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Originally Posted by Aiwendil
The Rohirric culture is one in which the honour and glory of battle are prized above just about all else, and of course women are not permitted to have those things. In dire times such as the War of the Ring, the men are permitted to go and face death themselves and by their own skills to overcome it or succumb to it; the women are forced to wait at home in uncertainty and compelled to entrust their lives to the deeds of others. That system is cruel to the women, and Eowyn's hopelessness is a natural result. She is perfectly justified in railing against her situation, just as Merry is.
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I wonder how 'male-centric' Rohan is - certainly it is in comparison to the modern Western ideal, but its quite an advance on what many women face in parts of the world even today
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/8204207.stm . And if we assume that Aragorn didn't just make up the term 'shield maiden' on the spot then we can also assume that it was not entirely uncommon for women to fight - perhaps part of Eowyn's frustration was that she couldn't take up that traditional female role due her duty of care for her uncle. I wouldn't necessarily assume that that the Rohirric system is 'cruel to women'. I'm sure Eowyn wasn't unique among the women of that country in being able to use a sword. In short, I don't believe that Eowyn is actually desiring something unique - just possibly something that was out of fashion. Or possibly not - maybe women did commonly fight, if only in defence of their homes. I wouldn't be surprised at the existence of a few shield maidens in Rohan or to discover incidents of Hillmen & Orcs attacking a settlement & suddenly finding themselves face to face with a woman or two in armour, wielding spear or sword.
Hence my feeling that her words are more of a cover up for her real desire - to go down in a blaze of glory & gain the respect & honour in death that she finds it impossible to obtain in life. She doesn't desire to fight to defend her people - she desires to
die defending them.
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Let's also not forget the result of Eowyn's 'sick' actions. Undoubtedly, the slaying of the Witch-king was a very good thing. Had Eowyn not gone into battle, it seems very likely that the outcome of the battle might have been different. A grim and hopeless desire for death or glory is in itself not good; but in war few things are. Eowyn's sickness ultimately helped to defeat Sauron.
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No. but should we judge her mental/spiritual motivation by the unintended result of her actions, or by her motivating desire? She didn't go to battle to defeat the Witch King & save the world, she went to get herself killed. That she did succeed in helping dispatch him is a nice bit of serendipity, but she had no idea that stabbing him would have any effect at all, let alone that it would finish him off.