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This has been a month filled with me having better luck finding fun stock photos for Top Ten Tuesday prompts than it has been with me actually coming up with ten answers each week due to how tricky I found most of the prompts.
Sometimes things work out that way. But, hey, at least I’m having a good time in the process and I have the chance to feature some much older books this week that I usually wouldn’t include!
Here’s the thing about secondary characters. In most cases, I understand why the author wrote them that way and don’t actually feel the need to dive more deeply into their lives.
There are a few exceptions to that guideline, though. I’d love to know more about the following characters for reasons I’ll share below.
1) Dora from Anne of Avonlea by L.M. Montgomery
Why: While her twin brother, Davy, gets into all sort of mischief at Green Gables, Dora just sits there and doesn’t influence the plot much at all. I know she’s a quiet, good child like I was at her age. Even quiet, good kids who follow all of the rules have hopes and dreams, though, so I would have loved to know more about who she grew up to be in the later books in this series.
2) Susan Pevensie from The Chronicles of Narnia series by C.S. Lewis
Why: Yes, she was a major character in a few of the books, but she was quickly dropped from the storyline after that. I think she deserved better, especially when it came to her fate in the final instalment of this series that still irritates me.
3) Miss Lucy (or any of the other Hailsham teachers) from Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro
Why: This is going to be difficult to explain without giving away spoilers, but I’ve always wondered why the teachers at Hailsham weren’t horrified by the fates of the students they looked after for so many years. It’s one thing to be fed propaganda but quite another to spend so much time with children you have been taught are disposable without having second thoughts about your line of work. Why didn’t any of the teachers stir up a fuss? Or did they and were their attempts to change the system futile?
4) Arthur ‘Boo’ Radley from To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
Why: He was described as someone who terrified the local children, ate raw animal flesh to survive, and had a long, jagged scar on his face. (I suspect many of the stories about him were exaggerated by scared kids, if not made up entirely). When I read this book, I was sure those details were going to be explained and his backstory revealed, but it never happened. He deserves to have his tale told, though. I think it would be a fascinating one.
I haven’t read the entire Narnia series but I did so enjoy those I read. So many good elements and characters. 🙂
Cool!
I don’t even remember Dora (or Davy!). I really need to go back and reread this series and see if I enjoy it as much now as I did when I was younger. I think coming up with any answers to this prompt is a success. Have a great day!
It was such a fun series! I think they showed up in book three (ish?).
And thanks. Hope you have a great day, too.
Regarding Susan, didn’t everyone you-know-what? (Not sure if html spoiler text works in these fields or not.)
____________
die
Everyone but her did! I think she was off doing something else when that happened. Visiting colleges or family friends, maybe?
These are some interesting choices and I love your explanations for them. I’d definitely be curious to read about Boo Radley! And you’ve got me wanting to go back to read Narnia now because I read that book when I was a kid and haven’t picked it up since. Great post!
Thank you, Dini.
I’m still having trouble leaving comments on your posts, but I’ll keep trying!
Fun choices today!
Thank you. 🙂
“Even quiet, good kids who follow all of the rules have hopes and dreams, though…” This is so true! And I was that good, quiet kid, myself. It occurs to me now, though it didn’t when I was young, that Dora is good because she’s afraid. She and Davy already lost their parents; she’s got to be afraid of losing Marilla and Anne and her home at Green Gables. Being good is the one way she can make sure she doesn’t. So yes, you are right; it would be interesting to see what happens to Dora later on, and whether she blossoms into a more confident young woman eventually.
As for Susan Pevensie, I’ve never entirely forgiven Lewis for his treatment of her, and what it says about his attitudes toward women. He was fine with his girl characters as long as they remained little girls, unaware of their sexual attractiveness, but at the time he was writing the Narnia books, he doesn’t seem to have liked or admired grown women much, particularly of the attractive variety. I can’t actually think of a single one he writes about with liking and respect.
I love your take on that. Yes, Dora was probably pretty traumatized for sure.
And, yeah, I noticed that about C.S. Lewis as well. What a disappointment.
A book with Boo from To Kill A Mocking Bird would be interesting.
I’m glad you think so. 🙂
I love your thoughtful list!
Thank you. 🙂
I agree about Susan. The third book too has caught my eye before and your comment has me SUPER curious!
I hope you like it. 🙂
I also agree about Susan. Though I’ve seen some various takes on her story afterward that I guess I will have to be content with.
I went rogue this week, I couldn’t come up with a good list for this week’s official prompt: https://bookwyrmknits.com/2023/09/26/top-ten-tuesday-quotes-about-knitting/
I’ve read a couple of those takes. They were refreshing.
Boo is one of those characters that seems to have a massive backstory but is not the focus of the story. I would love to know more about him. Thanks for stopping by my blog earlier.
Pam @ Read! Bake! Create!
https://readbakecreate.com/september-2023-one-word-descriptionrecent-reads/
You’re welcome.
Arthur ‘Boo’ Radley – It would be wonderful to hear from him.
I’m glad you agree.
Susan definitely deserved better.
I’m glad you agree.
Someday I want to read the entire Anne of Green Gables series. I can’t remember where I stopped when I was younger. Never Let Me Go is waiting on my bookshelf! And I agree about Boo Radley. I always wanted to know more about him, too! Great job this week!
I hope you’ll get to do that!
Thanks. 🙂
What a great list. I’ve read a few of these and yet, having books with those characters as the focus would be great. Susan Pevensie certainly deserves a bit more attention.
Exactly!
Hm yes if I would ever return to Narnia, a story about Susan would certainly do it.
Exactly!