I have posted lists of memorable characters (3/6/11) and memorable settings (3/11/11); today I list some memorable child characters in novels for adults. Some of these are children throughout the novels in which they appear; some start as children and grow up during the course of the novels. Some of these child characters are memorable in a positive way, some in a frightening way. They are a very diverse group. But in all cases, the authors’ portrayals of these children are vivid, and stay in my mind even sometimes decades after reading the novels.
- Pip (in Great Expectations)
- Jane (in Jane Eyre)
- Jude, called “Little Father Time” (in Jude the Obscure)
- Maggie (in The Mill on the Floss)
- Susan, Rhoda, Jinny, Louis, Bernard, and Neville (in The Waves)
- Miles and Flora (in The Turn of the Screw)
- Antonia (in My Antonia)
- Ralph, Jack, Simon, and Piggy (in Lord of the Flies)
- Sandy and Rose (in The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie)
- Frankie (in The Member of the Wedding)
- Scout (in To Kill a Mockingbird)
- Phineas (in A Separate Peace)
- Holden Caulfield (in The Catcher in the Rye)
- Owen Meany (in A Prayer for Owen Meany)
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Phineas, in A Separate Peace
ReplyDeleteHolden Caulfield, in Catcher in the Rye
(These books are both often first read by adolescents. But so are Jane Eyre, Lord of the Flies and To Kill a Mockingbird. I think they can all be considered adult books. What do you think, Steph?)
Absolutely, yes to both those characters. And yes, both are definitely adult books. I just didn't want to get into the vast world of great child characters in actual children's literature...not for this post anyway! Thanks, Mary!
ReplyDeleteI have added both of Mary's suggestions to my list. I have also added Owen Meany, from A Prayer for Owen Meany, at the suggestion of my friend Kelly...definitely another memorable child character!
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