Bold Heroines in Children's Books: Eloise, Madeline & Angelina

Introduction: Subversive Heroines in Children's Literature

This paper examines the title characters of the beloved and enduring children's books Eloise, the Madeline series, and Angelina Ballerina. It explores the positive values that these female characters embody and how many of those traits are connected to their rejection of traditional feminine archetypes. Neither Eloise nor Madeline nor Angelina is meek or submissive, and it is very likely that their boldness is, in part, why these books have become such enduring classics. These heroines offer young readers a vision of girlhood defined not by passivity or compliance, but by independence, resilience, and self-expression.

Eloise: Autonomy, Assertiveness, and Self-Expression

Eloise, written by Kay Thompson and illustrated by Hilary Knight, was published in 1955 and has remained a classic ever since. Much of the book's relatively modern treatment of gender and gender roles is responsible for both its popularity and its enduring quality. The main character, Eloise, is a six-year-old girl who lives in the Plaza Hotel in New York City. She has gone down in history as sassy, but she is very much a subversive figure in children's literature — and was notably subversive for the decade in which she debuted. In the 1950s, so many of the available characters representing femininity for children were beholden to traditional gender roles. The princesses portrayed in fairy tales offer a clear contrast to Eloise.

Eloise was different in that she did not look traditionally beautiful and gave her appearance little consideration. Her hair is stringy and unkempt, and she has a potbelly. Rather than taking on the traditional role of the sad, abandoned, or disappointed child, Eloise revels in her parent-free lifestyle. This character choice alone is markedly different and liberating, and it portrays Eloise as a deeply independent and fearless little girl. This created a shining example for young girls and has no doubt contributed to her enduring popularity.

Eloise has decided that she, Eloise, is rather important, and has busied herself with a host of things she must do each day. These include harassing the front desk clerks, making and taking calls on the hotel's house phones, riding the elevator up and down the building, and inscribing her name all over the walls of the famous landmark. While these details might seem like nothing more than irreverent things that children do, for Eloise they are assertions of her importance and her autonomy. These actions can be understood as her way of asserting her value in the face of absentee parents, whether she was conscious of this or not. In many ways, Eloise's dominance and pervasive presence throughout the Plaza Hotel represent her exercising her own self-esteem and setting an example for young girls everywhere. Her interpersonal relations throughout the book are characterized by assertiveness — she does as she pleases, with little thought for her effect on others. Eloise is also extremely confident and inventive, demonstrated in various moments, including her suggestion that a Kleenex box could make a very good hat.

Eloise's Imagination and the Rejection of Passivity

Eloise also inhabits a rich imaginative world, something that communicates specific messages about gender. She is constantly pretending and inventing scenarios to keep herself occupied and engaged. Eloise teaches young readers the importance of being clever and inventive, and that it is one's own responsibility not to succumb to boredom or lesser inclinations. Most importantly, one could argue that Eloise demonstrates the value of allowing young girls to be a little bit sassy — and to give that side of their personality some room to breathe. The character of Eloise remains one of children's literature's most enduring examples of a girl who defines herself entirely on her own terms.

Conclusion: Children's Literature as a Vehicle for Challenging Gender Stereotypes

Children's literature books like Eloise, the Madeline series, and the Angelina Ballerina series have helped children reject some of the narrower and more harmful stereotypes of female gender paradigms. The heroines of these books are not meek, and they do not aim to please in the way so many female characters are written. These books encourage young women to be bold and brave and to pursue what they want. One might even go so far as to argue that these books encourage young girls to be a little selfish — something that can be genuinely useful in helping them construct their own identities.