Today, I'm going with the above topic from The Broke and the Bookish and as always, instead of Top Tuesday, it turns out to be something more like Wicked Wednesday, as we are a day ahead here in Australia. Wondering about the futures of characters in books I've read, and daydreaming all sorts of possibilities is probably what started my own writing in the first place.
Because of the nature of this blog post, there may be plot spoilers to be aware of if you haven't read all of these books and would like to. However, several of them are classics whose endings are probably common knowledge.
1) Cathy and Hareton from Wuthering Heights (by Emily Bronte)
I've pondered this one, on and off, since I was 15 years old. Can the repercussions of such a destructive force as Heathcliff be softened within just one generation? When I was younger, I might have said no, but now I tend to think yes. With the extra years I've lived, I've come to believe that time is a powerful force. Cathy and Hareton seem to be natural soul mates in all the best ways. Will the young couple really make a difference in their community and become master and mistress of both houses? I believe the answer is yes, but would like to know for sure.
2) Liesel Meminger from The Book Thief (by Markus Zusak)
As I've recently finished reading this one, it is fresh in my mind. How could the little heroine possibly recover from the traumatic scars of her childhood and become a happy wife and mother? I believe in an ideal world, she should have married Rudy and remained living near the Hubermanns. What man could possibly take the place of her best friend? And how did she end up living in Sydney?
3) Scout Finch from To Kill a Mockingbird (by Harper Lee)
This extends to her family and friends, of course. After so many decades, we'll finally get the chance to learn some answers this July, with the release of 'Go Set a Watchman', it's sequel. I'm so looking forward to that. I imagine that if Scout doesn't end up married to Dill, several readers may be disappointed.
4) The whole Harry Potter cast (by JK Rowling)
For a start, JKR has left us with a whole new generation whose shenanigans at Hogwarts are bound to be interesting. Harry's son, Albus, sounds most like him, and I can't imagine that the relationship between him and Scorpius Malfoy will run smoothly.
5) Hazel Green, from the series that bears her name (by Odo Hirsch)
It's one of my favourite children's series. Hazel and her friend Yakov, aka the Yak, have fascinating personality differences, life goals and deep and meaningful conversations. They are truly a perfect blending of polar opposites to create an awesome team. I find myself pondering their teenage years, and all that may happen when hormones kick in. If you haven't read this, and enjoy logic and mathematics, I highly recommend them.
6) Dolour Darcy from the Harp in the South trilogy (by Ruth Park)
She is one of my favourite heroines from Australian classics. The girl has given up her dreams, suffered some devastating losses and fallen in love. She and Charlie plan to move from the slums of Surrey Hills to the country with their ready-made family, to try to make a go of it there. How does it work out for them? I wish them only the best, but times are hard everywhere in the Great Depression.
7) Mary Yellan from Jamaica Inn (by Daphne DuMaurier)
This heroine makes a shock, impulsive decision at the very end of the novel. She was all set to return to the civilised town of Helford she missed so much. Instead, she decides to hitch up with her smuggler uncle's rebellious brother who will take her who knows where. What on earth happens to her? Is love alone enough to tide her through for the rest of her life?
8) Errol Stone from the Staff and the Sword trilogy (by Patrick W Carr)
During the last book of this fast-paced series, the hero has found out the truth about his parentage and is given some leads about his father's relatives to follow up. I can't help wondering if he ends up doing so, and how he gets along with them. Will they be like his father, or more like him?
9) Emma Smallwood from The Tutor's Daughter (by Julie Klassen)
In this novel, the hero's volatile relationship with his stepmother is one of the key features. I can't help wondering how she will react when she finds out that her stepson and heir to the property has proposed to the penniless heroine. Even though the novel finishes on a very high note, there's bound to be more turmoil ahead.
10) The cast from my Adelaide Hills trilogy (by Paula Vince)
I mention my own books because I wrote about something just like this in the final one, A Design of Gold. The hero, Jerome, is so intent on finding out what happened at the end of his favourite book that he will go to any lengths to find the whereabouts of its author, Gareth Edgley. As ADOG was the last in my trilogy, I never pondered about the futures of all the characters, and sometimes wonder if I might one day.
Have you any of your own, or theories of what might happen to any from my list?
Liesl is such a great choice. I saw someone had Death on another list. Both of them seem as if they would have several more stories to tell.
ReplyDeleteHi,
ReplyDeleteI completely agree. There must be such a lot which took place between this story's end and the update in the epilogue.