Books

Top 5 Inspiring Book Characters for the New Year

Aubrey Leaman

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It’s that time of year again when everyone makes resolutions to exercise, spend more time with family, or try something new. So in the spirit of New Year’s, here are five fictional literary characters to draw inspiration from for the new year:

1. Beauty (from Beauty and the Beast)

Think about it: she actually agreed to trade places with her father and became a beast’s prisoner. That’s a pretty great example of selflessness.

2. Jane Eyre

Where to begin? She is kind enough to visit her dying aunt when she begs her to come, despite the aunt’s cruelty to Jane as a child. Yet Jane isn’t a pushover; she stands up for what she knows to be right by leaving Thornfield and Mr. Rochester after…well, if you’ve read the book then you know, and if you haven’t I won’t spoil it for you. All in all she shows incredible kindness and removes herself from an environment which she knows will be a temptation.

3. Remus Lupin (from Harry Potter)

Lupin was bitten by a werewolf as a child and hence turned into one himself, but instead of dwelling in self-pity he pursued his studies at Hogwarts and became one of the school’s best professors and one of the bravest men. It’s so easy to bemoan any kind of personal handicap we may experience, whether a chronic illness or even a broken bone, but Lupin is an inspiration to persevere and stay positive.

4. Pollyanna

Speaking of staying positive, Pollyanna sees the good in everything. This isn’t to say you should make light of truly difficult or painful events, but it’s also important to retain hope.

5. Samwise Gamgee (from Lord of the Rings)

Who wouldn’t want a friend like Sam? Even when he couldn’t really help, he was there with Frodo so he knew he wasn’t alone. And sometimes, that’s all we really need.

I hope these characters inspired you as much as they inspired me! What other characters would you add to the list and what other resolutions have you made, if any?

ANNOUNCEMENT: I usually post on Wednesdays and Saturdays, but as of now I’ll only be posting once a week on Wednesdays, at least for the time being. This way I’ll hopefully be able to write even better posts for you guys and have more time to interact with your blogs, as well! Thanks in advance for understanding!

And finally, Happy New Year!!

 

You might also like: Top 4 Independent and Inspirational Book Characters

Twitter: @ifmermaids

27 thoughts on “Top 5 Inspiring Book Characters for the New Year”

  1. I’d say my most inspirational character is Santiago from Paulo Coelho’s ‘The Alchemist.’ There’s no novel I adore more. It nourished me spiritually and I take great strength from the novel and Santiago’s journey. I read it at least once a year and I always find what I need in Coelho’s writing. Ah! I want to go read it again right now! As always, thanks for another post that will give me conversation fodder for days. Anyway, Happy New Year to you too!!!

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  3. A few of my resolutions are keeping up with my daily devotions, and I have a goal to crochet at least 1 amigurumi bear a week to later donate to kids in need. 😉
    Awesome post, and those characters are definitely very inspirational!!!

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  5. I totally agree with you about Jane Eyre. If she had given in to Rochester and stayed with him after discovering his cache of spoilerificness, I don’t think she would have been as memorable a character. The fact that she chose honor and principles over the wimpy easy follow your heart trope…It just goes to show the strength of her character.

    Speaking of Jane Eyre, you should check out a book called Ironskin by Tina Connolly. It’s basically steampunk Jane Eyre with fey. That might sound like a galactic-sized mess, but it is an awesome book.

    Likewise, did you know that there is a Jane Eyre musical out there? It was composed by John Caird and Paul Gordon and it totally captures the Gothic feel and spirit of the book. And it’s really great music. 🙂

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    1. Exactly!! Also, that book sounds amazing and right up my alley…thanks for the recommendation! And I really want to see that musical now, too!! I’ll have to see if there’s a movie/recorded version of it.

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  7. Pingback: Top 5 Inspiring Book Characters for the New Year | Arrowhead Freelance and Publishing

  8. I love that you chose Polyanna, Aubrey. Polyanna gets a bad rap, and is used as synonym for naive optimism, but seeing good in things is not naive. it often requires heightened intelligence and insight.

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  12. Pingback: New Year’s Resolutions: Seeking Book and Music Recommendations – If Mermaids Wore Suspenders

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