According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary app I have downloaded to my Nook, the definition of loyal is as follows;
having or showing complete and constant support for someone or something.
That's the simple definition, their full definition uses concepts like allegiance, faithfulness, and fidelity to describe what it means to be a loyal person.
We all experience loyalty in our lives, whether is refers to other people, ideals, or our country. It's one of those traits that I think we all cherish, and look for, in our friends and partners And I think we have all experienced what it feels like when our loyalty is betrayed.
It's a trait I can respect in someone, even when I think their loyalties are misguided. Loyalty, true loyalty, is something to be respected and celebrated, and it's the reason I picked Della Street for this week's Favorite Fictional Character post.
For those of you who aren't familiar with Della Street, I feel really bad for you. For you see, that would mean you aren't familiar with the great Perry Mason, lawyer extraordinaire. Perry is that lawyer, who almost never loses, is able to save his clients at the last minute, and is one of the most awe inspiring characters I've come across in life. A man like him, needs a secretary like Della Street.
Della, through countless books, radio programs, two TV series, and several TV movies, was the faithful sidekick to the hardest working defense attorney in town. If he's working, she's working right beside him. She doesn't questions his tactics, or his motives, and does what he asks, without hesitation. She has put herself in compromising situations to help him, and the client, knowing he would be there to get her out of it. She would never think of betraying his confidence, and over the years, she became his best friend. Outside their work lives, we really don't know much about either character, but seeing them together is enough.
Now I know a lot of fans, and I think even the show creators, would from time to time try to hint at a romance between the two of them. There would be an occasional kiss, a little light flirting, a dozen or so rejected marriage proposals, but this fan never took that stuff seriously. It always felt like the banter between two people, who are deeply locked in the other's lives. I think they were close, probably closer than most married couples, but doubt there was that much romantic love there. I think it's loyalty that brought them together, and it's loyalty that kept them together through the years.
3 comments:
I read a lot of the books when I was younger, and watched the TV show. I think I liked all the characters. Very nice post, Ryan.
You know, I watched a fair amount of Perry Mason over the years, and I certainly knew who Della Street was as soon as I saw the title of your post, but I can't remember that much about their relationship. I'm sorry that I seem to have missed out on one of the great things about the show!
Ryan, I read almost every Perry Mason novel in my teens and liked all the characters including Tragg and Burger. The Mason-Street chemistry was endearing. I think ESG would probably have spoilt the series if he'd showed them as a romantic pair from the start. Street had a mind of her own and strong views too, as evident in #1 "The Case of the Velvet Claws." The novels were pleasant and engaging. I reread one occasionally.
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