Top 10 Inspirational Fictional Characters

The good news is we actually have 10 choices this week, the bad news... actually, we don’t have any bad news.  Hooray for us!

Head on over to The Broke and the Bookish to join the fun!

The question: Top 10 Inspirational Fictional Characters.

The list:  Yes, we added the fictional part to the question, but only to qualify our picks.  As painful as it is to admit, real life heroes are probably cause for more celebration, however, fictional characters are much more fun to rank...

1. Willy Wonka (Charlie and the Chocolate Factory) – Seriously, he owned an enormous chocolate factory and by all accounts, managed to maintain a reasonable BMI.    
2. Neville Longbottom (Harry Potter series) – Maybe Neville wasn’t the chosen one, but talk about someone rising to the occasion.  Plus, he didn’t feel the need to ransack someone’s office like one of his other Gryffindor classmates that will remain nameless.  Our only wish is that he would have been able to place a nasty spell of his choosing on Professor Snape for the brutal treatment he received for 7 years!
3. Cassandra Mortmain (I Capture the Castle) – Rarely has someone suffered more in the name of love!  She wouldn’t settle for anything less than the real thing.  Cassandra, we truly believe you found what you were looking for in the unwritten sequel.
4. Atticus Finch (To Kill a Mockingbird) – A perfect example of someone who talked the talk and walked the walk.  Plus, he’s a great dad and all around good guy!
5. Sam Gamgee (Lord of the Rings) – This friend of friends is an inspiration to friendships everywhere. 
6. Hassan (The Kite Runner) – Poor, poor Hassan.  “For you, a thousand times over.”
7. Equality 7-2521 (Anthem) – When he isn’t rebelling against a repressive government he’s finding love and rediscovering electricity.  Plus, he’s not afraid to use first-person, singular personal pronouns.  On the surface this might not seem too hard core, but to the World Council, he’s like Rambo incarnate.
8. Mr. Fox (Fantastic Mr. Fox) – While his trade might not exactly be moral, remember he’s governed by the laws of the animal kingdom... don’t judge.  Nobody’s more cunning or determined to keep their family fed.
9. Jason Bourne (The Bourne Identity) – Because every now and then it takes a good ole’ fashion butt-kicking to inspire.  Jason handed out more than a few in his day.
10. Elinor Loredan (Inkheart) – By many accounts Elinor is a true fictional bibliomaniac.  Her massive (and inspirational) home library is burnt to the ground by a group of deplorable vagabonds, yet, the travesty is met with only mild gnashing of teeth.