My Favourite Literary Characters!

Picked this really interesting tag from Shruthi. I have the feeling any book lover would love this one. The simple thing to do is "List your ten favourite characters from literature." Or is it really that simple; seeing the number of books I've read and loved over the years, I don't think it is going to be that east to list down just 10.

Anyway, here they are!

Aragorn (The Lord of the Rings; Author: J.R.R. Tolkien) - An apt character for the splendour of Middle Earth. Equipped with all the qualities any man would like to possess - Intelligent, sensitive, caring, handsome, rugged, strong, always on the right side, romantic. The way he conducts himself anywhere he goes is something to emulate. Unforgettable character from an unforgettable book.

Dirk Pitt (Many books; Author: Clive Cussler) - I read Clive Cussler's books only recently but this hero of his became a quick favourite of mine simply for his daring and presence of mind under the most fantastic and worst possible situations.

Rhett Butler (Gone with the Wind; Author: Margaret Mitchell) - Rhett Butler provided the perfect foil to Scarlett's feistiness, he was the spice to her sweet, he was the Devil to her Angel, he was the reason to her silliness and ultimately he was the right to her wrong. This "gentleman" was the first ever heroic villain or villainic hero, what have you. I remember feeling frustrated with Scarlett's waywardness and then when Rhett arrived on the scene, feeling that he would take care of the situation.

Elizabeth Bennett (Pride and Prejudice; Author: Jane Austen) - An exemplary lady; one who made a very strong impression on my then teenaged mind. I clearly remember thinking it would have been great to have a elder sister like Lizzie who could stand up to anything for the people she loved. Her love for her sisters and parents, the way she carried herself in the presence of others, her sense of propriety and fairplay, her indignation at the "wrongs" inflicted by Mr. Darcy on her family are all qualities that stand out in this book. One girl from the literary world I can never forget in my life!

Sherlock Holmes (The Complete Works of Sherlock Holmes; Author: Arthur Conan Doyle) - Arguably my most favourite literary character of all, this gentleman, who has made a name for himself as the most sought after private detective, has fascinated me for years with his sheer intellect, wit, determination and panache. One characteristic of Holmes which made me look up to him was his critical attitude towards the foibles of society, especially the law enforcement machine as it existed in his time; he never used rose tinted glasses and most of his observations were spot on. Even the most obscure problems turn out to have the most simplest of explanations - this was one statement which was proved time and time again by Sherlock Holmes in association with his friend and associate Dr. Watson.

Tally (The Painted House; Author: John Grisham) - The author went off the beaten track when he wrote this book (which was loosely based on his own childhood in rural Arkansas) which was refreshingly different from his usual legal thrillers. Tally Spruill, the teenaged girl from the Spruill family who have been classified as "hill people" who come down to the plains to look for work with farmers harvesting cotton. She stood out from the rest of her family in that she was civilized, well mannered and was fond of Luke Chandler, the 9-10 year old protagonist of the book. Even though she belonged to a wandering poor family, she carried herself with a lot of poise and inner confidence. Dressed in the most simple of clothes, she still manager to retain an aura of beauty around her. She managed to win Luke's heart in the bargain; that she broke it when she ran off with the Mexican worked Cowboy is another matter altogether.

Captain Haddock (Tintin series; Author: Herge) - My most loved characters ever; the Captain provides so much colour to the Tintin series that you can see a marked difference in the Tintin episodes before The Crab With The Golden Claws (Captain Haddock first made an appreance in this one) and the ones later. He creates a complete laugh riot with whatever he does. I remember actually rolling on the floor hooting with uncontrollable laughter at his antics. In fact, I'd still do the same. He manages to get himself into some sort of trouble in every episode but at the same time he is a loyal and ever-dependable friend to the young boy-reporter. Along with Snowy the dog, he has become an icon in the world of comic series!

Tom Sawyer (Adventures of Tom Sawyer; Author: Mark Twain) - This was a cult character in my childhood. I must have read this book umpteen number of times without ever getting bored. Following Tom and his other friends as they went about their adventurous lives; getting extremely frightened when Tom witnessed a murder is something I can never forget.

Long John Silver (Treasure Island; Author: Robert L. Stevenson) - This earlier quartermaster on Captain Flint's ship and later on leader of the mutineers on board the "Hispaniola" was a real engima. Could not really fathom his psyche totally, he seemed totally evil and friendly all at the same time. He brought a lot of colour into an anyway very colourful book.

Ari Ben Canaan (Exodus; Author: Leon Uris) - Anyone who has read this book would not fail to be impressed by Ari Ben Canaan who forms one of the central characters in this really inspiring and touching book about the conception of Israel and of the the struggles borne by them in keeping out intruders from her hostile neighbours. Tall, rugged, mentally and physically strong, Ari projects the image of an intelligent, ruthless but sensitive freedon fighter, one who would do anything for the land he loves. His dedication to the cause of Israel is absolute without any parallels!

As Shruthi said, this was one of the most enjoyable tags I have ever had the chance to write. The only point being that there are many other characters I'd have loved to include. I will not tag anyone in particular. Have already mentioned at the start of this post that any book lover would really love to do this one. So just pick this up and go for it!