Strong/Atypical Female Characters

Flagg incorporates a variety of strong female characters in her novel to illustrate that females have the power to run businesses, protect themselves, and keep their communities connected. Idgie is a female character who is described as being before her time because she ran a business in the 1930s, while few women were independent. Evelyn is another example of a strong female character who becomes a successful businesswoman and helps other women. Dot is a strong female character because she chooses to love her life, even though she does not live the life she imagined for herself.

Idgie demonstrates her strength because she runs a business and because she is not afraid to protect those she loves. Peggy tells Ruthie that Idgie was “way ahead of her time. She was an independent woman long before the women’s movement came about. She ran...