A
friend once asked me, "Who is your favourite character in literature,
Jim?"
"Oh
dear, that’s like choosing a favourite
child. But let me see, there's Bruno from Striped Pyjamas,
Aslan from The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, Dorothy from The
Wizard of Oz, and Joe from Great Expectations..."
"Your
absolute favourite, Jim?"
"Okay,
it has to be Prince Myshkin."
"Prince
who?"
"Prince
Myshkin, from Dostoevsky’s The Idiot."
"Why
him?"
"He
was simply too good for this world."
All
my life, I’ve been drawn to stories that feature inherently kind
characters—perhaps because they possess qualities I aspire to, despite many
personal failings. This is why I cherish the word 'Tattimbet' from the Kazakh
language. It signifies not just being a decent person but being a source of
comfort to others. There’s no equivalent word in English that carries the same
depth.
Reflect on the books I mentioned; all their protagonists exemplify this
quality. And we could list many more: Beth from Little Women, Atticus
Finch from To Kill a Mockingbird, Samwise Gamgee from The Lord of the
Rings, Miss Honey from Matilda, Jean Valjean from Les Misérables,
Ma Joad from The Grapes of Wrath, and, of course, Anne Shirley from Anne
of Green Gables.
Isn’t
it peculiar that in a universe seemingly devoid of purpose, we find ourselves
drawn to kindness? Kindness, love, and self-sacrifice seem out of place in a
purely evolutionary world, yet, contrary to popular belief, the arc of the
universe does bend towards goodness.
The Kind Characters in Literature
Joseph, who was renamed Barnabas by the apostles which meant son of comfort— Acts 4:3.
Image Courtesy of https://unsplash.com/@kimberlyfarmer
A friend once asked me, "Who is your favourite character in literature, Jim?"
"Oh dear, that’s like choosing a favourite child. But let me see, there's Bruno from Striped Pyjamas, Aslan from The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, Dorothy from The Wizard of Oz, and Joe from Great Expectations..."
"Your absolute favourite, Jim?"
"Okay, it has to be Prince Myshkin."
"Prince who?"
"Prince Myshkin, from Dostoevsky’s The Idiot."
"Why him?"
"He was simply too good for this world."
All my life, I’ve been drawn to stories that feature inherently kind characters—perhaps because they possess qualities I aspire to, despite many personal failings. This is why I cherish the word 'Tattimbet' from the Kazakh language. It signifies not just being a decent person but being a source of comfort to others. There’s no equivalent word in English that carries the same depth.
Reflect on the books I mentioned; all their protagonists exemplify this quality. And we could list many more: Beth from Little Women, Atticus Finch from To Kill a Mockingbird, Samwise Gamgee from The Lord of the Rings, Miss Honey from Matilda, Jean Valjean from Les Misérables, Ma Joad from The Grapes of Wrath, and, of course, Anne Shirley from Anne of Green Gables.
Isn’t it peculiar that in a universe seemingly devoid of purpose, we find ourselves drawn to kindness? Kindness, love, and self-sacrifice seem out of place in a purely evolutionary world, yet, contrary to popular belief, the arc of the universe does bend towards goodness.