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I was only able to think of one answer this week.
Marilla Cuthbert
When I first read L.M. Montgomery’s Anne of Green Gables series as a child, I thought Marilla was far too stuck in her ways and strict with Anne.
I reread that series a year or two ago and was surprised by how much more I sympathize with her now. Marilla was a single, childless woman who had zero parenting experience and who had grown up during an era when children were supposed to be seen and not heard.
Of course she had some trouble adjusting to suddenly raising a stubborn, hyper, 11-year-old girl who never stopped talking! As much as I love Anne, I would be just as perplexed and overwhelmed as Marilla was in that situation. It would take time to figure out how to successfully parent a kid her age and with her past, especially in the 1800s when there were no social workers to call for advice and few if any parenting manuals to read.
Such a great choice, Lydia. My mind went totally blank when trying to think of characters I’d changed my opinion on. It was a struggle.
Thank you, George. I’m glad I’m not the only one who struggled.
Marilla has to be the classic example of a character who’s easier to like, or at least empathize with, as readers grow older.
For sure!
Wonderful example. I agree with you and the others. She is someone who grows on you as you grow up.
Thank you, Greta.
I really should read that series, just because it’s such a touchpoint for so many people.
You might like it! There are a lot of cool little things in the first book that come up again later in the series in all sorts of unexpected ways.
One of my favorite things about reading children’s books as I get older is paying attention to the parents and seeing things from their perspective, knowing that the author had to consider that before narrowing the field of vision down to the child’s perception. That goes doubly so for rereads of children’s books. Seeing a familiar character in a new way is kind of like unlocking new colors on the light spectrum.
Agreed! Those worlds can look so different if you think of them through adult perspectives.