My Favourite Characters
by Saladin Akara on May 8, 2009
in Characters, General
As a pleasant end to the theme of characters, I thought it would be pertinent to name just a few of my favourites. From movies, books and TV, the follwing are all characters I’d recommend watching or reading about. For me, they help make the film/book/TV series a joy to read/write.
Perrin Aybara
This character had to be first. My favourite character fom my favourite series of books. One of three leads from the late Robert Jordan’s ‘Wheel of Time’ series, Perrin is my personal highlight to the epic tale. The son of a blacksmith, he finds himself drawn into events that are beyond his control. A modest fellow, he is forced to become a leader of men, and must battle his own inner demons whilst protecting those he loves.
Caught between doing what is right and escaping a situation he detests, Perrin’s internal conflict nicely displays a human side that is almost stereotypical of the anti-hero. Yet, he struggles on without so much as a complaint. In the middle of a battle for his affection, torn between two lives, he hopes only to one day return to his father’s forge. It will be interesting to see how his story ends in the final book.
Noah Bennett
From the Heroes TV series, Noah exemplifies in my mind the man caught in a ‘catch 22′ situation. Everything he does, he believes is for the protection of his family; specifically his daughter, Claire. He turns his back, seemingly, on what is the right thing to do, so he can manipulate and threaten in order to achieve his goals. Ruthless and cold, he’ll even endanger Claire’s love of him to protect her.
Part of my love for this character, I’ll admit, comes from the way he is portrayed. There is always an element of doubt surrounding Noah (also known as HRG - Horn Rimmed Glasses - a name he was given before his real role was revealed), and it is never quite clear if his selflessness is genuine. It would be interesting to see what he’d do if it was his death or Claire’s.
Althalus
The perfect example of an anti-hero, Althalus, from David and Leigh Eddings’ ‘Redemption of Althalus,’ this character is a real joy. A theif and general no-gooder, Althalus is given the job of stealing a book from a house - for lots of gold. Events don’t work quite as planned, and he is forced to engage in a mission to save the world in the midst of a ‘War of the Gods.’ It’s his acidic wit and playful antics that make Althalus enjoyable early on in the book.
As responsibility weighs down on him, and we begin to see a change, his transformation into a genuinely good guy is a difficult one, and he must battle with his inner, irresponsible criminal prevent the death of new-found friends along with the rest of the world. It is amusing to see him use techniques applied to robbery in battle, and when they work, even more so.
Silas
From the much talked-about novel by Dan Brown, ‘The Da Vinci Code.’ This monk turned killer offers us an insight into just how far brainwashing and manipulation can go. He kills in the name of God, at the order of his Opus Dei master, yet knows it is wrong so punishes himself constantly to repent of the sins.
An innocent brought into a war in the most hideous of ways, there is a certain child-like quality to Silas. Had he not been manipulated into a killer, perhaps he would have done some good in the world.
Other Favourites
Who are your favourite characters from various media? Why do you like them? Share your favourites with us all!
One of the most well written novels I’ve ever read was Atlas Shrugged. I’m not saying I agree with her whole objectivism principle, but it is just such a thorough read.
The character I related to the most was Dagny Taggart. Indeed I’ve been going through a similar life event and just the depth of her emotions that the reader was taken through was incredible.
Thank you for the comment, Andy.
I think that it’s awesome when a writer portrays their characters in such a way that you can build a ‘relationship’ with them through what they experience, or feel, or think, etc etc.
A lot of my favourite characters, I’ll admit, are so because I can make some element of a connection with them. Always a sign of a good writer when you feel like you actually know the characters.
Matt
Great article! I too enjoy the conflicted characters caught between doing the right thing and doing the wrong thing for what they feel are the right reasons. One of the best characters on TV, I feel, was Vic Mackey of The Shield, who was a bad guy you rooted for and wanted to see redeem himself. Every time he tried, he seemed to only make things worse for himself, and more importantly, those around him. A true tragic figure.
Some of the best characterization in television I’ve seen elsewhere were on Homicide:Life on the Streets and on The Wire, both excellent shows if you’ve not seen them, with more raw and dynamic characters than I’ve seen anywhere else.
I always identified with Beecher on OZ. I suppose that was the point really, to have the audience have one character they could relate to deal with this situation so totally out of their element. And then have horrible things happen to that character, to really pull you in.
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I like Lincoln Rhyme from Jeffery Deaver’s books. But I was surprised by his portrayal in the Bone Collector as a film.
Tyler Durden is one of my favourite schizophrenic soap salesmen.
JJ from Skins is another nutcase I have liked this year. And I love Will from The Inbetweeners.
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Thank you for your comments guys, it’s good to hear other people’s opinions.
@David - Good to see you finding your way on here! Tragic figures are definitely enjoyable, though I’ve not ever seen The Shield. Also, thanks for the recommendations on the TV shows: I’ll have to check them out. I don’t often watch TV, but I’ll make an effort to hunt down those two shows.
@Tracy - I have to agree that relatable characters are necessary, whether in TV, film or literature, to keep us hooked. That element of bad things happening to them helps to create a sympathy for the character - meaning we want to watch/read to the end so we can find out what happens to them.
@SingleParentDad - In the few episodes of Skins I’ve watched, I found that a lot of the characters were easy to connect with; after all, we’ve every one us been a teenager at one point. The (from my viewpoint) exaggerated elements of the modern teenage life only serve to make it a more obvious reminder of our younger, more reckless, years.
I am with you on Althalus, he was always one of my favourite david eddings characters. Though I think my favourite character of all time would have to be Daemon Sadi from Ann Bishops, dark jewels trilogy.
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