Literary Characters I'd Love to Adopt

 

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Top Ten(ish) Characters or Groups of Characters I'd Love to Adopt

1. Atticus Finch (To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee) - A charming, understanding, gentle-natured father who stood up for what he believed in.  My favorite father in all of literature.
   
2. Molly Weasley...well, the ENTIRE Weasley Family (Harry Potter series by J. K. Rowling).  Who wouldn't want to have these hilarious people in your family fold?  In particular, Molly Weasley is a cool, fun mom who encourages her kids to embrace life with gusto.  She is kind-hearted and generous, and always willing to embrace her children's friends as extensions of her own family.  What's not to love?  With one exception, her children seem to follow in her example - they have fun with each other, torment each other, and when the chips are down, they have each other's back...which is what family should be.
   
3. Marmie March (Little Women by Louisa May Alcott).  I adored her, plain and simple.  She had a very astute understanding of her daughters and their various personalities that enabled her to cultivate a unique relationship with each of them without favoring one over the other.  She was kind and wise, gave good advice, and believed in not only doing the right thing, but also teaching her girls to do so as well.
   
4. Jacob Jankowski (Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen).  Is he a cool old guy or what?  He loves (and misses) his family, he is usually pretty good natured, and he has FANTASTIC stories of life on the circus.  Now those are some life stories I'd love to soak up.
   
5. Albus Dumbledore (Harry Potter series by J. K. Rowling).  He's such an incredibly gifted and wise old guy, with a huge love for kids and a willingness to mentor Harry, the one closest to his heart.  I love his toughness, his skill, and his tender heart.
   
6. August Boatwright (The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd).  What a loving, nurturing, strong, proud (in a good way) woman!  She created a life for herself in which she thrived personally while also caring for those around her.  She had a gift for connecting with people, and the connection that flourished between her and Lily was lovely and enviable.  What a complex, interesting woman to have around!
   
7. Elie Wiesel (Night).  Like Jacob Jankowski, his experiences would be the stories you couldn't get enough of.  When he speaks of his life, you are riveted to the spot and captive to the story.  No day would ever be dull with Elie Wiesel around.
   
8. Pat Conroy (My Reading Life).  Yet another man with stories to tell and a talent for telling them.  On top of that, he has a patience for questions - especially questions about books & writing - that makes him approachable.  He is humble, gives credit where it is due, and he's crazy funny.
   
9. The March Sisters (Little Women by Louisa May Alcott).  They all have their good & bad points, as do we all, but they are good to each other and loyal to a fault.  I especially connected with Jo March because of her passion for books and writing, and her complete impatience with some of the more ridiculous conventions of society.
   
10. Minerva McGonagall (Harry Potter series by J. K. Rowling).  She's stern, discerning, wise, and fierce.  Her affections are deep, and though rarely expressed, it is obvious that she cares enough to advise wisely, give space when needed, and protect & defend when required.
    
11. Anne Frank (Diary of a Girl).  She is so smart and so observant, and she spares no words to say what she thinks.  I just love her.
    
12. Emily Elizabeth (Clifford books by Norman Bridwell).  How can you not love her?  She has the COOLEST dog on the island!  Plus she's kind and generous, and she is always willing to give you a chance to redeem yourself when you've messed up...'cause everyone does, even the best of friends.
    
13. Naomi (Bible...book of Ruth).  Now THAT'S what a mother-in-law should be like.  If she can engender that kind of loyalty in a DIL, even after her son has passed away, she is a special woman indeed.
    
14. Anna Pigeon, Dave Robicheaux & Spenser (from their respective detective series).  I present these three together, because they are essentially the same type of person:  good but flawed people with an extraordinary talent for ferreting out the truth in even the most inscrutable circumstances.  Plus, when it comes to getting things done, they have the connections to do so.  Seriously, I wouldn't want to be related to Clete Purcell or Hawk (or various other "unsavory" characters per se, but I wouldn't necessarily object to a family member having connections to them.  Especially if I had need of their services...
    
15. Orry Main (North & South, Love & War and Heaven & Hell by John Jakes).  I loved him for two main reasons (no pun intended):  his consuming & undying love for Madeline, whom he (finally) rescued from her abusive husband; and his unwavering friendship with George Hazard, with whom he had huge political differences but did not allow them to degrade their relationship.  He is a leader in his family, and let's face it...he's a charming Southern gentleman.  For a southern girl, that's irresistible...and made even more so when Patrick Swayze was cast in that role on the TV miniseries. :-D
    
16. Trisha McFarland (The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon by Stephen King).  Man, was she one plucky, smart, focused, disciplined kid...and a survivor.  She gets lost in the woods, deals with all manner of scary things, and keeps her wits. Talk about having a little sister with some guts.  She's a winner all the way around.
    
17. Scout Finch (To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee).  She is smart, can hang with the boys without being too girlie for them, has a tender heart, and she's not superficial or shallow.  Of coarse, it would be surprising if she were, given her parentage.  I think I'd enjoy hanging with her and talking about...well...whatever.
    
18. Sister (Why I Live at the P. O. by Eudora Welty).  She has a family that would stress anyone out.  She is outspoken and frank about the familial hijinks seem to be as constant as breathing.  She is wickedly, ridiculously funny, and I just couldn't get enough of her.
    
19. Juliet Ashton (The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows.  In looking for her next book project, she finds her idea in the most unexpected (for her) place...a letter from a man she doesn't know.  What I dig about her is how she allows herself to pursue this idea past just a story interest, and in the process fills her life with interesting, deep and lovely people...and she is deeply changed in the process.  I love that in the end, she cares more for them than for her book, which is the kind of person I would enjoy having around.
    
20.  The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society (from the book of the same name).  I loved every single one of these people for their ability to find a way to not only exist, but to find joy and fun under very dire circumstances.  It made for hilarious adventures and lasting friendships, which are staples of great stories.  I mean, really, it would be a total riot to have these people around all the time, and to be witness to their lives.