Salander
- Surly, which is compounded by being bounced around the state system after attacking her father.
- Clever, particularly with computer stuff.
- Capable of kicking ass.
- Sexually forward, and willing to sleep with both women and men.
Really? Is this a rich, well-rounded character? Or is this, to be frank, a crudely outlined male wank-fantasy?
It hardly seems like the best written character ever, or am I being unfair?
It feels to me like Blomkvist is the main character, and Salander is just a supporting role. Until she hooks up with him, she’s barely even a functional member of society, but suddenly becomes a complete and whole person once she’s got a man. Ugh.
Perhaps the novel expands upon this, but in the film it just seems like “Yeah dude, she’s like this hot computer genius who can, like, totally kick a guy’s ass and, like, is totally bi, but like a bad-ass, you know?”
No just no. What makes her such an empowered character is the fact that she’s a female character who doesn’t rely on a male character or anyone else. She is her own person, and is described in the book before she meet’s blomkvist, just because he’s the main character doesn’t mean she RELY’S on him to be a complete person, that’s utter bollocks.
She’s a character who after she get’s raped, doesn’t treat herself like a victim, and since the cops have fucked her over so hard, she takes this into her own hands, and make sure the guy never does it again, while also making it so she has control of her money.
You say it’s wrong that she was socially incompetent, but that’s not what the book is saying, they’re not saying she was incompetent, but SOCIETY was saying that, and throughout the books we learn more as to why, and the author did this to show some of the flaws in Swedish government, and how Salander never deserved that and was completely competent.
I also think it’s empowering that even after getting raped, she’s still not scared of sex, and when she has it, she’s the one who takes control, which is something we don’t see very often with female characters.
And also to prove that she doesn’t rely on Blomkvist to be a complete person, remember the end scene? After she realizes Blomkvist doesn’t love her too, she goes off on her motorcycle and get’s on with her life, something that also happens in the books, by the second book she’s in Italy just relaxing with the money she got from Wennerstrom’s account, and she doesn’t whine over not being able to have her man.
And also in the first book I love how the cliche of a woman being a damsel in distress is completely turned around. He’s the damsel in distress and she’s saving him. And really, people say she’s Blomkvist’s love interest, but in all reality he’s HER love interest. But either way by the end she’s over it.
So yeah, I couldn’t disagree with you more, and I wouldn’t consider her a feminist hero either, she’s just a character, and empowered female character, doesn’t mean she has to be “feminist” although the author of the book himself was a feminist, and the original title was “men who hate women”, so it in no way is a males wet dream of a woman, he set out to make a strong female character who wasn’t just there as an object. I mean how is she a males fantasy? She looks like a 14 year old boy. Such an ignorant thing to say. And in the movie she’s naked to show vulnerability, people get way too up and arms about nudity, it FOR SURE wasn’t done for objectification. I think it was also to show her piercings, and tattoos.
