graphic courtesy of GReads
TGIF at GReads is a feature for recapping the week’s posts (which I’m skipping this time because you can see them if you scroll down and I trust that you’re smart enough to handle that on your own) and answering a book-blogging question posed by Ginger.
This week the question is: Supporting Characters: We tend to gush over those main characters the most, but what about those supporting roles? Who are some of your favorites?
Supporting characters are awesome because they are more like real-life people… you know, you only get a little glimpse into their lives and problems, so they are actually interesting and fun and you want to be friends with them… I just mean that sometimes you get to know the main characters a little too well or they endure too many struggles for a real friendship to be possible. I like the think of the supporting characters as the sort of people I want to get to know better.
Some of my favorite supporting characters include Hassan from An Abundance of Katherines, Tiny Cooper from Will Grayson, Will Grayson, Helen Burns from Jane Eyre, and Marilla Cuthbert from Anne of Green Gables.
- Hassan is known for being funny and asthmatic, as well as for loving Judge Judy. He is also very good at keeping Collin in line socially.
- Tiny Cooper is large. He is also larger than life. He is the one who helps both Will Graysons overcome their insecurities. He also writes a ridiculous musical. What’s not to love?
- Helen Burns… oh, dear sweet Helen Burns. Helen is the first person to love Jane and the first person whom Jane loves. Seriously, that is hugely important for Jane’s development as a character and also, how can you NOT love Helen Burns? She’s an angel.
- Marilla cracks me up. She initially comes off as a crotchety old woman, but she is actually quite funny and loving. There is so much more to her than just being Anne’s guardian and I love that we actually get a glimpse of that in these books. Montgomery was really a genius with creating memorable characters!
Who are some of your favorite supporting characters?
Don't Take My Books Away 
Marilla was so fantastic! I loved how deep she was, like you said crotchety on the outside but really funny and loving!
It was great to see her grow as a character and I find her interactions with Anne to be some of the funniest in the books! Anne often says what Marilla is thinking but is afraid to say.
Having just finished Daughter of Smoke and Ashes I have to say Zuzanna was an awesome best friend to main character Karou. She’s a lot like Helen to Jayne in that she is Karou’s first best friend and Zuzanna has a sharp sense of humor. Definitely someone I would have loved to hang out with.
So often the best friend characters are sort of half-assed… it’s nice when the author gets it right!
I absolutely adore Tiny Cooper too – he just about made the book for me.
He was so much fun, the book wouldn’t have been half as good without him!
although my heart beats for Matthew, Marilla is my bosom friend. love them both so much. but i like marilla for the same reasons that you do. i tend to gravitate toward people who seem to be a little rough around the edges, rule-followers, and i realized i’m the same way. such a great series! ~dixie
Yeah, I was always the kid in school who loved the strict “mean” teachers. So they are often my favorite characters in books, too!!