Whether we’re talking about heroes with muscles and weapons or smart guys who get out of trouble by using their oratorical talents, there is for all of us, at least one male character form literature whom we would like to go out for a beer.
Here are our ten male literary characters, who would be perfect for a night out.
1. Captain Nemo
Captain Nemo – aka Prince Dakkar of Jules Verne, the captain of Nautilus in Twenty Thousand Leagues under the Sea and the mysterious entity that helps the castaways on the island. Do not laugh. Nemo is well educated and an excellent engineer, a man who put a price on freedom, and, most importantly, a prince in an underwater palace. At the age of 12, what more could you need?
2. Blackthorne
Blackthorne in Shogun: not a very pleasant character in the beginning, when he arrives in Japan along with his crew. Clavell describes the Dutch in contrast to Japanese people: dirty, deprived of honor and respect, greedy and foolish. But that is just why Balackthorne is such an interesting character. We see him transform, taking the best of both cultures and growing, evolving as a person.
3. Mr. Rochester
The Dark Lord of Thornfield is not handsome. Not too funny. But he’s smart, dark and mysterious, the kind of man that would open the door to the taxi, sorry, the carriage, and the door to the restaurant. And he would pay the bill. He would even feel offended, if you wouldn’t let him.
4. Rhett Butler
Rhett Butler, a character you should not only go out for a beer with, but to a party, because he would probably be the life of the party. By the end, everyone would dance to Dixie. Another example that for a male character to be memorable, he doesn’t have to be good looking. Take Ashley who is more handsome. Or be too honest – Rhett is a former gambler, was kicked out of West Point, and builds his entire fortune of the war. But he must know how to insult a girl.
5. Edmond Dantes
Edmond Dantes, the Count of Monte Cristo who escapes from a prison that is theoretically impossible to escape, and begins to punish his enemies, one by one, all those who have wronged him, rewarding and at the same time those who have helped him. Dumas’s version of Robin Hood. Perhaps it wouldn’t be the most fun time we had while drinking a beer, but we would love to hear something of his life philosophy.
6. Mr. Darcy
Mr. Darcy obviously could not miss from our list, as he doesn’t miss from the fantasies of the girls who have read Pride and Prejudice or have seen any of the movies (mostly the miniseries with Colin Firth).
7. Duncan Idaho
Paul Atreides is not exactly the most charismatic male character in Dune, but Duncan Idaho is charming enough for both. He is a fighter and a talented pilot, and one of the only characters that appear in all six parts of the Dune series, just because he was extremely popular.
8. Nick, the driver of The Handmaid’s Tale
Nick, the driver of The Handmaid’s Tale, because compared to the other characters of the book bearing ta stick in the private parts, Nick is the only one who seems really fun. Perhaps he would be unremarkable in another book, but Atwood’s novel is proof that sometimes characters are better shaped not by what they are, but in contrast to what surrounds them.
9. Jay Gatsby
If we would take Rhett Butler to a party, then we would ask Jay Gatsby to throw one. And there would be plenty to drink, many beers.
10. Marquis de Montriveau in The History of the Thirteen by Honore de Balzac
This is a special entry, simply because the marquis is tall, dark and handsome, especially dark.
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