I hope you enjoyed radicaledward’s tremendous essay last week. If you missed “To Fill an Open Wound”, I implore you to stop reading this and go and drink in the choking prose of his piece on Orson Scott Card’s Speaker for the Dead.
This week’s discussion question comes from June Girvin. After she suggested this on Notes, I’ve not stopped thinking about it since.
Which fictional characters would make the best parents?
Your answers don’t have to belong to the same book and they don’t even have to be parents in the story. For example, you could choose Gandalf to be the father and Marmee from Little Women to be the mother.
Really looking forward to seeing what you come up with!
The first image that pops in my head when I hear 'good parenting' and fictional characters is of Morticia and Gomez. Very goth, very much in love and family comes first for these two. Everyone is welcome in their household (if you so dare); Grandmama, Uncle Fester, Thing, Lurch. Its all so whimsical and lovely on the dark side of things.
Not to steal half your pairing but Marmee from Little Women and Mr. Bennett from Pride and Prejudice. I feel like they’d be slow living, earthy nurturers that inspire creativity and expression in their children
“I HAVE LOOKED INTO THE MIRROR OF GALADRIEL AND I HAVE SEEN THE FLAMES AND FURY OF THE EXCESS SUGAR OF UDUN. I AM THE QUEEN OF HEALTH FOODS AND VEGAN PASTRY”
To keep up the trend I set a few questions ago, as a father I’d choose Alyosha Karamazov. Lots of goods things to teach his offspring! And since he’s known to be a little in the aloof side, he needs a strong, steadfast companion. Enter...Mina Harker from Dracula!
The flamboyant, eccentric, wonderful Auntie Mame. Ten-year-old Patrick Dennis becomes the ward of his father’s unflappable flapper sister, Mame Dennis, after his parents’ deaths. Hers is a boozy, glamorous world populated by artists, poets, and bohemians. The movie version with Rosalind Russell is a must watch!
Oh, also. Have you seen the movie Gypsy Rose Lee with Natalie Wood. Rosalind Russell plays almost the same character. She is able to convey so well the power of that yearning that comes with dreaming of what could be.
Inspector Gamache from Three Pines and Olivia Benson from Law & Order SVU. You would get away with absolutely no shenanigans but can you imagine the stories you would have? Also the firm but loving parental guidance in which every episode of your life was neatly resolved before moving on to the next problem? ;)
Oh, my, is this exciting!! I would choose to have Glenda the good witch from Oz as my Mother and the iconical father whom Robin Williams plays in Mrs. Doubtfire as my Father. I'd still come away from childhood scarred, but in a much better and more magical way!
I’d love to be raised in the monastery in Lauren Groff’s “Matrix.” Empowered women doing amazing things in service to humanity, the earth and the Divine.
Characters which grow in surprising directions always strike me as good parenting prospects. Who better to appreciate the vast untapped potential that is a child?
I'm gonna go with Aibileen Clark from The Help and Dr. Ruth Barnhouse (Sylvia Plath's fictional psychologist in The Last Confessions of Sylvia P.) Yep, I just want two moms. With a little bonus help from the Peter Pan dog Nana.
Minerva McGonagall and Gandalf as grandparents. They’d have so much wisdom to offer, but would probably look the other way for (or quietly encourage) shenanigans.
Father - Bob Cratchit from Dickens' 'Christmas Carol'. Bob has little money, but his love for his family and friends and his undying kindness, especially towards Scrooge, are something money cannot buy. The love the Cratchit family shows makes up for the little money they have, with Bob leading the way.
Mother - Mrs. Bennet from Jane Austen's 'Pride and Prejudice'. Mrs Bennet may not be likeable, but her love for her daughters is undeniable. She fiercely advocates for their happiness and well-being, even if her methods are awry. Her devotion to her family serves as a reminder that a mother's love is constant, even if sometimes expressed poorly.
I read somewhere some years ago an imagining of what historic literary characters might be in modern times. If I remember correctly Lizzy would either be something in IT or a journalist and blogger.
Rereading War and Peace as an adult verging on elderly, I have a more benign attitude toward the epilogue, and see the surviving characters as truly wonderful people.
One thing is certain. I was around four and my mom took me to the Vlaho Bukovac museum. I was mesmerised with one of his paintings, so much so, that my mom had a really hard time to "unglue" me from it and to continue the visit. We like to think that this predetermined my future occupation in the field of art history!
Thank you for sharing Vlaho Bukovac painting here! My comment might be slightly off the topic, but it is connected with parenting and fictional characters in the painting I was observing!
After all those fantastic answers, my answer seems dated and too niche. And then theres the issue of good parents for whom? Myself or a generic kid? At any rate my answer is Amanda and John Paul from Another Roadside Attraction by Tom Robbins. I live in the Pacific Northwest. And they seem like te would be the best parents to raise a free, healthy, open, creative, and loving child who would have lots of opportunities to do exciting and unusual things and meet unusual people.
Or perhaps Auntie Mame (Rosalind Russell of course!) and think his name was Teddy from Aunt Mame, the film. Do films count?
I don't even have to think about this one... The parents in This is How it Always Is by Laurie Frankel. I wanted so badly to be on that big bed with a million siblings, listening to my loving sensitive father tell me stories. I felt like a part of my lonely little-girl self was healed when I read that book.
Emily, were you an only? I was. I wanted a sibling sooo badly. Someone to share my joys with, someone to share my miseries. Someone to help wipe the snot from my hair as I sobbed on Christmas morning. Yep. It always seemed like not having to go through it all alone would have made such a difference.
Took me a while to think of a good example of parenting in fiction! Seems to be the opposite so often. Atticus Finch (I see a couple people have named him as well) -- I love a parent who treats the kids with both kindness and respect, pushing them to think for themselves.
Also - the dad in The Road (I believe he's unnamed) who attempts to make an oasis for his son and Addie - the already dead mom in As I Lay Dying - who offers hope beyond the grave.
My choices would be Ma Joad from The Grapes of Wrath and Atticus Finch from To Kill a Mockingbird...characters who are strong, thoughtful and compassionate...and would do anything to support their children.
Marmee from Little Women would be good but I think Jo word be even better. Definitely not Mr. Bennet for father. He was mostly OK with Lizzie but downright cruel and worthless with his other daughters (I recently reread it. The films make him nicer). My choice is is Lee (no first name), the Chinese servant/confidant from East of Eden, “Thou mayest.”
The first image that pops in my head when I hear 'good parenting' and fictional characters is of Morticia and Gomez. Very goth, very much in love and family comes first for these two. Everyone is welcome in their household (if you so dare); Grandmama, Uncle Fester, Thing, Lurch. Its all so whimsical and lovely on the dark side of things.
I would actually love to be a child in that house. It would never be boring that’s for sure
Oh wow, agreed! I'd love to be a child in that house. They seemed so open-minded and fun. And I think they were based on a real family.
Atticus Finch and Catelyn Stark
Atticus is a great choice but didn’t Catelyn Stark get turned into a zombie?
Yes, so she could get revenge on those who killed her family. What could be more motherly than that?
😳
"Zombies can love their kids just as much as non-zombies!"
--slogan from the Zombie League
Love it!
Miss Honey from "Matilda."
Oh totally
Great choice
Not to steal half your pairing but Marmee from Little Women and Mr. Bennett from Pride and Prejudice. I feel like they’d be slow living, earthy nurturers that inspire creativity and expression in their children
Just wondering what you have against Gandalf
Nothing against Gandalf! Love him, but feel like Marmee isn’t made for the life of an intrepid traveler - you know?
He would be the epitome of absent father it’s true, always off on his hijinks
Yes! Mr. Bennett is a warm hug personified.
Atticus Finch would be a good choice. And I think Moominmama.
Or maybe Colonel Brandon and Galadriel.
“Mum, can I have a biscuit?”
“I HAVE LOOKED INTO THE MIRROR OF GALADRIEL AND I HAVE SEEN THE FLAMES AND FURY OF THE EXCESS SUGAR OF UDUN. I AM THE QUEEN OF HEALTH FOODS AND VEGAN PASTRY”
“Goddamit, Mum. Can’t you just be normal”
Ah, but can you imagine: 'Stop it, or I'll tell my mum!'
No one would ever mess with you, it’s true
Moominmamma must be the most unflappable mamma of all time.
Yup. So soothing, so safe.
To keep up the trend I set a few questions ago, as a father I’d choose Alyosha Karamazov. Lots of goods things to teach his offspring! And since he’s known to be a little in the aloof side, he needs a strong, steadfast companion. Enter...Mina Harker from Dracula!
Haha I love the irreverence of this. I’m imagining Mina visits the monastery and turns Alyosha’s head and they travel across Siberia killing vampires
Oh yes I love that! Would make for a great comic book😳
This is a wild combination!
👼🧛🏻♀️
Elizabeth Bennet would make an absolutely wonderful mother!
Literally watched the Keira Knightley version of the movie last night! And you’re so right, she’d be a great mother
Auntie Mame!! - Auntie Mame: An Irreverent Escapade by Patrick Dennis
Tell me more
The flamboyant, eccentric, wonderful Auntie Mame. Ten-year-old Patrick Dennis becomes the ward of his father’s unflappable flapper sister, Mame Dennis, after his parents’ deaths. Hers is a boozy, glamorous world populated by artists, poets, and bohemians. The movie version with Rosalind Russell is a must watch!
I’m in!
Oh, also. Have you seen the movie Gypsy Rose Lee with Natalie Wood. Rosalind Russell plays almost the same character. She is able to convey so well the power of that yearning that comes with dreaming of what could be.
Yes! An absolute treasure and talent!!
That's who I picked, too! Her and, was it Teddy? Her guy's name? She is wonderful! I knew someone like her.
I love her. I've watched every adaptation and read the novella too. So.much.fun.
Inspector Gamache from Three Pines and Olivia Benson from Law & Order SVU. You would get away with absolutely no shenanigans but can you imagine the stories you would have? Also the firm but loving parental guidance in which every episode of your life was neatly resolved before moving on to the next problem? ;)
Is there a lot of slow-mo in law and order? Could come in useful every time you’re about to do something stupid as a kid
Percy Jackson and Hermione Granger
When they’re grown up, presumably? 😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅
😂😂 yes, for sure!
Oh, my, is this exciting!! I would choose to have Glenda the good witch from Oz as my Mother and the iconical father whom Robin Williams plays in Mrs. Doubtfire as my Father. I'd still come away from childhood scarred, but in a much better and more magical way!
Robin Williams’ character in Good Will Hunting would be great too
He sure would.... or What Dreams May Come... Pretty much ANY of the late Mr. William's roles....
Is it weird to miss a man you’ve never met? I miss him. ☹️
My favorite answer <3
I’d love to be raised in the monastery in Lauren Groff’s “Matrix.” Empowered women doing amazing things in service to humanity, the earth and the Divine.
Ántonia Shimerda (My Ántonia)--that domestic scene at the end totally got me!
Dorothea Brooke and Will Ladislaw ❤️
dopey from snow white as father as he's funny
cinderella as a responsible mother able to compensate and complete dopey
Dopey is an interesting choice but I like it. He’d be better than Sleepy anyhow
Flint from the Louis L'Amour novel of that name.
Evie Teale from Conagher.
Sansa Stark as she grew up in A Song of Ice and Fire.
Tyrion Lannister.
Tyrion would be so good!
Characters which grow in surprising directions always strike me as good parenting prospects. Who better to appreciate the vast untapped potential that is a child?
What a great question... :)
I'm gonna go with Aibileen Clark from The Help and Dr. Ruth Barnhouse (Sylvia Plath's fictional psychologist in The Last Confessions of Sylvia P.) Yep, I just want two moms. With a little bonus help from the Peter Pan dog Nana.
Nana is a must for any household I feel
Minerva McGonagall and Gandalf as grandparents. They’d have so much wisdom to offer, but would probably look the other way for (or quietly encourage) shenanigans.
Professor McGonagall would be great but I do worry Gandalf would never be at home - though when he was I’d bet it would be fireworks every night
Mufasa and Sarabi.
Great choice
Father - Bob Cratchit from Dickens' 'Christmas Carol'. Bob has little money, but his love for his family and friends and his undying kindness, especially towards Scrooge, are something money cannot buy. The love the Cratchit family shows makes up for the little money they have, with Bob leading the way.
Mother - Mrs. Bennet from Jane Austen's 'Pride and Prejudice'. Mrs Bennet may not be likeable, but her love for her daughters is undeniable. She fiercely advocates for their happiness and well-being, even if her methods are awry. Her devotion to her family serves as a reminder that a mother's love is constant, even if sometimes expressed poorly.
Bob Crachit is a great choice! Can’t help but feel Elizabeth Bennet would grow up to have her mothers strengths plus some more, what do you think?
I read somewhere some years ago an imagining of what historic literary characters might be in modern times. If I remember correctly Lizzy would either be something in IT or a journalist and blogger.
Ah that’s so depressing 😂😂
The dad in Cormac McCarthy’s The Road.
Yeah he really is the ultimate. Would love heaven and earth for you
I would like to be raised by Lucy Honeychurch’s mother, from A Room with a View. Don’t know what happened to the dad, not really needed...
Levin and Kitty from Anna Karenina.. Maybe I''d have learned how to bring in a harvest.
Nikolai and Maria Rostov.
I like it
Rereading War and Peace as an adult verging on elderly, I have a more benign attitude toward the epilogue, and see the surviving characters as truly wonderful people.
One thing is certain. I was around four and my mom took me to the Vlaho Bukovac museum. I was mesmerised with one of his paintings, so much so, that my mom had a really hard time to "unglue" me from it and to continue the visit. We like to think that this predetermined my future occupation in the field of art history!
Thank you for sharing Vlaho Bukovac painting here! My comment might be slightly off the topic, but it is connected with parenting and fictional characters in the painting I was observing!
He’s awesome! I first heard of him when I saw this painting in Split last month. Have since been reading lots about him!
I think Baloo the Bear and Bagheera the black panther in ‘The Jungle Book take a pretty honourable stab at parenting Mowgli.
The parents in ‘Chitty Chitty Bang Bang’ also always seem like a lot of fun.
Baloo and Baghera are an excellent shout
After all those fantastic answers, my answer seems dated and too niche. And then theres the issue of good parents for whom? Myself or a generic kid? At any rate my answer is Amanda and John Paul from Another Roadside Attraction by Tom Robbins. I live in the Pacific Northwest. And they seem like te would be the best parents to raise a free, healthy, open, creative, and loving child who would have lots of opportunities to do exciting and unusual things and meet unusual people.
Or perhaps Auntie Mame (Rosalind Russell of course!) and think his name was Teddy from Aunt Mame, the film. Do films count?
Films can count!
I don't even have to think about this one... The parents in This is How it Always Is by Laurie Frankel. I wanted so badly to be on that big bed with a million siblings, listening to my loving sensitive father tell me stories. I felt like a part of my lonely little-girl self was healed when I read that book.
Emily, were you an only? I was. I wanted a sibling sooo badly. Someone to share my joys with, someone to share my miseries. Someone to help wipe the snot from my hair as I sobbed on Christmas morning. Yep. It always seemed like not having to go through it all alone would have made such a difference.
The Garths from Middlemarch. (I’ve just been rereading it; they’re the best.)
Charles and Laura from Little House on the Prairie. Also think Morticia and Gomez as suggested by Entropy is a great choice.
Took me a while to think of a good example of parenting in fiction! Seems to be the opposite so often. Atticus Finch (I see a couple people have named him as well) -- I love a parent who treats the kids with both kindness and respect, pushing them to think for themselves.
Also - the dad in The Road (I believe he's unnamed) who attempts to make an oasis for his son and Addie - the already dead mom in As I Lay Dying - who offers hope beyond the grave.
I'm pretty sure Mr. and Mrs. Quimby ruined me for all other fictional parents.
My choices would be Ma Joad from The Grapes of Wrath and Atticus Finch from To Kill a Mockingbird...characters who are strong, thoughtful and compassionate...and would do anything to support their children.
Atticus has come up in this thread a few times and for good reason I feel. Ma Joad is also an excellent pick
Marmee from Little Women would be good but I think Jo word be even better. Definitely not Mr. Bennet for father. He was mostly OK with Lizzie but downright cruel and worthless with his other daughters (I recently reread it. The films make him nicer). My choice is is Lee (no first name), the Chinese servant/confidant from East of Eden, “Thou mayest.”
Ooo I like the choice of Lee. I wouldn’t have thought of him but now you mention it I think it’s a great choice
Tenar from Tehanu (Earthsea series) and Massimo Marcovaldo from the Pixar movie Luca.
I don’t know these but I’m assuming the first one has powers of some kind and I’m all for it
She doesn't, actually!
😂