Everyone has a favorite character. When it’s a popular novel, I’ve noticed that certain characters are more popular favorites than others. But I’ve noticed that when I read certain books, I tend to go for the characters who aren’t necessarily as popular as others. I’m not saying that they’re completed ignored or hated, but it seems like they don’t get as much attention as some of the bigger characters in the books.
When I read the Lord of the Rings trilogy, I immediately fell in love with Pippin. I’d watched The Fellowship of the Ring before I went back and read the books and I felt enamored by his humor and care-free personality. When I read the books, I could see his mischievous nature, which I don’t think I would’ve caught on immediately if I’d read the books first.
In this post, I’d like to focus on the reasons why I love Peregrin Took from The Lord of the Rings and why he means so much to be.
- His character growth throughout the trilogy. To me, the characters in LOTR have a purpose they need to fulfill. Frodo needs to destroy the ring, Aragorn needs to take his rightful place on the throne of Gondor, Legolas and Gimli to provide strength and comic relief. Pippin seems to be the only character who has a character arch. He starts off as a carefree hobbit and as he faces troubles, he grows out of his trickster ways into someone others can rely on. And yet, he still maintains his a sense of humor while being responsible and I love that.
- His mischievousness. Pippin makes me smile. Even as he grows, he doesn’t crush his spirit in the name of danger. Somehow he maintains both.
- He is loyal. I can’t remember if it was in the Two Towers or the Return of the King, but Pippin stays at the Citadel to save Faramir from his father’s madness. If it was me, I would’ve left as soon as that crusty old man said he was releasing me.
- He’s honorable. Again, as soon as soon as I saw who Denethor really was, I wouldn’t have had anything to do with him. But Pippin pledges his sword to him when he and Gandalf go to Gondor to persuade him to help Theoden.
- He’s realistic. Pippin seems the most like a human being. He faces and makes choices that I’m sure a real human would have made in the same circumstances. Would I have made the same choices? Probably not, but they seemed to be very real choices.
- He’s underrated. I don’t know why, but nobody seems to like Pippin as much as I do and I don’t understand why. He’s a great character all around and isn’t bound to a singular purpose like others in the book are.
These are some of the reasons why I love Pippin. If you’ve read the books or seen the movies, is he one of your favorites or there another one you like? What are your favorite literary characters?
Apt Reader 