Top Ten Tuesday!
06.26.2012
By Zara D. Garcia-Alvarez / @ZaraAlexis
Top Ten Characters Who Remind Me of Myself or Someone I Know
1. Jing-Mei Woo
from The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan
While the character Waverly, who was usually first in all things and also the first in picking “the best crab, the brightest,[and] the plumpest,” for dinner, I, like Jing-Mei Woo, would be offered the last piece to pick from the table, left always with the least desirable one.
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2. Kathy H.
from Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro
Kathy H. is not only chosen to be a “Carer” in the novel, Never Let Me Go, but she is also the character who is sidelined by her extroverted friend Ruth who “steals” the limelight as well as her true love, Tommy simply out of vanity and spite.
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3. Gwen
from Late Nights on Air by Elizabeth Hay
Gwen is the dependable, intelligent broadcaster who is both humble in her ambitions and her self-worth when it comes to work and love as compared to the alluring, yet emotionally disturbed character Dido. While Dido is desired based on her overt sensuality, Gwen proves to be the more substantial character.
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4. The Japanese Wife
from The Japanese Wife by Kunal Basu
The Japanese Wife is the beloved from a distance. She is beloved through penned correspondence only. While her husband forms a new relationship , the Japanese Wife is unseen and yet faithful.
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5. Elaine Risely
from Cat’s Eye by Margaret Atwood
Elaine Risely is a successful artist whose childhood suffering was largely due to an enigmatic tormentor named Cordelia. It is only later that Elaine Risely is able to confront her past and come to terms with who she is in light of powerful and destructive influences.
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6. Charis
from The Robber’s Bride by Margaret Atwood
Charis is the “dreamer” of the book and deemed the most “flighty” of characters in the novel though she is quite intelligent. And she allows, out of her sense of responsibility and compassion, to often times let others take advantage of her.
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7. God’s Gardeners
from The Year of the Flood by Margaret Atwood
The God’s Gardeners are a spiritual group of people, whose theology is based on extreme living due to its love for the earth.
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8. Megan
from “A Choice of Accommodations” in Unaccustomed Earth by Jhumpa Lahiri
Amit and Megan share the reality of a marriage that has reached its low season dented by babies and the monotony of routine. People from their pasts can resurrect old feelings, yet reassure us as readers that passion can still spring up from the loyalty and trust found in strong, married love.
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9. The character narrative in the poem
“You Heard the Man You Love” from The Door by Margaret Atwood
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10. Shiloh
from The Dovekeepers by Alice Hoffman
Shiloh is rebellious in so far as she is independent at a time when her family and her community would exile her. She is strong, empowered, sensual, and gifted in the occult arts. She’s also fiercely loyal when it comes to helping women in need even at risk to herself or her reputation.
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Who are your Top 10 Fictional Characters that are most similar to you or someone you know?
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