My Top Ten Most Inspirational Characters (in no particular order):
1. Emily Starr from the Emily of New Moon series by L.M. Montgomery
I know, everyone loves Anne Shirley. I like Anne too, but I’ve always loved Emily more. After the death of her father, she is sent to live with her two spinster aunts and a cousin at New Moon. Emily could have been what everyone wanted her to be–a dutiful girl who didn’t daydream and make up stories, who married a nice man as soon as she was of age, and settled into the life of a quiet wife and mother. But no. Emily wanted to write and she wrote even when everyone else tried to stop her. I loved it when Emily finally did achieve her dream.
2. Sam Gamgee from Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien
The most loyal of best friends ever. Even in the face of definite death, Sam stuck by Frodo and walked to the end of the earth and back for him.
3. Cinna from The Hunger Games series by Suzanne Collins
He’s a citizen of the Capitol, but he recognizes the flaws of their rule. And then he finds a way to express his opinion of it, even though he risks his own life by doing so.
4. Hermione Granger from the Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling
Smart, and not afraid to prove it. She never changes or apologizes for being who she is, even when a certain red-haired boy teases her about it.
5. Atticus Finch from To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
A caring father who stands up for what he believes in, even when what he believes isn’t what everyone else around him believes.
6. Neville Longbottom from the Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling
Neville comes across as a quiet, clumsy boy that is easily overlooked. But he has heart, and courage when needed.
7. Wes Baker from The Truth About Forever by Sarah Dessen
Wes has been through a lot, but he’s turning his life around. As Sarah herself said, Wes is “a boy who likes flaws, who sees potential in everything. While Delia’s company may represent chaos, Wes to me is hope. To him, nothing is ever finished, or broken. It’s just waiting to be incarnated, to begin as something new, again.”
8. Liesel Meminger from The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
This is one of those books that haunted me long after I’d finished it. Liesel’s relationships with the people around her touched me, and her quest for knowledge and understanding stayed with me.
9. Elizabeth Bennet from Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
Okay, I tried not to include her because I know a lot of people would list her. But she is inspiring. During a time when women were expected to be quiet or vapid, eager to marry and be “cared” for in their lives, Elizabeth refused to accept a life she wouldn’t have been happy with. And she definitely didn’t remain quiet and keep her opinions to herself.
10. Gilbert Blythe from Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery
Even though I liked Emily more than Anne, I loved Gilbert from Anne’s stories more than Teddy from Emily’s. Gilbert grows a lot throughout the books and he shows kindness and compassion, even when Anne refuses to speak to him. He acknowledges his mistakes and works hard to make up for them. He likes Anne for who she is, even all the things about herself that she believes are flaws, and he respects her as a person.
I find it interesting that with the exception of Emily, Liesel, and Elizabeth, I didn’t choose the main characters of the stories, but the friends or love interests or parent. I think that as a writer and a reader I usually am more drawn to the supporting roles, the ones who help the main character grow or discover truths in the story through their own actions or words.
Who are your favorite inspirational characters?
Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created at The Broke and the Bookish.