Hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl
Thank you to Deanna @ A Novel Glimpse for submitting the theme Ten Characters Authors Surprisingly Redeemed. I will be tweaking it a little as it trickier than I thought it would be!
I tend to DNF stories about characters who are really unpleasant, so I had to do a lot of brainstorming to come up with examples.
Redemption is probably too strong of a word for some of these characters. They have a long way to go before they reach that point in most cases. What I can say is that I enjoyed reading about them despite their terrible behaviour and I could see how each of them could be redeemed with some more introspection, remorse over their actions, and attempts to make things right.
Is that close enough to the original theme? I hope so!
Here are my answers:
1. The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger
The (Possibly?) Redeemeable Character: Holden Caulfield, the angsty protagonist
2. Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë
The (Possibly?) Redeemeable Character: Heathcliff, the controlling and moody love interest
3. Oryx and Crake (MaddAddam, #1) by Margaret Atwood
The (Possibly?) Redeemeable Character: Everybody. Or at least the main human characters.
4. Yellowface by R.F. Kuang
The (Possibly?) Redeemeable Character: Juniper Song, the deceptive protagonist.
5. Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
The (Possibly?) Redeemeable Character: John, the confused protagonist
6. Logan’s Run by William F. Nolan
The (Possibly?) Redeemeable Character: Logan-6, the brave but impressionable protagonist.
I could definetly see Juniper getting a redemption storyline. Or at least, what *she* thinks is a redemption storyline?
Ooh, I like this twist!
I never read Wuthering Heights (and I’m not sure if I’ve seen a movie adaptation or not), but I know lots of readers find the hero annoying. I think most readers dislike a lot of the Bronte sister’s heroes. I think I haven conflicting thoughts on some though I do get why some don’t care for them. 🙂 Thanks so much for visiting my website today!
You’re welcome. I have no idea if you’d like that book or not. The hero was annoying for sure.
Interesting choice to focus on potential!
Thanks. I was a little stumped by the original prompt. Haha.
Great post.
Thank you. 🙂
It would be interesting indeed to check in with Holden Caulfield a few years later and see if he has changed at all.
Oh, for sure!
I don’t remember much about the plot of The Catcher in the Rye, except that I didn’t like Holden and a couple of trips,
🙂
I like how you flipped the topic this week. The only book I’ve read here is Catcher in the Rye, and I can’t tell you anything else. LOL!
Pam @ Read! Bake! Create!
https://readbakecreate.com/books-with-yellow-covers-pick-a-color/
Thank you.
Very good tweak!
Thanks.
It’s a disgrace that I’ve not read the two sequels to “Oryx and Crake” yet. I remember reading a page or two of “Madadam” while the Internet was down, at the college library, years ago, and not wanting to take the book home because I couldn’t be sure of getting it back on time. It would be interesting to find out if Jimmy/Snowman/Thickney redeems himself.
I think you’d like them!
I never could stand Heathcliff… I’m not sure I ever actually finished Wuthering Heights, I disliked everyone so much. XD
They were definitely not the most likeable characters I’ve never met. Haha.
I love that you picked potential redeemable characters! I just finished reading Oryx and Crake recently and plan to read the other books too, I’m eager to see more of what happens with the characters!
Thank you. I hope you enjoy the rest of that series.
I’ve only read Wuthering Heights. I was surprised at how dark both of the characters were 😂
Have a great week!
Yes, they were! Have a great week yourself.
I agree…this is a difficult prompt and I love your spin!
Thank you. 🙂
Heathcliff is a really good example. I think a lot of authors who do retellings of this story desire redemption for him. This was a really tricky topic.
Thank you. I actually haven’t read any retellings of that story, but good to know. 🙂
Out of the books on your list, I’ve only read Wuthering Heights. I can’t imagine Heathcliff ever redeeming himself–but then again, it’s been a while since I read it. I like how you imagine what could happen to the characters off the page.
Thank you. I try to find the best in everyone. 🙂
Great list! I only read one of these, but a lot are on my TBR. I trust your judgment, so it may be time to push these up on my priority list.
Thank you. That means a lot to me!