Booklr Questions – Who are your favorite book characters?
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Who are your favorite book characters?
It’s so easy for me to fall in love with characters in books, but rarely because they are sweet. I find myself falling in love with the brave, the decisive, and the eccentric. A few of my favorites are:
Lettie Hempstock in Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman – for her bravery and self-sacrifice
Mr. Penumbra in Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore by Robin Sloan – for his eccentricities, and un-ending faith in the power of the human spirit
Roland Deschain from Stephen King’s Dark Tower Series – for his heroism, and the hope that hides just beneath the cold surface of his emotions
Do you have a favorite character? Why?
I’ve always felt an affinity with Mole from Wind in the Willows, and Piglet from the real Winnie the Pooh books. Both tend to be sidelined by the more flamboyant characters but they have a lot to offer, which gets noticed in the stories. They’re shy and unsure that they can do what they need to do, but always get it done.
As far as “grownup books” go, well…there are so many, let me get back to you on that.
I love Mole! I recently finished re-reading The Wind in the Willows, and it was enjoyable as ever. I’m pretty sure that I have a favorite character for every book I’ve ever read.
I’ve got a favourite adult character now. The main character (nameless, just “I”) in Haruki Murakami’s “Dance, Dance, Dance” (vol 3 of The Rat). Talking to a friend I realised that in a sense I identify with the narrator, the “loser” who doesn’t mind not being successful as long as he has his freedom to drift and think and wonder, rather than being locked-in to a highly paid, notable position. The narrator isn’t at all impressed with his own life, seeing himself as to all intents and purposes a failure…yes, he has a job, but no relationships, apparently no family, no real friendships throughout the first 3 volumes of the tetrology. He sees himself as on the outside looking in, isolated from others instead of being part of the group, so important to the Asian mindset of “normal folks.” The narrator can therefore see the brokenness and isolation in the lives of others, not as an abnormality to be fixed, but as what it is–an open wound causing pain and sorrow in their lives and the lives they touch. This leads to the other aspect of Japanese “I-novels” in which the narrator spends a great deal of time meditating on life, and how not to live it. (That sounds dire, but trust me, it’s not. Part of Murakami’s greatness is that he can pack an entire philosophical treatise in about 5 words that resonate deeply with the reader’s own thoughts.) Unlike many isolated people, it’s not that “I” doesn’t have anyone to talk to. Everyone seems drawn to tell him their stories, as mentioned in Pinball 1973. In this final installment, they are still handing him their boxes full of monkeys to dust off, pat down, and release for them. And he continues to do so, whether it’s letting a 13 year old girl cry on his shoulder because she was mean to her mother’s boyfriend, or listening to an actor friend moan about his perfect life. I relate to this aspect too, as many of the people I tutor have all the trappings of “success” and often seem to feel superior to me (working as I do for peanuts), and yet when you scratch the surface they are very lonely and lost, and often end up sharing their worries and problems with me.
That’s a great character. I haven’t read Murakami’s books, but will definitely be looking into them.
Any friend of Mole’s is a friend of mine!