An Overview of Underdogs

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Most of us like to root for the underdog. I’ll first discuss an underdog winner of a real-life political race last week, and then discuss underdog characters in literature.

The candidate is Dr. Abdul El-Sayed, who won the Democratic nomination for a U.S. Senate seat representing Michigan (the state where my wife Laurel spent much of her childhood).

Dr. El-Sayed’s victory was a narrow one, but it impressively happened against great odds. He’s Muslim and he’s progressive, which means establishment politicians (including some fellow Democrats) and the corporate media did all they could to tarnish him with various kinds of nasty nonsense. Plus Dr. El-Sayed was outspent a whopping 11-1 by his center-right opponent Haley Stevens, partly “thanks” to AIPAC (the American Israel Public Affairs Committee) pouring millions into Stevens’ campaign because she supports Israel’s far-right government and because Dr. El-Sayed has correctly called that government’s assault on Gaza a genocide – plus he wants to end the billions of dollars in military aid the U.S. sends each year to Israel. 

I should emphasize that I’m criticizing AIPAC and Israel’s current government – not the Jewish people, of which I’m one. Heck, a clear majority of American Jews have a negative opinion of reactionary Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Dr. El-Sayed has also taken various other progressive positions, including advocating for the much-needed Medicare for All in the world’s only developed country (the U.S.) without guaranteed health care for everyone.

Underdogs in literature? I just finished (Ms.) Lionel Shriver’s intriguing dystopian novel Mania, in which the protagonist (Ms.) Pearson Converse gets major pushback when objecting to an alternate-universe America’s “Mental Parity” policy that equates stupidity and intelligence. The 2024 book can be viewed as partly a satire of the utterly incompetent (yet very dangerous) Trump and his regime.

Of course, many older and newer literary classics have an underdog as the central character. That kind of person – who might be impoverished, have a difficult upbringing, be a member of a marginalized group, be bullied, be small in stature, etc. – is usually someone readers can admire, respect, and root for. Most readers can’t resist a character trying to surmount major obstacles with smarts, courage, resilience, and other attributes – including a measure of luck. Sometimes they succeed and sometimes they don’t.

Just a few examples of underdog characters: Jane Eyre of Charlotte Bronte’s Jane Eyre, Silas Marner of George Eliot’s Silas Marner, Oliver Twist of Charles Dickens’ Oliver Twist, Carrie White of Stephen King’s Carrie, Jeanie Deans of Walter Scott’s The Heart of Midlothian, Denise Baudu of Emile Zola’s Au Bonheur des Dames, Offred of Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale, Valancy Stirling of L.M. Montgomery’s The Blue Castle, Dana Franklin of Octavia E. Butler’s Kindred, Tom of Harriet Beecher Stowe’s Uncle Tom’s Cabin, Dellarobia Turnbow of Barbara Kingsolver’s Flight Behavior, Humphrey Van Weyden of Jack London’s The Sea-Wolf, the Mirabel sisters of Julia Alvarez’s In the Time of the Butterflies, Lisbeth Salander of Stieg Larsson’s Millennium Trilogy (The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, etc.), and the hobbits populating J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings trilogy.

In sports literature (the subject of a 2015 post here), many athletes are not-surprisingly depicted as underdogs. Among them are Roy Hobbs of Bernard Malamud’s The Natural (made into the stirring Robert Redford movie) and Joe Boyd of Douglass Wallop’s The Year the Yankees Lost the Pennant (which inspired the hit Broadway musical Damn Yankees).

Your thoughts about, and examples of, this topic?

Misty the cat says: “Dave matched my harness color to that wire’s color? The man needs therapy.” 

My comedic 2024 book — the part-factual/part-fictional/not-a-children’s-work Misty the Cat…Unleashed — is described and can be purchased on Amazon in paperback or on Kindle. It’s feline-narrated! (And Amazon reviews are welcome. 🙂 )

This 90-second promo video for the book features a talking cat: 🙂

I’m also the author of a 2017 literary-trivia book…

…and a 2012 memoir that focuses on cartooning and more, including many encounters with celebrities.

In addition to this weekly blog, I write the 2003-started/award-winning “Montclairvoyant” topical-humor column every Thursday for Montclair Local. The latest piece – in which I “bank” on my town making news even during the summer — is here.

77 thoughts on “An Overview of Underdogs”

  1. What an intriguing post. Although I’ve never really thought about it, underdogs in books and movies tend to be the characters I root for the most. I haven’t read Carrie, but am a Stephen King fan, so I’m going to add it to my list! It’s sad, though, when certain underdogs, have a less-than-desirable ending, which I guess is what can definitely happen in real life.

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    • Thank you, Ada! Underdogs are indeed great to root for. (Most of the time. 🙂 ) And, yes, there’s not always a happy ending for underdogs, which does unfortunately reflect real life.

      “Carrie” was quite a debut novel for Stephen King. He certainly wrote better books after that, but “Carrie” packs a punch.

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  2. Can anybody suggest an underdog more prickly, difficult and infuriatingly stubborn than Josiah Crawley ? Proved innocent, the right people, are loyal.

    The missing £20 cheque, in circumstances eventually traced to the privileged but absent minded Eleanor Arabin, would in relative earnings be worth about £17,505.43 -(recently relaunched MeasuringWorth.com

    Add Patrick Bronte, the other Bronte writer, courageously overcoming rural poverty in Ireland to achieve Cambridge, ordination, and in his poetry, publication,

    Generous even when libelled by Elizabeth Gaskell Especially in a summer like 2026, and before mains water, curtains could be fire risk death traps. Shutters are far safer.

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    • Thank you, Esther! I haven’t read Trollope’s “The Last Chronicle of Barset,” but Josiah Crawley sounds like quite a character!

      And Patrick Bronte is definitely an example of an underdog writer (as opposed to an underdog fictional character). Your mention of him encouraged me to just read about him on Wikipedia. Quite a life, in addition to being the father of three iconic writers. (I’m also a fan of Anne Bronte’s work in addition to Charlotte’s and Emily’s.)

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  3. Hi Dave, an interesting post. I don’t comment on American politics but I am aware of what goes on. I think the commercial world has factored the current erratic decision making into the financial magnet now and life is going on without the USA. Isolation policies have never historically worked for America, neither have trade tariffs. I have read many of the books you mentioned and grinned at your hobbits mention. I would add Tess from Tess of the D’Urbervilles, Hester from The Scarlet Letter, Heathcliff from Wuthering Heights, Paul from All Quiet on the Western Front, Billy from Slaughterhouse Five despite his financial success he has PTSD.

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    • Thank you, Robbie! Great points about the U.S. You’re right that many countries have lost trust in the U.S. because of the Trump regime and have at least partly tried to avoid “doing business” with it. Wish they divorced themselves even more, but the U.S. is a powerful country and Trump is of course extremely vindictive.

      I appreciate those five excellent examples of underdog characters! Heathcliff is certainly a case of an underdog character not necessarily having to be totally sympathetic.

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      • You are right about Trump being vindictive. He’s an odd choice for a leadership role but people must have seen something they liked as he won by a good majority in the election and he was tried and tested. Heathcliff was a horrible person and it’s strange someone as sheltered and unsociable as Emily Brontë thought up someone like him. I don’t think she ever had a romance. I read once he was based on the nature of her dog, Keeper.

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        • Trump is indeed a very odd choice to be a leader, especially a second time. Why did 77 million vote for him in 2024? He’s a disrupter (in an awful way) at a time when many Americans want change from the “status quo” and are desperate for something given how weak much of the leadership is of the opposing party (the Democrats). Plus Trump makes some people feel good that a person as stupid, as racist, as misogynistic, as homophobic, etc., as them can become President.

          Yes, Heathcliff was mostly horrible (partly because of his difficult life as a boy) and did seem to reflect some of Emily Bronte’s loner/antisocial traits (she of course also had a difficult life in certain ways). Didn’t know that about Heathcliff and Keeper! I guess authors find “inspiration” where they can. 🙂

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  4. Good topic, Dave, and as usual, I’ve been enjoying the comments.

    I’m going to plug a friend’s book because it’s in the news, as it were. Teagan Geneviene has recently re-released her novella, Brother Love – a Crossroad. There are two underdogs in that book, Birdie (Albertina) Devovo and Doug Armstrong. It’s one of my favorite stories of hers.

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  5. Dr. El-Sayed with whom I learned more about on Meet The Press this morning ,handled himself with aplomb, is a candidate for all people in Michigan yes an underdog but extremely capable to be next Senator. The Republicans of course have started their smear campaign of lies,but I feel the truth will prevail, a Democratic Senator from Michigan.

    Michele

    E & P way back

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    • Thank you, Michele! Yes, Dr. El-Sayed is a very reasonable candidate, and the gearing-up Republican smear campaign against him is disgusting — telling lies about him rather that contending with him on important issues. I think you’re right that he will win, but it might be close. 🙂 😦

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  6. My all time favorite wil be Q & A: a novel written by Indian diplomat Vikas Swarup and published in 2005. The novel is also Swarup’s first novel work. It tells the rags to riches story of Ram Mohammad Thomas, a young waiter who becomes the biggest quiz show winner in history, only to be arrested and jailed on accusations that he cheated. In the West it’s better known as Slumdog Millionaire.

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  7. Great topic as always, Dave, and unfortunately so many underdogs to choose. Jude the Obscure, Tess, Giles Winterborne and Marty South (‘The Woodlanders’) – Hardy gave us these and others. Or how about Gissing’s ‘The Nether World’? There’s a whole book full of underdogs, from Sidney Kirkwood and Jane Snow through to Clara Hewett and “Pennyloaf”. Or – to finish on an ‘up’ note – there’s Chief Bromden, hiding out in an insane asylum because the world’s beating him, until he has a lesson from McMurphy – and the closing scene of the film of ‘Cuckoo’s Nest’, of his escape, is one of my all-time favourites and guaranteed to have me sobbing every time. Have a good week, Dave, looking forward to the next post. 🙂

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  8. An excellent theme for these times, Dave. It’s satisfying to see the number of underdogs, like El-Sayed, who are winning elections against the odds. I’ve noted all the memorable underdog characters among the literary classics you’ve mentioned. In a world where the wealthy and powerful always seem to have their way, these stories are essential to remind us that victory is within our reach when we face more than our share of obstacles in getting ahead or even staying alive.

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    • Thank you, Rosaliene! It IS heartening to see more underdogs win elections these days. Many people are obviously fed up with “establishment” politicians. And I love your comment’s last line.

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  9. I love how you paired some encouraging political news with consideration of underdogs in literature, Dave! A winning (wink!) combo for me. Your compelling description, encapsulating the appeal of the underdog persona, here, is SO good:
    “Most readers can’t resist a character trying to surmount major obstacles with smarts, courage, resilience, and other attributes – including a measure of luck. Sometimes they succeed and sometimes they don’t.”
    Yes! As a reader I want to see the less-than-polished bits in characters with a peek at their potential. A terrific reminder about storytelling, in general, and character development.
    Many thanks, my friend! You’ve got my writer wheels in motion! 💝😊💝

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  10. Dave, the hobbits immediately came to mind for me. I have always loved Tolkien’s choice of small, ordinary people to carry responsibilities far greater than themselves. Their courage doesn’t come from power or position, but from loyalty, friendship, perseverance, and simply continuing when the road becomes difficult.

    And then there is Anne Shirley in Anne of Green Gables. She is one of my favourite literary underdogs. She arrives at Green Gables as an orphan who wasn’t the boy that Matthew and Marilla had wanted! Yet Anne gradually transforms the world around her through imagination, intelligence, determination, and her wonderful capacity for friendship. I believe is why we love underdogs so much. They remind us that where we begin does not determine who we may become. As Tolkien reminds us: “Courage is found in unlikely places.”

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  11. What a great analysis, Dave!
    It’s funny how the ‘underdog’ tag is used nowadays. Here in Italy, Giorgia Meloni claimed she was the ultimate underdog right after being appointed Prime Minister, the irony of being the most powerful person in the room while saying that! It seems politicians everywhere love that label, even when they win!
    Thanks for the brilliant book recommendations too!
    Have a great week

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    • Thank you, Luisa! Very well said! Yes, if someone is leading a country they are not an underdog, if they ever were. And ideologically conservative leaders — who tend to align with the powerful — being underdogs doesn’t quite make sense, though I suppose it’s possible.

      Have a great week, too!

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  14. Hi Dave, and well done Michigan!
    Now, I’m thinking about underdogs in literature. Well, there’s Harry Potter, of course and several of his friends in wizard world. Also, whatever her name is – the trilogy of The Hunger Games, well, I have seen two films, and there were pretty good. Finally, I thought about Pi Patel (Life of Pi) – a skinny teenager stuck on a small boat with a very large tiger. Excellent book, and a good film too.

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  15. While I was reading your very interesting post, Dave, about underdogs,the “Hillbilly Elegie” by J.D. Vance, which my husband is reading, came to my mind and I wonder, if the protagonist has finally overcome those very high barriers! Many thanks:)

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  16. Thank you for sharing your opinion and information on El-Sayed. It looks like all is not lost to money and power. Thank God. Great examples of underdogs in Literature while explaining current affairs in the United States.

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  17. El-Sayed’s victory in Michigan is certainly uplifting. It is giving America’s long-suffering working class some reason for hope, and it has shattered the establishment’s belief that money always trumps (pun intended) ethical principles.

    The book Mania sounds intriguing.

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    • Thank you, Robert! Uplifting is a great word to describe that victory. To win with all that money spent against him… And, yes, Dr. El-Sayed definitely has working-class voters in mind. His heart and his politics are in the right place.

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