Jenna, the protagonist of White Jenna, matures in thought as she struggles with the dual nature of her life. She plays a public part, but in private, to those close to her, she denies the attribution to her of the role of the Anna.

When prodded at one point to kill in cold blood the man called Bear, as prophecy suggests, she demurs. "I am no story," she insists. "I am no tale. I am real." Jenna no less is highly skilled in strategy and swordplay. She is no traditional fairy-tale or fantasy heroine, but a feminist creation, a reinforcement of the theme of women's potential for independence and heroic impact upon society as a whole.

Jenna possesses a woman's resources which need no man's aid, implied by the magical presence of her dark sister Skada, who appears in candlelight, firelight, or with the moon. This "sister light...