J - Jacob Marley & Shoeless Joe Jackson - Fictional Phantoms #AtoZChallenge 2016

Hello and welcome to my blog for the 10th day of the AtoZChallenge. Today I have two fictional phantoms for you who are more benevolent than awful, however, the first is rather terrible to behold, according to the text. I give you the letter J.

Jacob Marley (A Christmas Carol)

Frank Finlay (A Christmas Carol, 1984)

First a ghost from my favourite Christmas viewing/reading, Jacob Marley.

Marley is a frightening ghost in that he rattles chains, makes terrible wailing noises and needs a strip of cloth to keep his jaw properly closed. However he is benevolent in that he returned to Scrooge to help his old friend avoid the same fate he has.

In life Marley cared for nothing except money. In death he is fated to see all that he can no longer change because he is cursed to walk abroad among humankind as he did not do so in life.

Michael Horden (Scrooge, 1951)

He is a tragic figure and one deserving of pity. When Scrooge reminds him he was a good business man he says:

"Mankind was my business. The common welfare was my business; charity, mercy, forbearance, benevolence, were all my business."

In death he has learned what he never comprehended in life.

That he is willing to change the fate of his friend even though his is set, is quite remarkable. That's why he is one of my favourite fictional phantoms.

Shoeless Joe Jackson (Field of Dreams)

My second phantom today is very definitely not terrifying in any way. He is Shoeless Joe Jackson from Kevin Costner's classic, Field of Dreams.

Ray Kinsella (Kevin Costner) hears a disembodied voice in his corn field telling him, "If you build it, he will come." It is a baseball diamond, which Ray builds. Later he see a ball player in the diamond and it turns out to be the ghost of Shoeless Joe Jackson (Ray Liotta), a baseball player banned in his lifetime for being part of the Black Sox Scandal.

Shoeless Joe brings other players to use the diamond and sets Ray on a path to reconnecting with his deceased father.

Marley and Jackson are both rather reassuring ghosts - do you have any favourite reassuring ghosts?

P.S. If there are any blogs you think should definitely not be missed (as well as your own :)), feel free to rec them in the comments.

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My Other Blogs

I am sharing blogging duties with my sister, Sophie, on two other blogs for the AtoZ as well :

Wittegen Press | Fantasy Boys XXX (AC)

And Sophie also has her own blog in the AtoZ too:

Sophie's Thoughts and Fumbles

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Other People's Blogs

Don't forget to check out the other participant in this years AtoZChallenge. Click on the image to visit the main site and see the full list.