8 Literary Characters that Linger

You know when you’re in the middle of a book or just finished reading one and the characters get stuck in your head? They’re in your house, sitting at your kitchen table or lounging with you in the living room until you’ve finished the book or gotten over that particular book hangover. And then there are the characters that sometimes just keep popping back up. You visit a coffee shop or a store or you see an item or taste a certain food and it makes you think of that character. That character that someone else created in their mind and shared with the world until that fictional person was introduced to you. Those are powerful characters and they usually end up being some of our favourites. The ones that we relate to more than any other.

A common prompt I’ve seen floating around has been of favourite character lists. I got the idea from reading this great blog post by Looking for Abura and figured I’d try one myself!

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All right, here we go, 8 of my favourite literary characters... the ones that I couldn’t get out of my head:

1. Hermione Granger

Hermione was my first literary role model. I related a lot to Hermione because of her love of learning. She helped me through those bullying years and made me brave when I would otherwise have run away crying. She was smart and strong and probably the truest friend Harry could have had. She’s hands-down my favourite character from the Harry Potter universe.

2. Sirius Black

Sirius was always such a tragic character. He lost his best friend, his family, and his youth all in one night and spent a majority of what should have been his best years rotting in a prison. His presence in Harry’s life was just a taste of what could have been. If Jo were to write any type of prequel I’d LOVE to hear about the Marauders at Hogwarts!

3. Finnick Odair

WHY DO THE GOOD ONES NEVER LAST?! Finnick is another one that was so interesting but we didn’t get enough of him in the books to truly know him. One of the reasons I like him so much is that, even though he was forced to give so much of himself to people that he hated, he still had humour and kindness in him to share with others that needed it.

4. Elizabeth Bennet

What a classic feminist. Elizabeth was extremely frustrating, at times I just wanted to hit her with a brick and make her realize Mr. Darcy was head-over-heels for her. As obtuse as she could be she was also very ahead of her time. I admired her so much for standing her ground and staying true to herself. She taught me not to settle for less.

5. Louisa Clark

Who doesn’t love Louisa? She’s so positive and full of light. She’s a dreamer. Yes, Will showed her that she should live and make the most of every moment, but she showed him what life was about too. She showed him that he could choose to be happy and that there were ways to still enjoy life. Her bumblebee tights will forever be fashion goals.

6. Sansa Stark

Most people hate her but she’s probably my favourite character in the series. Sansa was young, she didn’t understand the weight of her actions. And yeah, so she fought with her sister... who doesn’t? (I love mine but sometimes I could really chuck a melon at her head….unless she’s reading this then I'm totally kidding and she's the best.) To me, Sansa is a survivor. The Lannisters may have broken her but she never let them see it. She never let them have the satisfaction of knowing that they succeeded. She stayed strong and “loyal” on the outside and it probably saved her life. She knew that she was a wolf surrounded by lions, the best way to survive was to play her part.

7. Jamie Fraser

My dream man. Hell, he’s everyone’s dream man. How could he not be? Jamie is strong and manly and kind and amazing. But he’s also extremely supportive of his Claire. He knows that she comes from a different time and is more headstrong because of that. He doesn’t demand her submissiveness as she “should be” in that time. He treats her as his equal and respects the hell out of the women in his life. He knows Claire is a force to be reckoned with and loves her all the more because of it. That’s his most attractive quality to me. But also, whatta hunk. 

8. Samwise Gamgee

This one doesn’t even really need explaining. Humble and kind, all Sam wanted was to take care of his friends and to get back to the shire and live a simple life. He was loyal and down-to-earth and, honestly, the best friend we all wish we had. Middle Earth would have been doomed without good ol’ Sam Gamgee to save the day.

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So, there they are, the characters that wouldn’t get out of my head. The ones who I got to share amazing adventures with. I’d love to hear which characters are your unquestionable favourites and if there are any new characters that I didn’t list that I should be introduced to in my 2019 reading list!