The Lost World Important Characters
Ned Malone
Ned Malone is a twenty-three-year-old reporter for the Daily Gazette. He is in love with Gladys Hungerton, who rebuffs his proposal of marriage, because she wants a man who is willing to face death in the effort to accomplish a great deed. Ned naively thinks if he undertakes such a task, she will then marry him.
Ned is not a man who shrinks from danger, nor is he someone who does not think through his actions before undertaking them. He therefore, goes against his nature in his quest to fulfill Gladys' requirements for a husband. He enlists the help of his editor, McArdle, to find him a story he can cover, which involve danger and great accomplishments.
Ned uses his intelligence and cunning to win an interview with Professor Challenger. He poses as a science student to gain entry to the professor's home and through his actions he also gains the professor's acceptance.
Ned shows true courage on the plateau as he does his part to keep himself and the others safe. He also shows determination by not allowing setbacks such as falling into a pit, being attacked by pterodactyls, and fighting with the Accala to cause him to either give up or run away from stressful situations.
Professor George Challenger
Professor Challenger is a man of great self-confidence, who is used to people agreeing with everything he says. He is an independent man, who is not afraid to take on the scientific establishment, when his findings are challenged. He is also a man to be feared, because of his fierce temper and bull-like strength.
It is he who shows up unannounced and take over the expedition, without asking the others what they would like to do. This is because he assumes they will naturally take orders from him and at first they do. After he is challenged by Professor Summerlee, he still acts like he is in charge of the expedition. He even goes so far as to charm the chief of the ape-men, in an effort to save Summerlee and Lord John.
Professor Challenger glows in the aftermath of his producing a live pterodactyl at the lecture hall. He is not happy the creature got away, but he is happy to be vindicated; no longer would anyone question his findings concerning dinosaurs.
Lord John Roxton
Lord John Roxton is a man who seeks out adventure, no matter how far he has to travel to find it. He is also a man who will not stand by as others are treated badly. He stands up for those who no one else will defend, as he did with the natives who were being enslaved in South America. It was because of his actions there, that the men became trapped on the plateau. He had killed the brother of one of the native guides, so as a form of retribution he eliminated the men's only means of egress off the plateau.
Lord John is also a formidable marksman, which comes in handy during the Accala war against the Doda, ape-men. Lord John is fearless and pragmatic during the time the men are on the plateau, he not only looks at the new wonders that are surrounding him, but he also looks for any signs of danger, which might be nearby. He warns the others to be aware of their surroundings, and he is the one to escape the ape-men and go to the camp for weapons. He is also the first one of the men willing to help the Accala in their last battle with the Doda.
Lord John is not only a noble man, but he is a man of courage and honor. The last he proves as he shares his wealth from the diamonds he brought off the plateau with the other men.
Professor Summerlee
Professor Summerlee is a professor of comparative anatomy and sixty-six years old. He is a thin frail man; who Lord John thinks will be a hindrance during the expedition. He is also an opponent of Professor Challenger, because he does not believe it is possible for there to be living dinosaurs in South America. He also considers himself to be an intellectual equal to Challenger, a claim Challenger disputes.
He and Challenger clash throughout the book, until the pterodactyl swoops in and steals the men's supper right in front of his eyes. He then is gracious enough to offer his apology and concedes Challenger is right.
Professor Summerlee proves himself on the plateau even though he is ill and injured, he still continues to try to pull his weight in helping to maintain the camp and the ensure the safety of the other men.
It is Professor Summerlee who gives the expedition findings to the gathered masses at the Queen's Hall. He sums up their experiences and gives a very good accounting of the various animals and plant life they discovered on the plateau. The professor changed the most of all the men on the expedition, because he changed his point of view and he learned he could endure more hardship than he had previously thought.
Gladys Hungerton
She is an intelligent woman who has grand aspirations for herself. She wants to become the wife of a famous man, a man she can be known the world over, as his wife. Ned goes out to gain such glory for her and in the end he is heartbroken by her. Even though she said she wanted such a man, she in the end marries a law clerk, while Ned is in the jungles of South America risking his life to earn her love.
After he returns to her, she only breaks his heart by introducing him to her new husband and her only explanation is she was lonely during Ned's six- month absence. She actually did Ned a favor, because now his reputation is made as a reporter and he has the career he always dreamed of having.
Ned Malone is a twenty-three-year-old reporter for the Daily Gazette. He is in love with Gladys Hungerton, who rebuffs his proposal of marriage, because she wants a man who is willing to face death in the effort to accomplish a great deed. Ned naively thinks if he undertakes such a task, she will then marry him.
Ned is not a man who shrinks from danger, nor is he someone who does not think through his actions before undertaking them. He therefore, goes against his nature in his quest to fulfill Gladys' requirements for a husband. He enlists the help of his editor, McArdle, to find him a story he can cover, which involve danger and great accomplishments.
Ned uses his intelligence and cunning to win an interview with Professor Challenger. He poses as a science student to gain entry to the professor's home and through his actions he also gains the professor's acceptance.
Ned shows true courage on the plateau as he does his part to keep himself and the others safe. He also shows determination by not allowing setbacks such as falling into a pit, being attacked by pterodactyls, and fighting with the Accala to cause him to either give up or run away from stressful situations.
Professor George Challenger
Professor Challenger is a man of great self-confidence, who is used to people agreeing with everything he says. He is an independent man, who is not afraid to take on the scientific establishment, when his findings are challenged. He is also a man to be feared, because of his fierce temper and bull-like strength.
It is he who shows up unannounced and take over the expedition, without asking the others what they would like to do. This is because he assumes they will naturally take orders from him and at first they do. After he is challenged by Professor Summerlee, he still acts like he is in charge of the expedition. He even goes so far as to charm the chief of the ape-men, in an effort to save Summerlee and Lord John.
Professor Challenger glows in the aftermath of his producing a live pterodactyl at the lecture hall. He is not happy the creature got away, but he is happy to be vindicated; no longer would anyone question his findings concerning dinosaurs.
Lord John Roxton
Lord John Roxton is a man who seeks out adventure, no matter how far he has to travel to find it. He is also a man who will not stand by as others are treated badly. He stands up for those who no one else will defend, as he did with the natives who were being enslaved in South America. It was because of his actions there, that the men became trapped on the plateau. He had killed the brother of one of the native guides, so as a form of retribution he eliminated the men's only means of egress off the plateau.
Lord John is also a formidable marksman, which comes in handy during the Accala war against the Doda, ape-men. Lord John is fearless and pragmatic during the time the men are on the plateau, he not only looks at the new wonders that are surrounding him, but he also looks for any signs of danger, which might be nearby. He warns the others to be aware of their surroundings, and he is the one to escape the ape-men and go to the camp for weapons. He is also the first one of the men willing to help the Accala in their last battle with the Doda.
Lord John is not only a noble man, but he is a man of courage and honor. The last he proves as he shares his wealth from the diamonds he brought off the plateau with the other men.
Professor Summerlee
Professor Summerlee is a professor of comparative anatomy and sixty-six years old. He is a thin frail man; who Lord John thinks will be a hindrance during the expedition. He is also an opponent of Professor Challenger, because he does not believe it is possible for there to be living dinosaurs in South America. He also considers himself to be an intellectual equal to Challenger, a claim Challenger disputes.
He and Challenger clash throughout the book, until the pterodactyl swoops in and steals the men's supper right in front of his eyes. He then is gracious enough to offer his apology and concedes Challenger is right.
Professor Summerlee proves himself on the plateau even though he is ill and injured, he still continues to try to pull his weight in helping to maintain the camp and the ensure the safety of the other men.
It is Professor Summerlee who gives the expedition findings to the gathered masses at the Queen's Hall. He sums up their experiences and gives a very good accounting of the various animals and plant life they discovered on the plateau. The professor changed the most of all the men on the expedition, because he changed his point of view and he learned he could endure more hardship than he had previously thought.
Gladys Hungerton
She is an intelligent woman who has grand aspirations for herself. She wants to become the wife of a famous man, a man she can be known the world over, as his wife. Ned goes out to gain such glory for her and in the end he is heartbroken by her. Even though she said she wanted such a man, she in the end marries a law clerk, while Ned is in the jungles of South America risking his life to earn her love.
After he returns to her, she only breaks his heart by introducing him to her new husband and her only explanation is she was lonely during Ned's six- month absence. She actually did Ned a favor, because now his reputation is made as a reporter and he has the career he always dreamed of having.
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