The Matriarchal Paradox

The relationship between the heroine and her mother requires deeper study. But I wish to point out that the relationship is often omitted in fiction. Ironically, the matriarch rarely represents the feminine model to follow, because she is often rooted in traditional female archetypes of the past. The matriarch usually has accepted the culture truce, if only for the benefit of the home.

In an inverse of the male-oriented hero, who must learn the wisdom of is native traditions from the father, it is the daughter figure of the heroine who holds the potential for breaking with tradition. She must set out in defiance of convention, sometimes without a mentor, and often without the blessing of the matriarch. In so doing, the heroine often comes to value and adopt the great character of her mother, instead of her traditions.