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Kianna Brown
Professor Lewis
English 115
18 November 2014

Julia as a Heroine in Blue Moon Rising

What makes a heroine? What are the characteristics of a heroine? Is a
heroine a female version of a hero or are there other characteristics that set a heroine
apart? In Simon R. Greens Blue Moon Rising, there are many heroes, helpers, anti-heroes
and villains, but is there a heroine? Some may speculate that there was not even a heroine
in the novel, while others may argue other wise. All of the main characters in the novel are
male, with an exception of one female character, Julia. She is not a damsel in distress or a
brash side character. Throughout this paper, I will be redefining the heroine, showcasing
why Julia is a heroine in Blue Moon Rising, and in conclusion, how she made an impact
through her heroic actions.
Heroines are a growing breed along side their male counterpart in literature today.
In the past, women were often depicted as delicate rose petals or strong and wicked rose
thorns in novels. Never the entire rose flower; strong and delicate. In the Oxford English
Dictionary, a heroine is defined as a woman admired or idealized for her courage,
outstanding achievements, or noble qualities. The definition from the Oxford English
Dictionary is very vague and so the interpretation of a heroine can be extremely broad. The
main ideology though is that, heroines are meant to be strong heroic female characters who
are known for their courage and their achievements. In many heroines of today and the

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recent past, they have an instilment of feminism. Feminism is an ideology that a woman
should share the same rankings, political influence and economics as a man. More and
more heroines are demanding as much recognition as heroes are and achieving it.
Why should Julia be considered a heroine? Well it is not just because she is the only
top ranking female character in Blue Moon Rising. Julia is a very strong, courageous and
dedicated young princess who rushes into action. Princesses in novels are never seen
rushing into battle from the front line or not conforming into the rules of society, Julia is
truly one of a kind. Julias bravery, stubbornness, skills, strength and kindness are what
make her a heroine. In Blue Moon Rising, the King compared the traits and characteristics of
Julia to his son Rupert, the hero of the story. The King said, In many ways you remind me
of Rupert. Youre honest and youre loyal, and youll fight to the death for something you
believe in. With the King comparing Julias characteristics to the hero of the novel, shows
that Julia truly does have heroic traits. An example of Ruperts and Julias similar traits, is
towards the ending of Blue Moon Rising, Julia chose her duty over speaking with Rupert
before the final battle against the Demons and the Forest Kingdom and Castle. She stated
that, Rupert would have understood. He knew a lot about duty (Green 393).
M.B.W. Sherwood, the author of the article, Heroines: Their Duties and How They
Fulfill Them in Modern Fiction in the New York Times, stated that heroines should be an
angel, but a woman. His statement could suggest that heroines should act kindly towards
people like angels and do great things, but still have human flaws as any man or woman
has. Julia has a sense of kindness that is not that well recognized throughout the novel. Her
kindness is often hidden by her brash and blunt personality. When her, the Seneschal and
Boden the guard, were met with a swarm of demons in the missing South Wing of the

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Forest Castle, Julia helped them defeat the demons. Julia bravely put herself in harms way
and used herself as a distraction so the demons would not go after Boden or the Seneschal,
since he was previously hurt during the demon attack. Boden eventually swooped in and
helped her fight the demons, but by the end of the attack Julia was injured and bleeding.
Boden asked if she was okay, and she replied that they were just cuts and nothing more.
Boden was helping Julia with her injuries, but after a while she pushed him away, and
turned to the Seneschal (Green 192). Even though Julia herself was badly injured herself,
she was more concerned about the Seneschal than her own self. That is a true sign of
kindness and selflessness. Another act of kindness and selflessness, is when Julia was with
the Dragon in the stables and she said that she wanted to help the dragon look for more
dragons after everything was over. She truly cared about the Dragon and wanted to help
him out with his troubles.
Julia does have her faults though, as do all heroes/heroines do, but she admits to
them. When she talked to the Dragon in the stables, she said being blunt and direct isnt
just unfashionable, its unfeminine (Green 196). Mostly all heroes have a period of selfdoubt in one point of through their journey. Heroes and heroines alike have to reevaluate
themselves and really think about what they are doing and if it is wrong. That is a very true
and noble quality of a heroine due to the fact that the heroine is able to reevaluate herself
and her actions, I wonder if theyre right. If there is something wrong with me. Maybe Im
missing out(Green 196). Julia was self-doubting her self a lot and thought that her actions
were wrong, but she still has her strength despite the negativity she put herself through.

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Judith Finlayson, the author of the article, Between the Sexes: Heroines Maybe, But
Not Heroic, used Rachel Brownsteins book, Becoming a Heroine: Reading About Women in
Novel. Finlayson stated using Brownsteins perspective, that heroines should be feminists,
strong independent women who recognize the oppression of gender and who are forging a
new vision of the world. Through out the novel, Julia has proven to be strong and
incredibly independent. She constantly had to fight against the oppression she experienced
of being a female born into royalty and in that time period of society. Julia had to constantly
prove to others that she is a fighter and that girls can be strong like men. She was
constantly hit with the remarks thats hardly suitable for a Lady of the Court (Green393),
and the like when she was doing anything remarkably unfeminine or uncustomary for a
proper lady. Through out Blue Moon Rising, Julia was seen getting into fights and arguments
with Lords, Ladies, workers or guards due to her stately hood of her nonexistent
femininity in the opinions of the society in the novel.
Through out Judith Finlaysons article, there are statements stating that most
heroines are not heroic at all. That is, heroes charge into battle, have strong minds and
bodies and are extraordinarily brave and courageous. She wrote that often times, heroines
in fiction novels are seen to be extraordinary sensitive and often highly romantic. She also
wrote that many times a heroine would either die, get a rich husband or die of seduction.
Anatomy is destiny, she put it. Julia does not fit into her archetype of a non-heroic
heroine. Julia is anything but sensitive and is not very romantic. She had the opportunity to
get a rich husband by marrying Prince Harold (who is Ruperts less sensitive and brash
older brother and who is the heir to the throne),but chose other wise. Julia did not die at

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the end of the novel. She did not meet her earthly destiny as many heroines in the past
have met. Anatomy was not Julias destiny and she has proven herself to be a heroine.
To counter my thesis, there are reasons why Julia would not be considered a heroine
in the novel. Heroes and heroines are supposed to be gentle and loved by all. That is not
the case for Julia. When she approached the Seneschal to join the expedition to find the
mysteriously missing South Wing of the castle, he was everything but thrilled. He regarded
her as a burden at first and made it clear that he did not want her company with the
statement, There are hundreds of other people you could annoy. Why not go and
persecute them instead? Julia is also very violent towards people who she feels deserved
it. At the beginning of the Seneschals expedition, he had to tell Julia to not hit anyone,
meaning that she has done so in the past.
She had also been excused from taking her etiquette lessons due to the fact that her
tutors refused to enter the same room as her unless they had an armed guard escorting
them. For her tutors to demand armed escorts is deemed that Julia is too violent towards
people. A heroine also usually has ambition, something to strive for. There is a conversation
between Harold and Julia in the novel, where Julia states that she doesnt know what she
wants after Harold asked her, then what the hell do you want(Green 249). Julia doesnt
have a set goal throughout the novel, in which case, make her seem not so much as a
heroine, but just a female character.
According to Bryan M. Davis, the author of the online site, The Hero Archetype in
Literature, Religion, and Popular Culture, a heroine or hero should possess a weapon or a
certain power that can be only used by the heroine or hero. Only the hero, Rupert, can
wield the magical rainbow sword and only he has one. The princess Julia does not have any

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weapons are special powers that she can only wield, but just a man made forged sword.
Davis also stated a hero always has supernatural help. Some may argue stating that Julia
didnt truly have a mythical creature guidance. Yes, Julia did have a strong bond between
the Dragon and the Unicorn, Ruperts noble steed, and had a scene where the Dragon was
trying to comfort Julia in the stables. All those close connections to those mythical
creatures would not have come to pass, if it was not for Rupert. If Julia was not in such
close terms with Rupert romantically, then the Dragon and the unicorn would have
probably not have been that close with Julia.
Julia throughout the novel has made impacts, both big and small. She truly was able
to forge a new vision of the world like what Judith Finlayson said previously in her article.
Lords and Ladies came to accept that women can be strong and tough. The King nor the
guards approved of her organizing a militia filled with only women, from scullery maids to
Ladies-in-Waiting. Against the odds Julia defended what she was doing and what it stood
for. She believed that women could train and fight against the odds against the oppression.
Those women that depended on Julia before the final battle between the Forest Castle and
the Demons, were the same women who ridiculed and forsaken Julia because of her
unfeminine behavior when she first arrived at the Forest Castle. She truly helped change
the perspectives of the court and of the people of the Forest Castle of what a women
should be. She marched into the final battle from the front line along side the King, Rupert
and Harold and helped defend the Forest Castle from the invading Demons and the
Darkwood, a blindly dark, spine chilling, forest of decay filled with Demons. She had even
helped the character development of Rupert through out the novel and also Harolds.
Prince Rupert became stronger after meeting Julia. He felt a connection with her that he

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never felt with anyone else before. Even Harold did experience a bit of a character change
when he was around Julia. Harold always was a bit of a jerk to Julia and everyone else he
met, but eventually he began to soften up a bit because of Julia.
Julia as made an impact throughout the story. She has shown remarkable
characteristic and heroic traits. Her character is flawed, but so is every other heroine or
hero in a story. Her flaws are what make her unique and flaws helped her grow as a person.
She had self-doubt and admitted that she was not perfect nor the ideal feminine Lady of the
Court. Julia has been kind in her own way, helping out others when they needed help and
she had put others needs in front of hers. She even remarkably put her duty in front of
talking to Rupert. She used what she had to better herself and the people around her, and
for all of that she truly is a heroine in Simon R Greens Blue Moon Rising.

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Work Cited
Davis, Bryan M. The Archetypal Hero in Literature, Religion, Movies, and Popular
Culture. Stephen F. Austin University, 11 Oct. 1997. Web. 12 Nov.
Finlayson, Judith. Between The Sexes Heroines Maybe, But Not Heroic. The Global and Mail
31 Mar. 1984.0.Web.
Green, Simon R. Blue Moon Rising. New York: Roc, 2005. Print
Heroine: Definition of in Oxford Dictionary (American English) (US).Web. 23 Nov. 2014.
Sherwood, M.B.W. Heroines: Their Duties and How They Fulfill Them in Modern Fiction.
New York Times 15 Sep. 1900. BR4. Web.