#yes she is emotional and shy but that doesn't change the fact of ruthless she can be

[anbubisibuna]

what is your opinion who would die first and who would be last? ( the order)

9. Felix. Probably would be killed in the first few minutes.

8. Delia. She would probably freak out fall and then get killed.

7. Nina. She would use some of her resources but then again she's not very strong or smart like the others.

6. Luzy. She's not very smart. I don't think she's dumb. But compared to other characters, like correct me if I'm wrong, but I never seen her being clever in something. She's also quite impulsive. She is more like appears to be badass but is soft in the inside.

5. Kaya. He would get this far with his physical abilities. He would probably get alot of sponsors from girls aswell because he's " hot

4. Charlotte. She's smart. But I don't think she would handle the games very well. She's quite neurotic. And after losing Luzy and Kaya she would probably lose it.

3. Daniel. He gets this far because he is able to think calmy the best. As the guy has barely or no emotions.

2. Magnus. He is the type of smart which is probably the most useful in the game. He wouldn't figure out the game, but more so crash it idk. ( He wouldn't play chess, but more so flip the table.) In S2 he doesn't play fairly but in the end he gets the grail and everything. He wouldn't go by the rule and be good at manipulating the capitol Either he gets killed somehow by the capitol or he kills himself so Mara lives.

1. Mara. One of my favourite part about her character is how much people underestimate her. And that's probably a huge advantage. Because who thinks that she cute small girl is gonna be a threat? She's very athletic. More so than Kaya. She's an absolute in ace in sports. And it's proven that she is physically strong. She is most likely the strongest from the girls. As she throws Felix over the shoulder one time for sneaking up on her. She's not the type of character who just threatens you to kick your ass, she actually is able to kick your ass. Imo she is actually more badass than Luzy is. Other than that. She probably could fight or has some skills as she is fast, has great accuracy and is quite athletic. Other than that she is also smart. She's not impulsive. She's cautious. And probably Magnus is keeping her safe aswell.

[thereadingmoon]

TL;DR: While Turton doesn't provide a female narrator, his other female characters are good, actually. They're well-rounded, memorable, and shouldn't be swept aside when talking about the female representation in this book. Turton also talks about the bias sexism and gender has in the setting of this book and the in-world ramifications of this. Also: Aiden is a unique male character in the sense that he isn't strictly masculine or male. His characterization could be called traditionally "feminine" in the sense he's frequently in touch with his emotions and feelings.

Spoilers: Yes, but moderate. Part 2 can be read here.

For the purpose of this essay series, let’s discuss the differences between the female, feminine, and feminist. Borrowing (and bastardizing) Mary Eagleton’s A Concise Companion to Feminist Theory, these concepts can be summarized as thus: the female is biological in the sense a character or author is female, the feminine is cultural in the sense of “universal feminine mannerisms” as dictated by the patriarchal ruling order, and the feminist is political or counter-cultural in the sense that it criticizes the gender inequality of the status quo.

So with all of that context covered, let’s talk about the gendered representation in The 7 ½ Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle, how Stuart Turton wrote well-rounded female characters, discussed the issues women faced in the early 20th century, and the femininity of Aiden Bishop.

What struck me about Evelyn Hardcastle is that despite being a complicated and ambitious novel, it managed to balance out the action with its characters. It could’ve easily swept characterization and personality aside and focused on the action, but Turton slows down once in a while for us to connect to the people Aiden is interacting with. The women in the book weren’t women for the sake of having women in a story. They were flawed, motivated, and unique, and they all had a slot to fill in this world that couldn’t be replaced by lamps.

Evelyn, who wasn’t only a daughter Evelyn was no damsel in distress when the world was ganging up against her and she was in full control of her narrative despite her tragic death being the main plot point in the story.

Millicent, who wasn’t only a mother Millicent was a whip-smart upper-class elitist who knew what she wanted and got it. Also, I for one loved the representation of a morally flawed female character. Most of the characters in this book are morally flawed, and the women aren’t exempt from that. Representation doesn’t mean having minority characters be morally superior: it’s having minority characters be human.

Grace, who wasn’t only a lover Grace was a steadfast woman who was stubbornly loyal to the people she loved and delivered a twist in gendered stereotypes because she was the one in her heterosexual relationship who had more money and power over her partner, who was also devoted to her.

And let us never forget the redeemable, reliable Anna. One could say she fell into the helper stereotype that befalls on women, wherein her character arc exists only to support Aiden’s for majority of the story. I don’t think it did, though. If anything, Aiden’s arc supported Anna’s in the sense that he was propelled through the story to help her get out of Blackheath. Their development relied on interacting and changing with one another. She wasn’t a subservient lesser character, she was Aiden’s equal who made him question the reason he kept on going. Throughout the story, we piece together her nonlinear development into a distrustful, ruthless tyrant into a brave, decisive empath.

With the introduction of Anna, Turton brings about commentary on the state of women in the early 20th century and the fairness of the situation his characters are in. As Aiden’s fighting for a way to help free her, the readers realize how impossible it is for her to solve the mystery on her own: Anna was handicapped from the beginning. Aiden was given the advantage of having eight different hosts, majority of which had the higher class status to access the relevant information to solve the murder. Anna, on the other hand, was stuck as a lowly maid, invisible to the people she’d need to talk to, and an easy target for the unsavory characters in the novel. Also, with the treatment of Evelyn, we’re seeing how headstrong women are undermined and forced into situations they didn’t want to be in.

These are intersectional issues of women in the book that are explored by the author seamlessly. I have no idea if these were intentional, but they are points of empathy and understanding. I think that’s one strength in the way Turton writes Evelyn Hardcastle: Aiden Bishop is a narrator who chooses to be understanding and thoughtful. He’s constantly seeing past people’s exteriors and into who they truly are, and this extends past his hosts.

I’ve seen people say that he doesn’t have agency despite the book being a series of his choices and their consequences. But maybe it’s a question of what we expect from male protagonists. Aiden Bishop isn’t the usual male protagonist: he’s introspective, empathic, and humanistic. He’s constantly striving to be a better person and he’s caring to a fault, but none of these things are there to make him look weak. In fact, these are the traits that were key to his freedom. He’s already a much-needed character in terms of representation: a man who’s confident in his emotions and doesn’t shy away from them. These are very interesting traits he has… and one could say they are traditionally “feminine.” However, that doesn’t make this character female, though. So, in our next essay, we’re going to look at the ramifications of a female!Aiden and what it would mean for the story.

Want to see more essays like this? Check out my blog’s masterlist for more hot takes or book recommendations.