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Top 10 Fictional Characters I Love!

Have you ever read a book only to realize that you did not want that book to end because you feel strongly for the character/s in it? This happens to me a lot! Many a times, I fall in love with the characters, empathize with their feelings, pain and their struggles. Most of the time, it is the protagonist that catches my interest, but some times, I feel more strongly for a supporting character.

It’s been a while since I have shared a Top 10 Tuesday list, so for this Tuesday, here’s my list of Top 10 Fictional Characters I Love and feel strongly for!

1. Mr. Darcy and Miss Elizabeth Bennett – Pride and Prejudice

This may not come as a surprise to anyone who knows me, and this may not be a surprise to anyone who loves Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice. Do you know of someone who is not in love with these characters from her book? Yea, I thought so!

2. Urmila – Sita’s Sister

Urmila, the bold and daring sister of Sita, is the protagonist in this mythological fiction from Kavita Kane. Urmila is one character who has always been overlooked in Indian mythological texts despite her important role in the Ramayana. I was intrigued by Kane’s version of her story and read more about her from whatever source I could find. Her immeasurable sacrifice for her sister and her family is one that makes you want to bow to her.Β 

3. Scarlett O’ Hara and Rhett Butler – Gone with the Wind

How can you not fall in love with the vain, self-centered, arrogant Scarlett from Gone With the Wind who is very spoilt yet very lovable, fashionable and intelligent despite her pretense at ignorance? Β Rhett Butler raised my expectation of men so high that I am yet to find one that matches him. Sigh!! I know he is not perfect indeed he’s flawed, but that’s exactly what makes him real!

4. Mary Bennett – Pride and PrejudiceΒ 

Mary Bennett is one of the most overlooked characters of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice. Always the one to be ignored in the family, Mary received the least importance from Austen as well as the Bennett family. It must have been tough for the poor girl being the middle child. When Jane had Liz her by her side and Lydia had Kitty, it was poor Mary who was always left to fend for herself. I could not help but feel for her helplessness!

5. Hassan – The Kite Runner

Khaled Hosseini’s The Kite Runner is the kind of book that stays with you eons after you have read it. It is no surprise, then, that the characters from the book leave a mark in your mind. One such character from the book is Hassan. Although, the story is about Amir, it is Hassan’s character that gnaws at the strings in your heart. Anyone who has read the book will know what I mean!

6. Jay Gatsby – The Great Gatsby

While Jay Gatsby’s perseverance in obtaining his goals is commendable and makes him an inspiring character who teaches you to go after what you want with all your heart, it is his vulnerable, relentless and blind pursuit of Daisy that had me feel so strongly for his character. Makes me wonder though, is it possible to fall so much in love that one does not see or hear anything but the love they pursue?

7. Liz Gilbert – Eat, Pray, Love

Notice a pattern here? I have a thing for tragic characters or characters who had to deal with tragic situations in their life. Liz Gilbert of Eat. Pray, Love stuck with me while reading, probably because at the time I was in an abusive marriage and dying to break free. Her story almost inspired me to stand up and fight for my rights, which is why she is one of most favored characters ever!

8. Lady Macbeth – Macbeth, William Shakespeare

Of all the heroines of William Shakespeare, I hold a special place in my heart for Lady Macbeth. Maybe because it was the first of the many of Shakespeare’s work I read or maybe because I liked the conflict portrayed in her character. Lady Macbeth suppresses her instincts toward compassion, motherhood, and fragility normally associated with femininity in favor of ambition, ruthlessness, and the singleminded pursuit of power.

9. Lisbeth Salander – The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

By now, you probably know that I enjoy reading about strong female characters, one such strong character is Lisbeth Salander from The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. The character is too complex to deduce yet you feel for her as she goes through her struggles. The fact that she does not let these struggles get to her and always emerges victorious is what makes her a character to remember!

10. Anna Karenina – Leo Tolstoy’s Anna Karenina

Despite her infidelity in her marriage, Anna Karenina remains a noble and admirable character in Leo Tolstoy’s novel Anna Karenina.Β  Anna’s most prominent qualities are her passionate spirit and determination to live life on her own terms. Though disgraced, she dares to face St. Petersburg’s high society and refuses the exile to which she has been condemned, attending the opera when she knows very well she will meet with nothing but scorn and derision. She is a feminist heroine of sorts and that makes her one of my favorites!

I hope you enjoyed reading my list of favorite fictional characters. Do you have any favorite fictional character that you feel strongly for? Let me know in the comments!

A Single Mother with an unbreakable passion to Live the Life! I am a Writer/Author by passion and an IT Project Manager by profession. I am also the voice of Artemis at In The Pantheon - a multi-author collaborative writing project. When not hunting as Artemis, I am busy querying agents and working on my multiple writing projects. Women Empowerment and Child Rights Advocate.

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