“Novels” are the most accepted form of literature in the world today. But what makes these novels worth reading? What adds the element of interest in the novel? How do we connect ourselves with the novel? It is the characters that make or break a novel. A Character is the most crucial element. So here are some 20 characters from well known novels, who are actually responsible for a book to be successful:
1. Humbert Humbert
This amazing character is from a novel named ‘Lolita’ by Vladimir Nabokov. He is a middle aged, handsome looking man. In the book he is portrayed as a pervert, rapist, and guilt-ridden murderer.
2. Hester Prynne
Hester is a homely single mother in the novel ‘The Scarlet Letter’ by Nathaniel Hawthorne. She is a bold women who decided to challenge the stereotypes and emerged a as self sufficient women and raised her daughter with all her strength.
3. Ebenezer Scrooge
He is an awful character from the novel ‘A Christmas Carol’ by Charles Dickens. Ebenezer is a cold, emotionless character who hates happiness and celebrations in his life.
4. Lady Brett Ashley
She is a beautiful character from the novel ‘The Sun also Rises’ by Ernest Hemingway. She is Very beautiful, gorgeous and seductive with a wonderful dressing sense and consequently attracts all other male characters in the novel.
5. Jean Valjean
This character belongs to Victor Hugo’s novel Les Misérables. We observe a huge transformation in this character by the end of the novel. Initially we find him as a starving ex-convict and then we see him change for good.
6. Atticus Finch
He is a flawless character from the novel ‘to kill a Mocking Bird’ by Harper Lee. He is a perfect man and is patient, honest, kind. He is an idealistic person and at times seems to be too good to be true.
7. Lolita
A titular protagonist of the novel ‘Lolita’ by Vladimir Nabokov. She is a very interesting character, initially she is a twelve and a half year old, and then pregnant in seventeenth. At times she is described as a fantastic, seductive woman by Humbert.
8. Bathsheba Everdene
This character comes from the novel ‘Far From the Madding Crowd’ by Thomas Hardy. She is a very self-possessed woman who loves herself and her appearance and loves looking at the mirror. At a broader level she is an independent woman of the 19th century England.
9. Pierce Inverariy
This character is from Thomas Pynchon’s novel ‘The Crying of Lot 49’. Even though he dies before the real action begins, yet plays a very important role in the novel and can be termed as the backbone of the novel. He is rich and has a mysterious death.
10. Ichabod Crane
He is from ‘The Legend of Sleepy Hollow’ by Washington Irving. He loves reading and listening to horror tales but is afraid of darkness. He is very sweet and never wishes to trouble anyone and hence does whatever his landlords ask him to do.
11. Mustapha Mand
He is from the novel ‘Brave New World’ by Aldous Haxley. He is a very talkative character. Most of his dialogues are rich in quality and are worth deep interpretation and analysis. With his deep strong voice he wants to do something positive to this world.
12. John Galt
He is from the novel ‘Atlas Shrugged’ by Ayn Rand. He is a pretty mysterious character. He lives in an undersea city and is has discovered a Fountain of Youth. Basically he is the driving force behind all the happenings in the story.
13. Dorian Gray
He is the titular Hero from the novel ‘The Picture of Dorian Gray’ by Oscar Wilde. He is a very complicated character and hence is very difficult to understand. At one point you will find him bad, at another good. Overall he is a pretty interesting character.
14. Miss Havisham
She belongs to Charles Dickens’ ‘Great Expectations’. She is a lady who hates the male world. All her expectations are ruined. She becomes rich and adopts a girl. Her story as read is pretty interesting and can leave a permanent impression on you.
15. Bucky Wunderlick
He is a character from the novel ‘Great Jones Street’ by Don DeLillo. Here Wunderlick’s dissatisfaction runs the novel. His fame, fortune and revolutionary image makes the play dramatic.
16. Arthur Dimmsdale
Another lovely character from the novel ‘The Scarlet letter’ by Nathaniel Hawthorne. He is a kind man with a pure heart. He is an outstanding speaker. He is a secret lover. Basically he is a typical literary character but seems mysterious at times.
17. Veruca Salt
This character is from Roald Dahl’s novel ‘Charlie and the Chocolate Factory’. She is described as a small girl with rich parents in the beginning of the book. Even though she belongs to an affluent background, she always wants more and more. She is greedy and wants whatever she does not have.
18. Uriah Heep
This character is from the novel ‘David Copperfield’ by Charles Dickens. Uriah is a very evil character who just cannot digest the fact that someone is batter than him. He lives with his mother, who is much like him but loves his son very much.
19. Jane Eyre
She is a very beautiful character from the novel ‘Jane Eyre’ by Charlotte Bronte. Her life has been a roller coaster ride but at the end finds happiness when she unites with her Mr. Perfect. All in All she is a very kind, lovable and strong woman.
20. Bigger Thomas
This character is from the novel ‘Native Son’ by Richard Wright. He is a black, who fears white people. Initially we see him as a petty thief who steals and earns his bread. This character actually leaves an unforgettable impression on the readers mind and gives a very strong message against ‘Racism’.
–Sakshi
StoryMirror 