Attributes In Literary Characters

A while back there was a challenge that went around social media which challenged people to describe oneself if three fictional characters. It was a surprisingly short-lived challenge. Maybe it's because although it's a fun and creative idea, it can be difficult to narrow down. Plus there's a fine line between painting yourself in too good a light (superheroes), and attempting to be humorously self-deprecating (Sadness from "Inside Out"). So instead, I jotted down ideas not of who I think I am exactly, but of who I want to be because of distinctive traits.


1. Imaginative and creative; curious; a quirky lightness which overlays a deep sense of compassion and defined by bold uniqueness.
Stargirl, from the young adult novel "Stargirl"
Luna Lovegood from "Harry Potter"
Lucy from "The Chronicles Of Narnia"


Stargirl is defined by her generosity, her abundance of care for other people, her overflowing thoughtfulness. Though she is considered odd, dressing distinctly and unfashionably and is prone to changing her name to fit her mood, it is the way she sings happy birthday to every single person in the school, the way she leaves coins on the ground for children to pick up, and how she cheers for both teams with equal enthusiasm that shows someone whose heart is unabashedly on their sleeve. It is only her happiness wagon - a tiny toy wagon which is either full of pebbles or nearly empty - which gives away the pain she feels when she must chose between being rejected for standing out or accepted for fitting in. Stargirl is a lesson in being okay with who you are, and that caring for others is more important than caring what they think of you.

Luna Lovegood: oh where to start with someone so utterly unique and kind? Dreamy, though an incredibly smart Ravenclaw, she floats along, unconcerned when people hide her belongings and call her loony. However beneath the eccentric remarks and fashion choices is someone who has known real pain. When Harry sees the Thestrals - beasts which pull the carriages to the school and are invisible and therefore nonexistent to most people - Luna reassures Harry, explaining that only people who have seen someone die are able to see the beasts. Though her sorrow has clearly changed her in important ways, she doesn't dwell in the pain. Instead, she uses it to quietly empathize with other people. At Dobby's funeral (which takes place after she has been held prisoner in a dungeon), she speaks when no one else can, continually showing an inner strength which surprises those around her. When Harry asks her to a dance just as friends, she is happy as never before, and later on a peak at a mural she's created of her friends shows how rapturously her heart beams with loving them and being included. She is a true and loyal friend, and that's just what she hopes for in return.

Lucy Pevensie has been a favorite of mine ever since my Mom read me the Narnia books as a small child, or when I saw the old but wonderful BBC version of three of the novels. It is her curiosity which leads her through the wardrobe and into the snow-covered land of Narnia. It is her simple trust which has her following Tumnus the faun to his home for tea. Back through the wardrobe in England, she maintains her belief that Narnia was not a dream or a game, even when the wardrobe has closed and her siblings don't believe her. Later, with her siblings and her all taking part in a battle of good versus evil in Narnia, Lucy is designated the healer, taking a vial of cordial to patiently heal the wounds of everyone who fought. She grows up in Narnia and is crowned Queen Lucy the Valiant. Once again it is kindness and compassion which marks her as a hero of mine, along with her curiosity and her strong faith in believing what others tell her is impossible.


Once, I recited a poem to a friend: she responded with a smile, "Ah, you're one of those people, someone who can recite poems and such from thin air." To be honest, I hadn't ever really thought about it much before then. My Mom can recite poems and instilled a love of beautiful/funny/moving verse in me. To me it was normal, but for my friend it was something unique. Add to this quirkiness, if you will, a love of vintage clothing, a tattoo of a book on my spine, a habit of being barefoot in the kitchen while singing and baking, a love of thrills - specifically involving heights - and a great enjoyment of unexpected and silly moments. The characters above were all told or expected to grow up in some ways. Leave behind the odd and silly and different - whether fashion choices or beliefs - and just fit in. Yet those outward appearances were personifications of their creativity, while their hearts - both bravely sensitive and open - allowed them to have a miraculous depth of kindness.


2. Brave and courageous; self-sacrificing; valiantly unwavering in pursuit of truth and of care for others.
Eowyn from the "Lord Of The Rings"
Katniss Everdeen from "The Hunger Games"
Eponine from "Les Miserables"

Eowyn is The White Lady, both for how she dresses and her pale countenance. Having lost her parents yet carrying the lineage of royalty she is sad but strong, stating, "I fear neither death nor pain." A curious Aragorn asks what she does fear, and she replies, "A cage. To stay behind bars, until use and old age accept them, and all chance of great deeds is gone beyond recall or desire." After having fallen in love with Aragorn, whose heart belonged to another, she proves that no cage can hold her: disguising herself as a warrior, she rides into the heart of battle. Standing between her people and the Witch-King who boasts that no living man can slay him, she proclaims, "But no living man am I! You look upon a woman." (or as in the film, simply, "I am no man.") Ready to give her life to save her uncle and his subjects, Eowyn embodies bravery and courage. Not only that: she uses her femininity as a strength and not a weakness when defeating the Witch-King. I love Eowyn's determination to find and give freedom, no matter the cost to herself. She beautifully embodies feminine strength and resolve, both on the battle field and when she later marries and becomes a healer who is devoted to "all things that grow and are not barren".

Katniss Everdeen never set out to be a leader. In a moment of unspeakable pain - the thought of watching her little sister enter the brutal Hunger Games and battle to the death - she volunteers to go in her place. Bravely she puts her life on the line, first for her sister Prim, then in the Games for little Rue and for kind Peeta. Because of her genuine care, people turn to her as someone who can spark a rebellion. Through bargaining to save the lives of others, she allows herself to be turned into a symbol of hope, the Mockingjay. Though at first she desires only to survive and help her friends, she is unable to turn away when others are suffering, and takes up the mantle of leader. Supported and pushed as needed by her allies, her actions ring out against injustice in the fight for freedom.

Eponine is, by all accounts, not the star of Les Miserables. Female characters Fantine and daughter Cosette have a much wider focus, yet it is Eponine's quiet determination and sacrifice - fueled by unrequited love - which I've always gravitated towards. Having grown up spoiled and pampered by her horrible parents, when she falls in love with Marius, she never shows anger or self-pity when he has eyes only for Cosette, the girl who was once treated as her family's slave. When her father and his gang are about to rob the home of Cosette and her father, she choses to call out and save them, even though it means facing a beating from her wrathful father. When the revolution begins, she follows Marius into the fray and is fatally shot, leaping forward and taking the bullet meant for him. Though all of the characters in Les Miserables have lives filled with tragedy, next to Jean Valjean, Eponine's compassion and bravery are what I most hope to emulate.


3. Hopeful; an ability to find the best in the darkest circumstances; a doer and a dreamer both in one, optimistically moving forward in faith.
Sara from "A Little Princess"

The Prince from "A Little Prince"
Jane from "Jane Of Lantern Hill"

Sara Crewe is kind and generous. Raised in luxury, when she loses everything and is suddenly heartbroken and neglected, she nevertheless recalls the dignity her father gently instilled in her. Trial reveals that her inner kindness was deep and true, and not simply the result of having so much it didn't hurt to give things away. Through helping others from what little she has, she inspires them to be better, stronger, and truer. If empathy and generosity in all circumstances were the revealing marks of royalty then Sara would indeed be a princess. In fact, they are the only things she considers when imagining herself as royalty, responding to a snide question about if she was 'princess Sara' again with a dignified yet humble, "I always tried to be." Her unflinching resolution to maintain her dignity and humanity made me long to know and be like her.


The Little Prince is a character who seems young and aged both at once. He has his own tiny planet to care for and can watch dozens of sunsets a day, yet he is alone. He seeks meaning, so in hope he sets off and meets a number of colorful characters, including a fox who allows himself to become the Prince's pet while warning him that "you become responsible, forever, for what you have tamed." The Prince asks numerous questions of everyone he meets, trying to understand and make sense of life during his hopeful sojourns. 

Jane is not as well-known a character as Anne of Green Gables, L.M. Montgomery's most famous heroine. Though I love Anne, I've returned to Jane for years through re-reading her book, possibly because of the beautiful transformation which takes place in the character. At first, Jane is nervous, clumsy, and painfully shy. Nothing she does is good enough for her haughty grandmother, and she wilts under the strict home life. Forced against her will to visit her estranged father for an entire summer, Jane discovers a freedom to be herself, not just on the island but back home with her flighty mother and frigid grandmother. She tackles the everyday and discovers it to be wonderful: her father helps her learn to love reading, and she determinedly teachers herself how to cook. Instead of being downtrodden any longer, she brings her new-found freedom into every part of life. Once she has seen the hope of change, she carries it with her everywhere.


My wish, then, is that I would be both a bringer and receiver of hope. To delight in friendship and uniqueness like Luna Lovegood, be unflinchingly brave like Eowyn, and as steadily kind as Sara Crewe.