Books Characters I Identify With

All bookworms will have characters from books that particularly resonate with them; characters which they can point at and say "I'm like that". Sometimes, when it seems like only a couple of people truly understand how I feel, I'll remember a book and think about a character who seems to be going through what I'm going through, or has experienced something I've experienced. Here are some characters that I particularly identify with at the moment or have strongly identified with in the past:

1.The Groke, From The Moomins

I must confess I haven't actually read a Moomin book with the Groke in it, but I thought I would add it to this list, as having seen the television version of the Moomins recently, I am determined to find out more about this fascinating character. Every Moomin book featurung the Groke is now at the top of my reading list! The Groke is a strange creature that is constantly looking for warmth and affection, only to be shunned by everyone it meets. Now, I'm certainly not shunned by everyone I meet, but I do feel like I need more affection than most people, and I really identify with the Groke's deep and immense hunger for love. The Groke is an incredibly lonely and isolated character, and like the Groke, there are times when I do feel that I'm different to everyone else and somehow separate. Fortunately, I don't feel like that too often, but it is certainly a recurring feeling, and one I will probably experience in the future, so I will probably relate to The Groke all my life. What a thought!

The Groke Has A Lot Of Love To Give

2. Cassandra from I Capture The Castle

Like Jo in Little Women, Cassandra cannot stop writing, and neither can I. Since I learned how, I have been writing, doodling, filling in heart wrenching diary entries and scribbling notes to myself. I still use notebooks to jot down ideas, and like Cassandra, I get really excited when I get a new one. I really identify with her creative energy and constant flow of ideas. I'm also like Cassandra in that she's loves romantic diversions and meeting new people. She's also adventurous and curious about everything and loves to explore, and I'm the same in that respect. Plus she likes old houses. We're practically twins.

Marianne from Sense and Sensibility

Marianne represents 'sensibility' in that she feels all the emotions at once. She is very expressive and outgoing, and like me, is certainly not a wallflower! She is passionate, spirited and sees no problem with wearing her heart on her sleeve, which is something I really believe in. Like Marianne, I'm constantly being told to be more cautious, to be more reserved and to play hard to get, but I find this advice to be really grating. I get no joy whatsoever from repressing my feelings and don't believe I should have to change to be accepted or liked. Marianne and I are of a very similar ilk, she may be described by some as 'selfish' and 'rash' but I personally think she's warm, loving and generous and I'd much rather be a fun loving, free-spirit like her than a stick in the mud like her sister Eleanor. 

   

4. Snufkin from the Moomins

Another Moomins character - am really into them at the moment for some reason! Now, unlike with the Groke, I have read a Moomin book with Snufkin in it and it was love at first sight! I identify hugely with Snufkin because he loves travelling alone. He is friendly and welcoming, but if he doesn't get time to himself he gets down - he needs time alone every day to recharge and reflect on life, and so do I. That may sound at odds with the rest of this post, but just because I crave affection and warmth and wear my heart on sleeve, it doesn't mean I need to be around people all the time - quite the opposite. Snufkin is the perfect example of a character who is two things at once; he is both an extrovert and introvert at the same time; he gets his energy from people and also from being by himself, which is how I am, but few people understand that. Snufkin is a character that I very much wish was real, because then I would marry him, or at the very least, I'd be his best friend.

5. Matilda

I've mentioned my love for Matilda elsewhere on this blog, but I identify with her so much she deserves another mention. Matilda was the first character I encountered who loves reading as much as I do, I used to love imagining the stacks of books she had beside her in room. Matilda was awesome, not least because she achieved my fantasy of reading every book in the children's section at her local library, which I strived to achieve as a child...but somehow never quite managed. Matilda always will be the first character who I felt reflected me in some way...she was the first of my many alter egos I've found looking back at me from within the pages of books.   

I would be really interested to hear what book characters my friends and families identify with, I think it can be very telling...