How to Read Lit like a Prof

I appreciated an example that appeared on page 5 in the chapter about quests:

"...the heroine's resources, really her crutches - and they all happen to be male - are stripped away one by one, shown to be false or unreliable, until she reaches the point where she either must break down, reduced to a little fetal ball, or stand straight and rely on herself." Fortunately, the heroine does realize she can stand on her own two feet. I appreciated this quote for several reasons. For one, the heroine is a strong female character, while all too often women are depicted as weak and dependent. She may have started off as weak and dependent, but she ended up strong and self-sufficient. I also liked the example because unfortunately many women are trapped in abusive relationships, failing marriages, and the like. The reason for this state of hopelessness is usually that the woman feels as though she cannot support herself, whether financially, emotionally, or both. In other words, a woman may not feel she has the means to exist on her own, or she may not feel complete or worthy without a man. This example is so empowering because it embodies a woman who, at the end of her quest, acquires the self-sufficiency and self-worth to realize that she does not need a man, or anyone else for that matter, to support and validate her.