I don't think DPC intended for her to be interpreted as such.
Sure we love to hate on her face, and she's stubborn when she wants to help (like my mother-in-law who won't take no for an answer when she's offered you something, "No, I don't want another cup of team, I've had 5 already, I'm not being polite, I just don't want another fucking cup!")... ahem... anyway, I think she comes across as a typically kind person, a little simple, but definitely kind.
I've
ranted about the way she dumps the mc before (that she actually dumps him is fine, just doing it in public the way she does is insensitive, but she'd finally stood up to Tybalt and wasn't particularly in her usual frame of mind), but while the catalyst that sends us down that path of rejection is not going on the picnic, the picnic
was a pivotal moment in her story.
At the picnic, other than just more one-on-one bonding between the two, Jill gets to air the situation about Tybalt's blackmail, and the mc get to respond, passionately: There's the rain, the making out, the jug-fondling... it was all very significant.
If you miss the picnic, Jill just tells the mc in the halls of the college, it's all rather sterile, and their relationship doesn't progress. That then snowballs into other events not happening (the morning run, the date with friends, the hot sex...)
It's actually OK that she decided to back out.
But if you look at her track record, she does care about others:
- When they first meet, she helps him up seeing he was the victim of bullying.
- We know she's working on a campaign to help people (don't know if it's about bullying or drugs or something like that, but it's obviously meant to help)
- She's friendly and offers to show Josy around when she finds out she missed orientation
- She is genuinely concerned for the mc when he's beat up by Chad, that's why she keeps suggesting the hospital (sure she doesn't get that not everyone can afford hospital fees)
- She tries only to speak kindly to people, and give them the benefit of the doubt (hence why it take her so long to tell Tybalt to fuck off)
- She only has good intentions when she sets up the meet with the counsellors after the Chad fight. Sure if she checked with the mc first he would have explained it wasn't a good idea, except it actually was a good idea. The Alphas have to leave him alone, and if he asks for leniency on Chad, it clears the air on those two. And even if that ultimately lead to their mansion being trashed, the DIKs have only grown because of it.
- She organised a lovely impromptu picnic for him on his birthday - sure we all hate that picnic, but for unrelated reasons.
- She feels genuine sadness for the mc when she hears the bittersweet story of his birthday.
- She was aware of his potential discomfort when meeting her friends and she did what she could to help.
- She's really concerned for Cathy after the Cathy Cluck event.
I'm not sure where the idea that she's domineering comes from:
- She finally had enough at the restaurant and blew up, but that's about the only time we've seen her like that.
- She is stubborn about the hospital because she thinks it's serious that the mc is woozy after being hit. But she backs down and respects the mc's wishes in the end.
- She was the one to plan the tennis date, but it was the mc that asked to go out with her in the first place.
- She did organise the meeting with the counsellors, but bullying is something she takes very seriously
- It was the mc's own determination that had him climbing her balcony to play music for her
- Same as it was the mc climbing her balcony to make out with her the night of Jill's solo performance (and I'm not talking about the piano solo
)
- On a number of occasions the mc initiated making out with her. The first time she initiated a kiss (other than the good night cheek peck) was on Bella's couch, but it was the mc that turned it into something more.
- She did stop his advances from going too far, and she has every right to. That'll be less likely now.
- She is quite introspective and possibly even suffers low self esteem, even when stopping the mc's advances she second guesses herself.
- She did organise the picnic, but when the mc turned her down, she didn't make a scene or make him feel guilty. She amicably accepted it. And while it was the catalyst to end their relationship, it's not like she thought, "You turned me down?! You're dumped!" Shit just turned out that way. Sometimes that's just how the cookie crumbles.
- When it came to sex, she initiated it, but only because it was clear to her that the mc had already initiated it ages ago, he was just waiting for her to be ready, but once it began, he drove the whole thing.
- She's upset (not mad) as she starts to feel jealousy when the truth about the mc's philandering hits her.
- She graciously wins or loses the tennis games. While she plays hard, it's not about the winning for her.
So to say she wants a subservient guy doesn't ring true to me.
I actually think their relationship is quite healthy. Each has their own boundaries (ok, let's be realistic, the mc has no fucking boundaries whatsoever
, unless Jill has a strap-on under her bed
), let me rephrase that, they respect each other's boundaries. They both put in somewhat equal effort into the relationship. They do care about each other. It's not just about sex. They each make time for each other.
To me, she is a very beautiful girl, with a fantastic body and a kind, gentle personality, who has a fucked up smile and is very protective of her friends, who is a little naïve when it comes to guys and relationships.
That's not to say that she wouldn't drive you crazy with all her destiny shit, and stubborn do-gooders can be a pain in the ass!
