Character you associate with most in literature and why?

[LitNetIsGreat]

Apologies for the somewhat "geekiness" of the question but it's just a passing whim. So who is the character you associate with most in literature and why? Don't think too deep just pick the one that comes to mind.

I've already said Jude Fawley from Jude the Obscure by Thomas Hardy because I suppose I associate with his uphill struggle in life and his burning desire to be part of the university elite to my life, in ways anyway. He is an outsider looking in. I'm not saying my little frustrations are anything in comparison to his, god even Lear would count his blessing to those of Jude, no, I can just relate to his earthly frustrations. He reminds me of a much worse off me. You?

[mortalterror]

Holden Caulfield from The Catcher in the Rye. The character had an outlook on life which still rings true for me today. "Once you get past all the Mr. Vinsons,... Among other things, you'll find that you're not the first person who was ever confused and frightened and even sickened by human behavior."

After that I'd go with Oblomov from Goncharov's novel of the same name. He has a benign world weary laziness that is almost buddhist in it's simplicity. He's always planning things and putting them off, building castles in the air, sleeping 'till noon, and wandering his apartment in an old bathrobe. He is a funny and endearing gentleman.

Then I'd pick Falstaff, who has a sort of tragic, self-aware edge to his foolishness. He is base and noble at once. He loves life, loves wine, women, and song, and he knows how to have a good time. He is the most intelligent of Shakespeare's creations. Even when he is being funny, or playing the knave, his words have a sort of philosophic clarity and seriousness. No mere clown, he is a Master of Revels like Silenus, or Gargantua before him, and no one after. Falstaff is a symbol of humanity, the best and worst in us all. Ezra Pound might have been describing him when he said "Man is a skinfull of wine, but his soul is a whole full of God, and the song of all time blows through him."

All three of my favorite characters are misfits and oddballs, well meaning, but foolish, intelligent in their own way, but melancholy.

[weltanschauung]

raskolnikov, no doubt.

[Dr. Hill]

Raskolnikov as well. I actually get fevers very often from lyme disease!

[Dori]

Dmitri Fyodorovitch Karamazov.

Why?

http://www.online-literature.com/forums/blog.php?b=7108

[Joreads]

Dmitri Fyodorovitch Karamazov.

Why?

http://www.online-literature.com/forums/blog.php?b=7108

I love that Blog Dori.

[Redzeppelin]

It sounds pretentious and self-serving to say Hamlet, but I truly identify with his struggle with the personal nature of experience. When his mother asks him why he "seems" to be mourning inappropriately for his father, he responds with

Seems, madam! nay it is; I know not 'seems.'
'Tis not alone my inky cloak, good mother,
Nor customary suits of solemn black,
Nor windy suspiration of forced breath,
No, nor the fruitful river in the eye,
Nor the dejected 'havior of the visage,
Together with all forms, moods, shapes of grief,
That can denote me truly: these indeed seem,
For they are actions that a man might play:
But I have that within which passeth show;
These but the trappings and the suits of woe. (I.i)

I identify with this stubborn insistance that nobody can really understand what another person is going through - that pain, especially, is so internal and so personal, that we really cannot understand or even empathize with what others go through and how they go through it.

Likewise, his struggle with wanting to act but being paralyzed with doubt - that to resonates with me.

Umm...and wordiness too, apparently...

[Dori]

Umm...and wordiness too, apparently...

:lol:


I love that Blog Dori.

Ah, how I love praise! :D



I'm waiting for someone to say Smerdyakov... :D

[LitNetIsGreat]

After that I'd go with Oblomov from Goncharov's novel of the same name. He has a benign world weary laziness that is almost buddhist in it's simplicity. He's always planning things and putting them off, building castles in the air, sleeping 'till noon, and wandering his apartment in an old bathrobe. He is a funny and endearing gentleman.


I like the sound of him, I'll have to check this one out for sure.

[LitNetIsGreat]

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Oblomov-Classics-I-Goncharov/dp/0140440402/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1234431466&sr=1-3

Yes this sounds fantastic, do you know if this translation is any good?

[mortalterror]

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Oblomov-Classics-I-Goncharov/dp/0140440402/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1234431466&sr=1-3

Yes this sounds fantastic, do you know if this translation is any good?

I believe that's the translation I read it in. It was superb.

[amalia1985]

I'd say Jane Eyre, for her independent spirit, her refusal to be led by others, her attitude to remain true to her beliefs, unaffected by others' influence.

[PoeticPassions]

I think I would have to go with Harry Haller (Steppenwolf)... his constant search for something, his constant discontent... his wish to break from the bourgeoisie society, yet his inability to fully do so (for he is always entwined in it), his gloomy outlook on life, yet also some kind of intellectual superiority (that he feels he has, yet he has so much to learn); his loneliness, and his struggle between his "human" self and his "animalistic" (i.e. "wolf") self.

[Emil Miller]

A fictitious character that I have always identified with is that of Somerset Maugham's alter ego Ashenden. Worldly wise and urbane, he is always the casually inofenssive observer of the of the characters that people those books of Maugham that are told in the 'first person'.

[rozreads]

Even though I grew up in a rural area, when I was young I totally identified with Francie in "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn." I just thought like her, I guess. But, from the moment I read Catch-22, it was Yossarian...surrounded by people who seem to understand the inanity and lost in the search for something that makes sense. Still, I think I keep a bit of Francie's idealism in the attic.

[mono]

I do not consider it 'geeky' Neely; I actually think of these kinds of questions a lot! ;)
For me, I would say Philip Casey from Of Human Bondage by W. Somerset Maugham. I have read this amazing novel twice, and more and more he reminds me of myself.
Both times I have read the beginning chapters, okay, okay, I admit, I cried a bit, when a young Philip gets woken up in the middle of the night to see his ill mother, primarily because it reminds me of one of my first memories; the difference - I do not have a clubfoot. Otherwise, how determined, emotional, shy, indecisive, and a wanderer he seems, I can relate with, I feel. He works in a Keats-like way, as both a medical professional and artist, has his flaws (a physical flaw, clubfoot) obvious and vulnerable, and, like me, has unbearably strong and passionate infatuations with women.

[LitNetIsGreat]

I believe that's the translation I read it in. It was superb. Duly ordered thanks.


I do not consider it 'geeky' Neely; I actually think of these kinds of questions a lot! ;)


No, actually I have got at least one book out of this thread and some of the others sound interesting too. It seems that a lot of people seem to associate with pessimistic characters rather than optimistic ones. I'm not sure why that should be so, perhaps it is just that pessimistic/discontent characters are more true to life than overtly optimistic ones. As I said in the other thread which spawned this I don't trust optimistic people - they are strange and unnatural beings. ;)

[Emil Miller]

I do not consider it 'geeky' Neely; I actually think of these kinds of questions a lot! ;)
For me, I would say Philip Casey from Of Human Bondage by W. Somerset Maugham. I have read this amazing novel twice, and more and more he reminds me of myself.
Both times I have read the beginning chapters, okay, okay, I admit, I cried a bit, when a young Philip gets woken up in the middle of the night to see his ill mother, primarily because it reminds me of one of my first memories; the difference - I do not have a clubfoot. Otherwise, how determined, emotional, shy, indecisive, and a wanderer he seems, I can relate with, I feel. He works in a Keats-like way, as both a medical professional and artist, has his flaws (a physical flaw, clubfoot) obvious and vulnerable, and, like me, has unbearably strong and passionate infatuations with women.

I think that most Maugham readers would agree that Of Human Bondage is his magnum opus. It certainly influenced my life in a number of ways, but the interesting thing about the novel is its autobiographical content. Maugham was a shy person who had a stammer ( the club foot ) that made him painfully self-conscious . His mother died when he was a child and he later became a doctor at St Thomas' hospital London before giving up medicine for literature. The character of Mildred in OHB is actually based on a boy that Maugham knew when he attended Kings School Canterbury, and in the grounds of which, the writer is buried. Maugham's homosexuallity was for many years a secret to most of his readers at a time when it was illegal and hardly acknowledged. Even years later, when I was visiting Cap Ferat where he had lived for decades, the lighthouse keeper who kept the lighthouse close by Maugham's villa was pleased to show me around, but when he invited me to meet his wife and I tried to talk about what went on at the villa, they were clearly embarrassed and changed the subject.
Philip's feelings for Mildred are an all-consuming passion similar to that of Heathcliffe or Jay Gatsby, and many young men who have read the novel must have known something of the torment of Philip Carey's longing for Mildred.

[JBI]

T.S. Eliot (yes he is a character), and anyone who has read The Waste Land will know why.

[Jeremiah Jazzz]

I'm going to have to go with Hamlet as well. No body understands me!

[Veva]

I associate myself with Veronika from Veronika decides to die by Coelho.... It could be because of the mutual name or mutual feeling - I am neither happy, nor unhappy, I just cannot bear it...

[Mag Master 21]

Holden Caulfield from The Catcher in the Rye.
This.

[andave_ya]

For me this is actually a question that takes some thinking :p. Come to think of it, I haven't really associated who I am now with a specific character; I suppose that's because I haven't read very many books with a convincing high-school-level female protagonist.

Who I want to be, however, is a conglomeration of quite a few fictional characters :).

[LitNetIsGreat]

Originally Posted by Neely
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Oblomov-Clas...4431466&sr=1-3

Yes this sounds fantastic, do you know if this translation is any good?


I believe that's the translation I read it in. It was superb.

Currently reading Goncharov's Oblomov and I must say it is quite delicious! Thanks again. :thumbs_up I fully intend to slob around and do nothing but read this tomorrow.

[Emil Miller]

Currently reading Goncharov's Oblomov and I must say it is quite delicious! Thanks again. :thumbs_up I fully intend to slob around and do nothing but read this tomorrow.

Yes, Oblomov's lifestyle can be catching for those readers who are of a slothful dispostion, among whom I include myself, but it is not to be forgotten that Goncharov is using his character as a symbol of Russian inertia in contrast to the energetic Stoltz who represents German dynamism and progressiveness. It is one of the few Russian novels that I have truly enjoyed in that it is amusing despite its tragic undertones.

[The Comedian]

I'd like to be more like Edward Abbey (he's an author, and his own best character), but I'm probably actually more like Dan Dreiberg. :)

[LitNetIsGreat]

Yes, Oblomov's lifestyle can be catching for those readers who are of a slothful dispostion, among whom I include myself, but it is not to be forgotten that Goncharov is using his character as a symbol of Russian inertia in contrast to the energetic Stoltz who represents German dynamism and progressiveness. It is one of the few Russian novels that I have truly enjoyed in that it is amusing despite its tragic undertones.

Yes that's true I read about that in the introduction, but he's such an endearing character all the same, I'm already calling my wife Zakhar :lol: with mixed results. :flare:

[rima]

My personal Life&Love Story has matched with reading of
"The Master and Margarita" by Mikhail Bulgakov.
I am a living proof that a Character jumped from pages of a book
and entered my Life.It would be difficult to describe parallel life i
have lived with Margarita to be told in a nice writing style.
Fortunately,i realised an ebook "Margarita"Privilege or fate?"


"She had a nice and neat hairstyle, wearied the gold shoes with no heels
and in every way she was Young,Beautiful,her laugh sounded resonant and
exciting, and deep Margarita's voice with falls would be recognized by everybody.
Young?Have I been wrong when i said that?

She was..... delicacy don't allow me to say how Old she was in that
time. There were no lines of old age to be rejuvenated. She had own
relationships with age, which/age/she won and that is not only in her
Imagination .I’ll never forget as she said in a charm way about a man,
fifteen Years younger then she: I am sick of this boring Old man!"

This quotation was about Jelena/Elena Sergejevna ,wife of Mikhail Bulgakov,and
Margarita from his Masterpiece: The Master and Margarita.
Description of Jelena was given by Vladimir Laksin by his Memory.



"By accident or not, my meeting with Master and Margarita
has happened at the same time as occurred my Battle
against my age.I could not imagine to grow old, it was
terrible thought for me. I needed to get to struggle, and
I Won!I must admit i was practicing Meditation and my
Thinking were very strenuous, sometimes to the limit of Madness."


"I am sure every Girl/Woman has a Secret Desire of being Margarita.
She is Magic, Beautiful, Wonderful, she is an Inspiration for her Lover
and she won Old age. Secret Grail was in her hands, magic Cream
or something more, maybe Pact with Devil, all the same,
She got the gem-Eternal Youth.You,who now read these words,
you are so Passionate, Burn from desire to be Margarita."

If you are interested in reading the whole ebook,leave me
a message and i'll give you my e-book.
Thank you

[Zee.]

Joe Christmas and yeah as cliche as it sounds, Elizabeth Bennet

[Dr. Hill]

Raskolnikov apart from the murderous ways. I'm anxious and perhaps supercilious for no reason at times.

[prendrelemick]

John Ridd.

Thats who I want to be like. A simple straightforward man who confounds his enemies through his physical and moral strengh. Non of this seudo-interlectual namby-pamby torment-of-the-soul for our Jaan. He just gets on with it.

[wat??]

1. Holden Caulfield - The Catcher in the Rye
2. Zooey Glass - Franny and Zooey
3. Arkady Kirsanov - Fathers and Sons
4. Ivan Karamazov (I wish I were as intelligent) - The Brothers Karamazov
5. Rakitin - The Brothers Karamazov

Narrowing it down to five, but I seem to identify myself with a lot of characters in fiction.

[Tsuyoiko]

Anna Karenina.

[thescholar]

Winston Smith. I am not paranoid, though, nor am I making this selection pretentiously or with the implication that I am the only person capable of thought. I simply admire his character and how powerfully designed he is. I also like to envision myself as a reasonable judge of character, like Winston, and i am also usually mistaken with this vision, just as Winston was with regards to O'Brien.

[Mariamosis]

Gordon Comstock - Keep the Aspidistra Flying by Orwell
(the way in which I reason in a disagreement... all my arguments are flat and one-sided)

Dora Spenlow - David Copperfield by Dickens
(the silly and naive side of me can't seem to keep itself out of my personality)

Agnes Wickfield - David Copperfield by Dickens
(the person I strive to be)

Gabriel Oak - Far From the Madding Crowd by Hardy and Mrs. Micawber in Dicken's David Copperfield (for the same reason... :lol:)
(my loyalty to those I love)

[bazarov]

Yevgeny Vasilyevich Bazarov form Fathers and Sons - like I am watching and listening myself.

[wat??]

Do 18th century Russians assault you on the street?

[bazarov]

Do 18th century Russians assault you on the street?

What?

[Lulim]

Joe Christmas and yeah as cliche as it sounds, Elizabeth Bennet
Actually, Elizabeth Bennet is not a bad choice: an enviable lot, to be worshipped and adored by a millionaire, handsome and decent as Mr Darcy ;)

However, I am all with Will Ladislaw. He is passionate, impulsive and true to his love and his ideals.

[wat??]

What?

Whoops I meant 19th century. Anyway I was referring to how virtually everyone in Russia, at the time Fathers and Sons was published, reacted hostilely to the character Bazarov.

[Eugenie]

I suppose I could name a few from the more classical literature, but I wouldhave to choose Eowyn from Lord of the Rings. I identify with her grief held in check, her wanting desperately to go forth and fight the wrongs done to her family, to do something besides sit about and wait until it is too late. I identify with her deep love of her uncle and family and the constant ache in her heart from all that she and her people have suffered. Yes I would go with Eowyn.

[seanlol]

Ender Wiggin from Ender's Game simply because of the pressure.