Favorite "Unlikable" Protagonists/ Top 5 Wednesday- June 21st
There are many people that tear down the protagonists in novels that they find unlikable. These are five of them that I pulled for in their stories.
Top 5 Wednesday is a group created by Lainey of Ginger Reads Lainey on Booktube and hosted by Sam of Thoughts on Tomes on Booktube. Here is a link to the group on Goodreads if you are interested in joining:
There are many people that tear down the protagonists in novels that they find unlikable. These are five of them that I pulled for in their stories.
Top 5 Wednesday is a group created by Lainey of Ginger Reads Lainey on Booktube and hosted by Sam of Thoughts on Tomes on Booktube. Here is a link to the group on Goodreads if you are interested in joining:
5.) Hamlet from Hamlet by Shakespeare
I decided to put Hamlet in this list because he does many things that may make him quite unlikable to people. I have never thought of him that way and enjoyed his antics to try and help his father. Even if I never thought of him this way myself, I can see why others feel he is not someone they like. He goes to great lengths to defeat his uncle and get him found out. The first time I read this play in twelfth grade, I remember being very interested in it because my teacher had told us that The Lion King was based off of Hamlet. There are many parallels that I can see but Hamlet does things that could be considered horrible at times. For instance the way that he treats Ophelia. I am not going to say what happens with Ophelia for those that have not read or seen the play. He is a character that acts morally gray a lot of the time and is trying to avenge is father. Obviously he is going to do things that may be considered "bad" and I liked him for it.
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| My favorite Hamlet, David Tennant. |
4.) Liz Emerson from Falling into Place by Amy Zhang
This book made me cry so hard at points and trust me I don't cry during books too often. Liz can be considered quite horrible at times. She is mean and nasty to all of the people around her. She is the queen bee of the school and treats others around her with little respect but that does not mean she does not have her likable moments. Throughout the book we see pieces of Liz's life while she is trying hard to hold onto it. We see a girl who really is not that bad of a person along with the horrible person she had become. I enjoyed this novel wholeheartedly and could not help but want her to live.
This book made me cry so hard at points and trust me I don't cry during books too often. Liz can be considered quite horrible at times. She is mean and nasty to all of the people around her. She is the queen bee of the school and treats others around her with little respect but that does not mean she does not have her likable moments. Throughout the book we see pieces of Liz's life while she is trying hard to hold onto it. We see a girl who really is not that bad of a person along with the horrible person she had become. I enjoyed this novel wholeheartedly and could not help but want her to live.
3.) Twoflower from The Colour of Magic and The Light Fantastic by Terry Pratchett
Twoflower is one of the most annoying characters that I have ever read about in a book, but there is something about him that makes me laugh so hard while I am reading. His relationship with Rincewind is strained to say the least but their interactions with each other are some of the funniest in the books. Twoflower is one of the funniest characters in the series along with Rincewind and he may do things that make me want to yell at him at times (who am I kidding, most of the time). That does not stop him from being an enjoyable character and one of my most favorite unlikable protagonists. 
2.) Sam from Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver
Sam is one of the "mean" girls at her school in the novel. I remember really hating her when I had first read the book years ago. As the novel goes along, she learns from her previous mistakes and grows as a person that becomes someone to like. This was one of my favorite books years ago and when I first saw this topic I thought of her. She is not likable for a good chunk of the book but she grows into a character that I not only like at the end of the book but that I am also rooting for so much.
I have yet to watch the movie but I really do enjoy the book.
Sam is one of the "mean" girls at her school in the novel. I remember really hating her when I had first read the book years ago. As the novel goes along, she learns from her previous mistakes and grows as a person that becomes someone to like. This was one of my favorite books years ago and when I first saw this topic I thought of her. She is not likable for a good chunk of the book but she grows into a character that I not only like at the end of the book but that I am also rooting for so much.
I have yet to watch the movie but I really do enjoy the book.
1.) Holden from The Catcher in the Rye by J. D. Salinger
One of the reasons why a lot of people do not like this novel is because of Holden and his narration throughout the novel. I remember not liking Holden as a character but I really did love this novel. Yes, he complains a lot throughout the novel about everything going on around him. He is judgmental of every single person around him and never stops making comments about them being "phony" or other observations. I believe that most people that read the novel either really like Holden or cannot stand him at all. That is also most likely the reason that this novel has such a divide with people either hating it or loving it. Holden was a character that I could relate to even if I had never had experiences like him. He was a complex teenager that tried to make sense of the world around him. Yes, he says and acts in ways that can be quite annoying. Holden also is quite a jerk and treats others really horribly.
Holden is my favorite "unlikable" protagonist because I could not help but feel for him while I was reading about him. Also I really liked the novel as a whole especially the revelation at the end. He is one of the most unreliable narrators that I have ever read and that interests me more than anything else about this novel.
One of the reasons why a lot of people do not like this novel is because of Holden and his narration throughout the novel. I remember not liking Holden as a character but I really did love this novel. Yes, he complains a lot throughout the novel about everything going on around him. He is judgmental of every single person around him and never stops making comments about them being "phony" or other observations. I believe that most people that read the novel either really like Holden or cannot stand him at all. That is also most likely the reason that this novel has such a divide with people either hating it or loving it. Holden was a character that I could relate to even if I had never had experiences like him. He was a complex teenager that tried to make sense of the world around him. Yes, he says and acts in ways that can be quite annoying. Holden also is quite a jerk and treats others really horribly. Holden is my favorite "unlikable" protagonist because I could not help but feel for him while I was reading about him. Also I really liked the novel as a whole especially the revelation at the end. He is one of the most unreliable narrators that I have ever read and that interests me more than anything else about this novel.
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