There are some people who stay with you long after you have read a book.
I've put down a few that have remained with me over the years, and no
matter how many times I may read the book, or see the movie, they always
come alive as powerful as ever.
1. Gabriel Oak, the shepherd in, 'Far from the madding crowd'. What a
calm, steady person. He remains stoical in the presence of life-changing
disasters, taking each set-back on the chin and carrying on, never
looking back, never groaning and moaning for what might have been, never
letting anything stop him from going ahead. He does not change himself
to fit in with new times, but remains so true to himself that everyone
not only accepts him but appreciates him for what he is. Can there be a
great testimony to what he is all about?
2. Joe Gargery, the blacksmith in, 'Great Expectations' was a similar
character. Ever cheerful, no matter how trying the times, or how unhappy
his home. He remained as dependable as ever through thick and thin. He
was not ashamed of who he was, but his love for learning, helped him to
strive to learn at an age long past his youth. His love for Pip brought
him out of his comfort zone, but oblivious to everything, with great
care and love nursed Pip to health.
3. Daniel Peggotty, a humble but generous Yarmouth fisherman in, 'David
Copperfield'. He opened his home and hearth to David. What character he
shows when he goes all overlooking for his niece Emily after she had
been ill-treated by David's friend Steerforth, and yet not once, ever
did he hold David responsible for having introduced the rich and selfish
Steerforth to his family.
4. Sydney Carton, the dissolute lawyer in, 'Tale of Two Cities'.
Brilliant and sharp, he lets himself go and allows himself to play
second fiddle to the arrogant and ambitious lawyer, Mr. Stryver. No one
could have suspected that he had it in him to offer the ultimate
sacrifice for the woman he loved.
There are some characters whose generosity knows no bounds. Utterly
selfless in their giving and capable of great warmth, they are
completely incapable of being judgmental. These are people who can be
trusted, people who stand by you through thick and thin, people who are
magnificent human beings in the real sense of the world.
1. Mr. Wilkins Micawber, and Miss. Betsey Trotwood, from David
Copperfield - what wonderful characters. So giving and accepting. Mr.
Micawber could never hold down a job for himself, but was excellent when
he worked for other people. You find yourself forgiving him for all his
weaknesses, simply because he is compassionate and kind with David.
Miss. Trotwood, for all her sternness of demeanor, could be counted on,
no matter what the situation or circumstance. She brought up David,
firmly but wisely, and remained his surrogate mother to the end.
Generous to a fault, she was an utterly dependable person, caring for
Mr. Dick and being the only one who took him seriously. Sensitive to and
protective of Mr. Wickfield's reputation, she never let on that she
knew that Mr. Wickfield had managed her funds badly leaving her poor.
2. Mr. Vincent Crummles Head of the Crummles theater troupe, a
larger-than-life actor-manager. He takes Nicholas and Smike under his
wings, and Mrs. Crummle, and the whole troupe accept them cheerfully and
wholeheartedly. The Cheeryble brothers, wealthy merchants, from
Nicholas Nickelby represent kindness and heart-felt philanthropy. They
offer Nicholas a position, and then help resolve a lot of Nicholas'
problems as well.
Through these characters, and even from someone like Abel Magwitch who
was a convict-turned farmer, (a character from David Copperfield), Hardy
and Dickens show that people have it in them to lift themselves high -
beyond the ordinary, and beyond the call of all duty - even to the point
of sacrifice. The nobleness of their spirit comes through at a time
which tries them to the point of breaking.
Hardy and Dickens, among many others, were such students of human
nature, that they could paint all manner of real-life characters - and
while the shallow, the selfish, and the downright evil make you wonder
at the depths to which human nature can sink, there was always an Oak,
or a Gargery to show that human nature can be sublime too. Tough,
understanding of all that happens to them, accepting of their lot, and
at the same time not letting anything get the better of them.
And what words of wisdom
"Annual income twenty pounds, annual expenditure nineteen six, result
happiness. Annual income twenty pounds, annual expenditure twenty pounds
ought and six, result misery."
"Accidents will occur in the best regulated families."
"We need never be ashamed of our tears."
"Any man may be in good spirits and good temper when he's well-dressed. There ain't much credit in that."
"Minds, like bodies, will often fall into a pimpled, ill-conditioned state from mere excess of comfort."
"Reflect on/upon your present blessings, of which every man has many; not on your past misfortunes, of which all men have some."
"Subdue your appetites, my dears, and you've conquered human nature."
...among many, many more...
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