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What daft things have characters done in books, and you think why!?

44 replies

Yourinmyspot · 24/10/2025 21:27

I’m currently reading Jurassic Park and Arnold has gone to the maintenance shed to get the power back on. Three velociraptors are surrounding him. One gets blown up by Muldoon so he escapes into the shed.

It’s very dark and he can’t see anything so props the door open with a shoe. Why? Why would you do that. Unsurprisingly a velociraptor gets in and eats him.

OP posts:
defrazzled · 24/10/2025 21:35

In Hunger Games why doesn't she fancy Gale?

HonoriaBulstrode · 24/10/2025 21:43

In too many books, the heroine goes off on her own in response to a message, or to meet someone, when she knows there's a dodgy character around, without telling anyone where she is going. And the reader is screaming at her 'don't do it!'

Yes, Ruth Galloway, that includes you.

SeaAndStars · 24/10/2025 22:00

In every romantic novel ever written from Jane Austen to Lucy Diamond the lead male and female characters have a minor misunderstanding on page 2 - cue 345 pages of dancing around each other, sulking, distractions and one near miss with another person. They finally resolve the issue on page 348.

If they just had a frank chat on page 3 the book could end happily there.

All readers know that the matter will arise and be resolved before opening the book.

MsAmerica · 25/10/2025 00:38

Yourinmyspot · 24/10/2025 21:27

I’m currently reading Jurassic Park and Arnold has gone to the maintenance shed to get the power back on. Three velociraptors are surrounding him. One gets blown up by Muldoon so he escapes into the shed.

It’s very dark and he can’t see anything so props the door open with a shoe. Why? Why would you do that. Unsurprisingly a velociraptor gets in and eats him.

I think I had a thread here recently asking if people ever yearned to warn characters. Same basic idea.

I always want to warn Lily Bart against her "daft" impulses in House of Mirth.

NotMyRealAccount · 25/10/2025 13:03

HonoriaBulstrode · 24/10/2025 21:43

In too many books, the heroine goes off on her own in response to a message, or to meet someone, when she knows there's a dodgy character around, without telling anyone where she is going. And the reader is screaming at her 'don't do it!'

Yes, Ruth Galloway, that includes you.

Ruth Galloway's prolonged game of pick-me-oh-please-pick-me with the highly dislikeable Nelson is dafter than any of the errors of judgment that inevitably end up with her spending a while stuck down a hole.

Gremlinsateit · 27/10/2025 02:09

defrazzled · 24/10/2025 21:35

In Hunger Games why doesn't she fancy Gale?

Oh I think the point is that she would have ended up with Gale if it hadn’t been for the Games and the war. After her experiences she could no longer relate to him and couldn’t forgive him for <spoiler if you haven’t read the third book>.

Decorhate · 27/10/2025 09:18

One of my pet peeves is a character who lives by the sea in Ireland and buys fish in the market in the city which is a three hour's drive away.

BauhausOfEliott · 27/10/2025 09:28

Pretty much everything that Tess does in Tess of the D’Urbervilles. Actually, pretty much everything that everyone does in Tess of the D’Urbervilles.

drspouse · 27/10/2025 10:09

When all children in every children's book ever sort out all the adult problems without asking any adults.
I mean, it would be a very boring book if they didn't, but I'm surprised they don't all end up dead.

Freebus · 31/10/2025 12:47

In at least one one of the Simon Serrailler books by Susan Hill he lets a character off the hook because he doesn't see why she should be punished for her crime.
He's supposed to be a high Flyer! I was really into the series, but that sort of thing put me off.

Darragon · 31/10/2025 12:55

When Harry Potter gets a letter from a strange ‘school’ and everyone’s like sure just go. And even he, at 11, doesn’t have a developed enough sense of basic safety to think this might be dangerous, everyone just takes the letters at their face value that there’s a real school and assumes this dodgy bloke who’s followed them to the arse end of nowhere is above board and not a serial killer or something. Irl that would be so unbelievably dodgy and any normal person would ring the police on Hagrid.

DustyMaiden · 31/10/2025 13:00

I read many books and think I’d never do that but also IRL people do things I can’t believe.

giveyourselfapresent · 31/10/2025 13:10

Darragon · 31/10/2025 12:55

When Harry Potter gets a letter from a strange ‘school’ and everyone’s like sure just go. And even he, at 11, doesn’t have a developed enough sense of basic safety to think this might be dangerous, everyone just takes the letters at their face value that there’s a real school and assumes this dodgy bloke who’s followed them to the arse end of nowhere is above board and not a serial killer or something. Irl that would be so unbelievably dodgy and any normal person would ring the police on Hagrid.

It's been ages since I read it, but the Dursleys know about Hogwarts etc, don't they? Petunia's sister went. They hate it but they know it's real, I think.

Sarover · 31/10/2025 13:10

BauhausOfEliott · 27/10/2025 09:28

Pretty much everything that Tess does in Tess of the D’Urbervilles. Actually, pretty much everything that everyone does in Tess of the D’Urbervilles.

True. And add to that pretty much anything that any character does in a Hardy novel. I love his books but constantly want to give his characters a shake.

HonoriaBulstrode · 31/10/2025 13:57

It's been ages since I read it, but the Dursleys know about Hogwarts etc, don't they?

Petunia certainly does, and she has some idea of what happened to James and Lily, even if she doesn't know details.

BarnacleBeasley · 31/10/2025 14:06

I remember my dad reading The Outsider by Camus and his take on it was that he thought it was a good book but 'he shouldn't have shot that Arab.'

SheilaFentiman · 31/10/2025 14:12

Remember the first Scream movie, which sent daft things up and was still scary?

Sigh.

Cromwell, near the end of The Mirror and the Light. Just flee the country, man. You are richer than God, you can get away!

<persons mentioning the historical inaccuracy of this plea have a fair point>

Tiebiter · 31/10/2025 14:14

Read Rumpelstiltskin last night. In this version he takes a necklace then a ring and then finally the baby. But why does he need the necklace and ring if he can spin straw into gold?

Timeforatincture · 31/10/2025 14:34

In The Woman in White why on earth would Walter fall in love with drippy Laura, rather that Marian who had some go about her? Who'd want to be shackled to a limp rag?

localnotail · 31/10/2025 15:16

Timeforatincture · 31/10/2025 14:34

In The Woman in White why on earth would Walter fall in love with drippy Laura, rather that Marian who had some go about her? Who'd want to be shackled to a limp rag?

Because Marian continuously described as having an "ugly face" - and was way too "masculine" in a sense she was too clever which was a big no no for a romantic heroine in those days. Drippy fainting whining ladies were all the rage in literature. I actually think it was not the case in real life and she would have been popular with guys. Especially as she is described as having great figure.

goldtrap · 31/10/2025 15:30

I don't know why Hermione married Ron.

BigSkies2022 · 31/10/2025 15:38

In All Fours the narrator refuses to’gender’ her child, referring to the prepubescent boy as ‘they’ .

RoseWilderLane · 31/10/2025 15:47

Jude sleeping with Arabella in "Jude The Obscure ".

FGS, Jude, you are highly intelligent, obviously not using rudimentary birth control and want to go to Christminster.

Stay away from her wiley ways!!!

DierdreDaphne · 03/11/2025 13:59

BigSkies2022 · 31/10/2025 15:38

In All Fours the narrator refuses to’gender’ her child, referring to the prepubescent boy as ‘they’ .

I think the child believes "themself" to be transgender in the story. Which is generally so preposterous I couldn't finish it..

I mean why doesn't she just get on and drive to NY like she said she would? It was important to her! She was letting people down!

Why does she just stick in that pitiful dreary hotel? Why does the nice young chap from the garage keep going to see her? Why does the interior designer take any notice of her , and walk in and redecorate a hotel room that clearly did not belong to her client?

The whole thing seems absurd and baffling, and to my mind sleazy and icky too. I mean I know it's not meant to be real but it just felt dirty to me as in a bit grime encrusted - as opposed to the other sort of filth...

Perhaps I m not the target audience...

latetothefisting · 03/11/2025 14:08

Darragon · 31/10/2025 12:55

When Harry Potter gets a letter from a strange ‘school’ and everyone’s like sure just go. And even he, at 11, doesn’t have a developed enough sense of basic safety to think this might be dangerous, everyone just takes the letters at their face value that there’s a real school and assumes this dodgy bloke who’s followed them to the arse end of nowhere is above board and not a serial killer or something. Irl that would be so unbelievably dodgy and any normal person would ring the police on Hagrid.

Have you even read the book?
As a pp said, they know all about hogwarts -petunia even wrote dumbledore a letter asking to be allowed in when she was a child. They know magic exists they just don't like it.

The whole point is that they didn't say "sure you can go" - they literally left their house and rowed to a tiny island to try and escape the letters. They reluctantly let Harry go because a) they don't like him and it actually benefits them for him to he out of their house for most of the year - if Hagrid had tried to take Dudley presumably they would have put up much more of a fight! And b) they were scared of Hagrid!

And Harry agreed to go because his life was so miserable that the "dodgy bloke" was one of the first adults who had been nice to him in his whole life - plus Hagrid offers a credible explanation for otherwise unexplained events.