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Your favorite character & character traits
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Let me go to the classics on this one - Scarlett O'Hara, always will be one of my favorite characters. Scarlett was self-centered, opportunistic, disloyal and spiteful. And, wow did Ms. Mitchell let us see this side of this colorful character! But she was also resourceful, determined and strong, beyond belief. I'll always love Scarlett, even though she was a "capital 'B'."
It may seem slight, but one of my favorite characters is the ghost in Oscar Wilde's "The Cantertville Ghost". He is truly an "alternative ghost" and it is his ineptitude at being a proper ghost in the great, spooky tradition that I loved. The story had me laughing out loud and is Oscar Wilde at his comical and campy best. I also love one of my own characters, a man named Theophilos Cinder, who is, by all outward appearances, a sarcastic-tongued human cactus, but beneath the skin is nothing more than a seriously wounded child-man whose faith in and respect for other adults was dismantled by a series of traumatic events in his childhood. This accounts for his bonding with animals, which he considers superior to human beings.
Plot and story line matter far more to me than any particular character in a book. This doesn't mean that well crafted characters don't matter in a book, but I am far more likely to remember events and stories than an individual or their personalities, unless they were so annoying that I stopped reading because of them.
Mountain man Dick Summers in A. B. Guthrie's three novels: "The Big Sky," "The Way West," and "Fair Land, Fair Land." Summers is a kind, modest man who abhors unfairness and cruelty. He is a man of few words, but his words speak wisdom. He will hear another man's stupidity but pushed, he will end it. Here are several quotes from "Fair Land, Fair Land.""Oh, trust. Seems like I've had to put it in myself mostly. ... Not sayin' it ain't sometimes hard to do."
A friend only up to a point was no friend at all.
A man could like people but dislike crowds. He could like people but swear at what they did. He could accept law if not cotton to it.
"A man who can't say he's sorry ain't fit company for anyone."
"You got to keep solid in mind that a son of a bitch is a son of a bitch, no matter how come."
From several of Nevil Shute's books, I am particularly fond of:Jean Paget, a prisoner of the Japanese during WWII, from "A Town Like Alice" (a/k/a ("The Legacy");
Henry Warren, a financier who risks his reputation and career to rescue the economy of a failing city, in "Ruined City" (a/k/a "Kindling");
Donald Ross, a pilot on an archaeological research voyage who succumbs to dreams of legend, in "An Old Captivity;"
and Alan Duncan, a disabled veteran of WWII who comes home to find himself and finds someone else, in "Requiem for a Wren."
From Ruth Moore's novel "The Sea Flower," set on the coast of Maine: Arvid, Bigelow, and the Snorri twins
In my own work (I'm not tooting my horn; I find that characters find me, and some of them are most engaging and amazingly fully formed when they come waltzing into my stories) (where do they come from?!):
Grampa Rook, the main character's grandfather, in my 2013 novel "Bead of Sand"
Sumner Hancock, sergeant on the local police force and friend of my main character, in my upcoming novel "The Sturgeon's Dance."
Other than the Snorri twins (decidedly memorable but far from favorite, whose malicious delinquency wins no friends), these characters are real enough to me to be among my friends.
Anne Wilkes from "Misery" is one of my favorite characters of all time. The way Stephen King wrote her, I have no difficulty believing she could be a real person.
Lee Child's Jack Reacher for his ultra-cool, stop-at-nothing sense of justice, C.S. Forrester's Horatio Hornblower for his shy, retiring yet very analytical and calculating nature and his truly British sense of duty.
My own character Vince, the mobster. Tall, strong, good-looking, loves retro clothing and cars and he's fearless... so how come his plans just keep getting thwarted by the hero, by events, by his fellow Mafia enforcer Mario's blundering, or by just being too darned clever. I wrote it, yet when I read it, it still makes me laugh out loud. Previous Time Lucky
Kitiera wrote: "Anne Wilkes from "Misery" is one of my favorite characters of all time. The way Stephen King wrote her, I have no difficulty believing she could be a real person."Yes. Loved this when I read it, and unusually, I wasn't disappointed with the film. Anne was perfectly portrayed.
Lindsey Davis' Marcus Didius Falco, the ancient Roman informer (private detective) for his cynicism, his loyalty and his world-weariness trying to deal with his family while climbing the slippery Roman social ladder to try to win the lovely Helena Justina, impossibly unreachable daughter of a senator. The Silver Pigs
C.S. Forrester's Charlie Allnutt and Rose Sayer. Brilliant juxtaposition of characters. I read the book long before I saw the Bogart/Hepburn film, and when I finally did watch the film I was appalled that the cockney Allnut had become a yankee!
However, the story, the characters, and Bogart's brilliant acting left me loving the film as much as I love the book.
The African Queen
Sherlock Holmes, who's a great big mass of quirks.Diana Wynne Jones' sorcerer Chrestomanci, an icy, toplofty guardian against evil magic. His flamboyant dress and unflappable demeanor stand out.
Popeye from E.C. Segar's early strips, particularly for his offhand way of brushing off murder attempts as if they were mosquito bites.
One of the most memorable, if not the most memorable, of the fictional characters I have come across in six decades of reading is Holden Caulfield, the main character and first-person narrator of J.D. Salinger's classic best-selling novel The Catcher in the Rye.Holden Caulfield epitomized the prejudices, emotions, stubbornness and often misguided perceptions that make humans human.
Mark from CS Lewis *That Hideous Strength*. Which I consider to be one of the greatest novels of all time. Mark isn't even a strong character--more of a self-centered wimp--but he starts breaking through.That Hideous Strength
Fraser wrote: "Sherlock Holmes, who's a great big mass of quirks.Diana Wynne Jones' sorcerer Chrestomanci, an icy, toplofty guardian against evil magic. His flamboyant dress and unflappable demeanor stand out.
..."
Sherlock Holmes of course! The most filmed fictional character proves it!
And Popeye... Ug, ug, ug, ug, ug. Brilliant!
Tom Jones from the novel by Fielding; goodhearted but unable to turn down an offer--any offer--from a woman still young enough to breath
Two of Rick Riordan's characters from his Percy Jackson series stand out: Leo Valdez, as the hilarious, reluctant hero, covering up his insecurities with wise-cracks, and Annabeth Chase, the strong and intelligent heroine, who dreams of being an architect. I also like J.K. Rowling's Hermione Granger, who is another strong, intelligent heroine, who makes reading cool.
I forgot one of my favorite characters from Rick Riordan's Kane Chronicles: Bes, the dwarf god. He's brash, grumpy and is so ugly, in his Speedo and "Boo!" face, that it's his legendary super power! But, he is also fearless and loyal, when it comes to protecting his charges, Carter and Sadie Kane. Plus, like many men, he pines for the popular goddess, while overlooking another who has been pining for him. If they ever make a movie of this series, I suggest Danny Devito for the part.
And I'll never forget George Hamilton in "Zoro, The Gay Blade." (1981). It was a wonderful satire of the original Zoro movie, and Lauren Hutton as a vampire desperately and unsuccessfully searching for a male virgin in the 1985 "Once Bitten."
Gary wrote: "And I'll never forget George Hamilton in "Zoro, The Gay Blade." (1981). It was a wonderful satire of the original Zoro movie, and Lauren Hutton as a vampire desperately and unsuccessfully searching..."Oh, yes! Marvelously zany film! Alcalde: "Red, like an apple? Or red, like a cherry?"
Clarice Starling from Thomas Harris' "Silence of the Lambs" and "Hannibal": she's so indisputably real and nuanced, from her coal-country upbringing quirks to her fluctuating strength and vulnerability. Whenever I'm not sure how to write a convincing lead, I look to Clarice. (Also, say what you will, but I prefer Julianne Moore's Clarice in "Hannibal" to Jodie Foster ... she has just that little bit more toughness to go with her class and femininity.)
This is a challenging question. I draw influences from so many places. As such, many of my favorite characters have been presented in various media forms, both print and visual. Some come from franchises that have been very long standing too. Which I suppose lends itself to being presented in various forms. I thought I saw Sherlock mentioned and I totally agree with that. I would also say Professor Moriarty. In both I admire the brilliance and detect a level of justified arrogance. Moriarty is such a classic villain to me because he is generally methodical and calculating. It is a model used so often thereafter, and rightfully so. For a villain, I would also add Harry Potter's Lord Voldemort. I always get a sense of how threatening he is. It is as though you know serious stuff is going to happen in his mighty presence. Plus, come on, the guy drinks unicorn blood. How can you now get a chill from a villain like that? And, one more, both seen and read, the Doctor. And why would I include him you ask? Again, he reminds me of a much more futuristic Sherlock but embodies so many complex traits. Both brilliant and arrogant, yet alone and full of guilt for much that he has done. As Moffat said, he was given a screwdriver to fix things, not a gun. He was given a phone booth so people could call for help. As for powers? he was not given super speed or strength. he was given two hearts...two hearts, and that is a remarkable thing.
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Books mentioned in this topic
That Hideous Strength (other topics)The African Queen (other topics)
The Silver Pigs (other topics)
Previous Time Lucky (other topics)
For example, I love the character Kelsier in Brandon Sanderson's mistborn series. One of the simple traits that stood out to me was that he always turned his chair around and sat on it with his arms resting against the back of the chair.
I'd love your thoughts on characters and traits that help them stand out.