Who Are Literature's Scariest Characters?

From "Paper Cuts," the literary blog by The New York Times, here is list of one website's poll of literature's scariest characters:

1) Big Brother from 1984, by George Orwell
2) Hannibal Lecter from the novels by Thomas Harris
3) Pennywise the clown from It, by Stephen King
4) Nurse Ratched from One Flew Over a Cuckoo’s Nest, by Ken Kesey
5) Count Dracula from Bram Stoker
6) Annie Wilkes from Misery, by Stephen King
7) The demon from The Exorcist, by William Peter Blatty
8) Patrick Bateman from American Psycho, by Bret Easton Ellis
9) Bill Sykes from Oliver Twist, by Charles Dickens
10) Voldemort from the Harry Potter books by J.K. Rowling

I can't think of many characters I'd add to this list. If I had to name a few, I'd say Iago from Othello, Grendel from "Beowulf," and Jimmy Porter from Look Back in Anger. And although he's not scary like these others, but just because his boring and nearly pointless book is one of the few I really dislike (and in that way it, and he, scare me), I'd add Thoreau from Walden if I could.

Who would you add?

Alan Alda - Things I Overheard While Talking to Myself

What a wonderful book---a collection of essays by actor, liberal activist, and business speaker Alan Alda.

I saw the author recently when he was in town on a book tour. It was a pleasure to meet him. I sensed that Alan Alda is my kind of liberal, gentle spirit. We are of like matter.

Read this book. Enjoy his advice on life. You will be enriched.

Catching Up

Paul Krugman's The Conscience of a Liberal is a marvelous book. This is must reading for New Deal liberals like myself. Read this book and you will understanding where we are coming from.

Beckett's Waiting for Godot didn't do anything for me. I think it's frivilous.

I am still reasonating over Native Son. This too is required reading.

The Patriot Act Blues

My wife says, You’d better watch it, Fred.

I say, What are you talking about?

You know, with Bush’s Patriot Act, they might be investigating you someday.

Oh, really. And WHY would they do that?

Well, for starters, you’re corresponding with Mo, aren’t you?

So what? Mo is not some person on this country’s watch list. He was the co-owner of the Texaco station. He’s back in Iran now, and we email each other. I admit he has a shady background, and he used to go to Chicago a lot when he lived here. When he lived Pelham he used to make trips to Iran and back all the time, but he’s not a terrorist. He just likes to keep up with what’s going on here now that he’s back in his native Iran for good. He gives me a different perspective on that crazy president they have in Iran. Their president is actually a very shrewd man. One day he’ll get the best of Bush, you wait and see. Mo’s teaching me about life in Iran these days. It’s interesting. I’m broadening my horizons. Besides, he’s a fellow liberal. What in the world would anybody make of that?

Well, with Bush you never know. I wouldn’t want anyone going thru my emails and seeing that I have a correspondent in Iran. Are you still a member of the ACLU?

You’re silly paranoid. Sure I am—a dues paying member, and I read their blog and get their mail, but I’ve never been personally involved in any of their activities. After all, nothing of consequence ever happens in Birmingham.

And the new owner of the station is a Palestinian? And you’re paling up with him?

Look---Adam is an interesting guy. He grew up in a little town called Bethlehem. Maybe you’ve heard of it. He’s been in the States since 1983. I like to meet people from places other than the South.

I think you’re asking for trouble. What about your library books. You check out liberal books. The UPS truck stops here almost daily. I haven’t told you, but we’ve been getting a lot of calls lately where someone hangs up when I say hello. The caller ID says blocked. And you know the neighbors think you’re crazy.

For crying out loud. So what?

Well, someone could see a suspicious pattern here. And you know you make me nervous when you drop off our trash at various business dumps across town. I know we’re trashy people and you have to do it to get rid of our stuff, but don’t you think if someone were following you, they would find it suspicious?

Well, I suppose so, but who in the world would be watching ME?

Who knows these days? And those anti-Iraq war, anti-Bush letters you send to the paper--- I bet you have at least one a week published; don’t you think someone might put 2 and 2 together?

For heaven’s sake? What 2 and 2?

Well, you and I know this is just the way you are, but the government might wonder. You’d better watch it. Cause I don’t want some van to pull up in front of the house someday and you hauled off to jail without habeus corpuscle or whatever it is and I never see you again.

(Laughing) I don’t think you have anything to worry about. By the way, do you know who’s dark car that is parked across the street?

Bigger Thomas

I've spent most of the last two weeks with Bigger Thomas. Alas, today I must bid him farewell as he awaits his fate in that Cook County jail cell.

I will miss Bigger. It's been a long time since I viscerally connected with a literary character like I connected with him. All of the characters ring true. The story rings true. It's very realistic.

I don't know that I fully understand Bigger's character development, but I have certainly tried to understand. I like to think he found himself at the end.

The main thing is that this is a great story. I really like the plot.

I'm glad Freddy read the book; otherwise, I might never have read this novel and would have missed a great reading experience. This is great stuff.

On Meeting Alan Alda

Alan Alda was in town yesterday to autograph his new book. I can't say that I am an Alan Alda fan or a fanatic about the TV show "MASH." I debated whether to go and get an autographed copy. I did go, and I'm glad I did. I'm glad first of all because I learned that Alan Alda is really nice guy. There is no pretense about him. He's just genuinely decent human being. I enjoyed my 30 seconds with him getting the autographs. He complimented me on my "Hawaiian" shirt and said he had several and wore them all the time. He made sure he spelled "M-o-y-n-a" correctly. You could tell by how he interacted with the people that he was enjoying himself and that he really likes people. I'm glad second of all because I've skimmed thru his books (this new one is his second) and he's a good writer! The books are stories about his life and his points of view on various things, and I look forward to reading them. Had I not gone to the signing, I never would have considered reading these books.So that's the story of my meeting Alan Alda.

Waiting for Godot by Samuel Beckett

Dear Mr. Beckett,

I read your play. Set along a barren countryside, with just a road and a tree, Vladimir and Estragon spend its entirety merely waiting for Godot. That's it. Pozzo and Lucky come along, there's the brief appearance of a boy with news about Godot, they all talk (and talk and talk) without ever going anywhere, but it's really just two people waiting for Godot. As Vladimir notices, they're "in the midst of nothingness." It's like Seinfeld, minus a bunch of humor and, well, pretty much, a story. Not that there's anything wrong with that. However, your play is quite well-known and successful, and it is a pleasure to read. How did you do it?

Honestly, though, I initially couldn't connect with your play. It wasn't always clear what was happening. The dialogue seemed nonsensical. But in Act II, the play started clicking. I caught the humor. I understood the absurdism (I think). And I saw the existentialism. For me, it's about how people are sleeping through life, looking and waiting for something, alone. They don't realize how stagnate and habitual their lives are, as Vladimir and Estragon go back to that tree to wait for Godot day after day. They're just passing time. Nothing really happens. There's a meaninglessness and an insignificance to it all. Maybe there's more, or maybe I'm wrong, but at least I got some sense out of it.

I enjoyed the humor. I like when Vladimir and Estragon have fun by calling each other names, like moron and vermin, and Estragon finally wins when he abuses Vladimir with "critic." Or I like too when Pozzo wants help standing up after falling, but he doesn't answer to his name being called, so Estragon suggests trying other names until he does, figuring they're bound to hit on his real name eventually. He first tries Abel, which rouses Pozzo, and amazes Estragon that he got it on the first try. He then tries Cain too, and Pozzo again stirs, causing Estragon to exclaim, "He's all humanity."

Your play is a pleasure, Mr. Beckett. I don't know how you made it work, but kudos.

Regards,

Mr. Hudson