The Subtle Absurdities of Some Favorite Classic Characters

November 20^th is National Absurdity Day. The purpose of this day is to remember and note some of the zany and ridiculous things in history, our country, and our lives. I am celebrating the day by recalling the ridiculous decisions and statements made by characters in classic novels. Although the decisions that these characters make are costly to others, I cannot help but laugh at how ridiculous they are. I also remember statements that these characters make that are frustratingly ludicrous or hilarious under the circumstances. I have listed the decisions and the statements that these characters made. 

Take the Quiz

Match the decisions and statements with the author and titles of these literary works.  I will list the answers to this quiz at the end of this article. If you have never read any of these works, celebrate National Absurdity Day with us by learning how these senseless decisions affected the characters, and have a good laugh at the unintentionally humorous and inane statements that these characters made.

1. This man and his new wife recently returned from their six-month honeymoon trip, and his eccentric personality was already getting on his wife’s last nerve. This man’s new wife did not want anybody to know that she was expecting.  The new husband was completely oblivious to the possibility of being a new father, but nevertheless, he repeatedly said to his aunt that his wife was ”filling out.” His annoyed wife told him to be quiet and said that she looked no different than before the honeymoon.
2. This young lady’s family was experiencing economic hardship. She wanted to find a job to help her family.  Her mother and sister told her to ”go play with the cat.”  Her father also asked in an amused tone, “You?”  Work?”  The young lady only wanted to be treated more like an adult, and her family responded to her in a patronizing manner.
3. These two sisters attended a social occasion. The youngest sister possessed great beauty and her manners were impeccable, and the older sister was much less attractive and extremely blunt.  The two sisters were in a powder room and encountered two women who were also sisters. These two women seemed extremely supercilious.  The less attractive sister made statements to these socially prideful ladies which were “For I am ugly, there’s no denying that...I feature my father’s family.” “But Law, I don’t mind, do you?”  If this statement wasn’t bad enough, she also said, “The pretty uns do for fly catchers...They keep the men off us.”  The older sister not only embarrassed her younger sister but no doubt offended these ladies.
4. A widowed woman lived with her niece and her sickly son in a small apartment. This woman had to be one of the worst matchmakers in literature.  She forced her niece to marry her son.  Although first cousins marrying each other may have been commonplace, she could have at least not chosen a cousin with whom her niece lived with as a sibling.  This botched matchmaking made room for dangerous temptations in the future. 
5. An impoverished man with a large family and a small dwelling was told that he was related to an aristocratic family. He did not bother to question and further investigate the plausibility of this news.  Work was suddenly beneath him.  This excuse not to work for a living eventually caused further hardships and eventual disaster for his family members.

A. Silas Marner by George Ellilot

B. In Secret by Emile Zola

C. Tess of the D'urbervilles by Thomas Hardy

D. Hedda Gabler by Henik Ibsen

E. Agnes Grey by Anne Bronte.

Silas Marner

In Secret

Tess of the D'Urbervilles

Hedda Gabler and Other Plays

Agnes Grey

Answers to Quiz

1. D
2. E
3. A
4. B
5. C