Sujoy Ghosh

Atticus Finch – Lawyer, Father, Good Man

To Kill A Mockingbird (Harper Lee) is a love letter to all the good things people remember in their fathers. Atticus symbolizes an idealized journey through fatherhood for an everyman. He defends what is right. He teaches manners and values to his kids. He is willing to sacrifice himself for the morals he teaches. Atticus is a memorable character not by fighting the ghosts of racism but by standing up to them and showing them a mirror. The resilience in his actions and kindness in his speech makes you remember your old man and feel sorry for not calling him enough.

Lalita – Simplicity of Silence

Lalita of Parineeta (Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay) is not like Paro or Chandramukhi, she is speaks less, expresses just enough and is more resilient. Despite her young age, she balances her expression, affection and responsibilities with great character. Her refusal to marry her suitor on account of a secret marriage was a brave act of resilience in any period of time, let alone a pre-partitioned Bengal. She stays steadfast facing the classism and social boycott. She evolves slowly throughout the novel showing a mirror to the person who claims to love her and eventually wins social acceptance. Lalita is underrated but stays in your mind.

Jay Gatsby – Glitters yet Broken

Jay Gatsby, The Great Gatsby (F. Scott Fitzgerald), is arguably the most iconic American literary character. He is inherently broken, pursuing a pipe dream with little to no regard for the civil morality and shows a great heart every now and then. His internal conflicts, explicitly illustrated and implicitly suggested, are reflective of the chaos of the times and underlines the complex and toxic nature of the American Dream. By juxtaposing the glitter of Gatsby’s lifestyle with the hollowness of his being, Fitzgerald weaves such a memorable character. Having said that, Gatsby is widely read but not much understood.

Honourable Mentions –

I cannot imagine a world without Dickens literature. I would pick David Copperfield for sure. Railway Raju from R. K. Narayan’s The Guide would be another memorable character I might deep dive into some day. Lastly MacBeth.

~S