for not wanting to settle.
And that's kick-ass.