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Question of the Week

Question of the Week #1: Who would you be?

Welcome to DailyLit's first ever Question of the Week! Each Monday we'll post a new question, and we hope all of our readers will weigh in. (If you have an idea for a question, let us know!)

So, without further ado, here is this week's question:

If you could be any literary hero or heroine, who would you be, and why?

Reply

MaggieH

Posted by MaggieH (admin)
Oct 13, 2008 1:17 pm

Replies (16)

Posted by

  • I'd be Alice, from Alice's Adventures in Wonderland - I think it'd be fun to see all of Lewis Carroll's bizarre characters.

    emilyyoungOct 13, 2008 4:13 pm
    by emilyyoung

  • I think I'd be Dorian Grey, just for the chance to live a life of debauchery and not suffer any ill effects. On the flip side, Anne of Avonlea, Jo from Little Women, and Laura Ingalls Wilder have always been my favorite heroines. Those girls kick butt and don't give a damn what anyone thinks.

    tymbrOct 13, 2008 4:23 pm
    by tymbr

  • I would want to be Una Spenser from Sena Jeter Naslund's Ahab's Wife. She was incredibly strong and even though I would not want to have to experience some of the horrible things that happened to her, I admire her character a great deal.

    danahuffOct 13, 2008 4:33 pm
    by danahuff

  • Although I find Humbert Humbert the most interesting character, I would certainly not want to be him. Gulliver from Gulliver's Travels would be fantastic...

    zimmermjOct 13, 2008 4:45 pm
    by zimmermj

  • After racking my brain for the right answer, I see it's taken - I'd gladly be Anne of Green Gables as well. Would retain my love of books and tendency to daydream, but gain a good measure of spunk.

    From an acting point of view, surely the part of Kate in Taming of the Shrew can't be rivalled for sheer fun.

    karen.giangrecoOct 13, 2008 4:57 pm
    by karen.giangreco

  • Nick Adams - from Hemingway's Nick Adam short stories. Nick was a poetic fly fisherman and led a life worthy of writing.

    joelsandaOct 13, 2008 5:19 pm
    by joelsanda

  • Ooh, all great so far.

    @tymbr: Great idea, especially on a Monday. (Weekends are notorious for debauchery and indulgence!)

    @zimmermj: But do you really want to be tied down by the Lilliputians?

    @danahuff: "Sena Jeter Naslund's Ahab's Wife"--quite a mouthful, but a fantastic heroine.

    MaggieHOct 13, 2008 6:05 pm
    by MaggieH (admin)

  • From the moment I began reading, some 35 years ago, Robinson Crusoe fascinated me. To survive alone using only my wits and whatever I was able to salvage from the ship's wreckage; to face my fears and overcome them to actually prosper in my demise has held a place in my soul to this day.

    nghtwriterOct 15, 2008 11:41 am
    by nghtwriter

  • Nurse Matilda from the children's book series. It's not as glamorous or deep as some of the classic characters listed, but I think that spending my life helping children learn how much they can actually solve their own challenges would be a very rewarding career.

    hstpeterOct 15, 2008 11:59 am
    by hstpeter

  • Winston Smith in 1984. But this time the ending would be different and he would be victorious against the system.

    WinstonSmithOct 16, 2008 10:55 am
    by WinstonSmith

  • I like tymbr's suggestion of Dorian Grey. I am not sure I would necessarily live as debauched a life as him but the immortality is tempting.

    The best I could think of would be Huckleberry Finn - just for the sense of freedom and adventure that he had or maybe Billy Pilgrim from Slaughterhouse 5 for living such a varied, exciting and fulfilling life.

    cresswgaOct 16, 2008 12:21 pm
    by cresswga

  • I would be Elizabeth Bennett from Pride and Prejudice with Colin Firth as Mr. Darcy and Pemberley to boot.

    michellekernsOct 18, 2008 4:54 am
    by michellekerns

  • @michellekerns: Our first Elizabeth Bennett! I thought more readers would have wanted to be in her shoes (and in Mr. Firth's arms, natch).

    As for me, I'd love to be Jane Eyre. It's one of my favorite novels and Jane's courage and independence is inspiring. Plus, it's always nice when to have a happy ending. Of course, it would be fun to be Harry Potter, too. I'd have to deal with that whole Voldemort-wants-to-kill-me thing, but there's magic, people!

    Thanks to everybody who answered!

    MaggieHOct 20, 2008 9:33 am
    by MaggieH (admin)

  • Id like to be The Little Prince from the novel with the same name. I see so many with broken engines, so many to fix.

    auistinblanApr 27, 2009 10:06 pm
    by auistinblan

  • I'd love to be Jay Gatsby, but I'd try doing something meaningful with all of the power that I had, instead of just throwing great parties.

    jrainisApr 29, 2009 11:08 am
    by jrainis

  • Jim Hawkins from Treasure Island.

    saturntvJun 16, 2009 10:05 pm
    by saturntv

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