Transformations: Characters Who "Turned Good"

When my sister-in-law, Ruth Ann, was in first grade she had an argument with a neighbor child. She ran home and told her mother she was never going to play with Susan again. A few days went by, and my mother-in-law saw Ruth Ann and Susan playing happily together in the yard. What happened? my mother-in-law asked her daughter. She turned good, Ruth Ann told her mom.

Here are some books in which one of the characters has a less than stellar start, but who eventually shines, finding meaning and purpose later in life, especially after having an epiphany or a transformative experience of some sort. If I had to choose one genre of literature that I love best, I would say that I love to read about Transformations. 

I hope these won't be spoilers for you. If you have not read these, I highly recommend all of these. 

John Ames Boynton in Gilead by Marilynne Robinson

Ebenezer Scrooge in A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens

Louis Zamperani in Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand

Nora Seed in The Midnight Library by Matt Haig

Jean Valjean in Les Miserables by Victor Hugo

The title character in The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien

Stanley Yelnats and Zero in Holes by Louis Sachar

The title characters in The Tale of Despereaux and Because of Winn-Dixie by Kate DiCamillo

Meg Murry in A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle

The Scarecrow, the Tin Man, the Cowardly Lion in The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum

I would love to hear about any Transformations you have read about.

Thank you to  Deanna @ A Novel Glimpse for suggesting the prompt this week.

Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together. Each Tuesday That Artsy Reader Girl assigns a topic and then post her top ten list that fits that topic. You’re more than welcome to join her and create your own top ten (or 2, 5, 20, etc.) list as well. Feel free to put a unique spin on the topic to make it work for you! Please link back to That Artsy Reader Girl in your own post so that others know where to find more information.