Character
Higgins plays Magnum's foil. Higgins has been described as representing "the pomposity, elitism, and stuffiness of the Old Guard (literally and figuratively)". John Hillerman has stated that "Higgins in any situation thinks he's the only sane character there, and everyone else is stark raving mad".
In one episode, a Jewish rabbi recounts an encounter with a young Higgins. He describes how in 1946 Higgins refused a standing order to fire on Jewish refugees trying to reach Palestine. When asked how he could disobey, Higgins replied "I was obeying a higher law that does not permit me to shoot unarmed refugees looking for a home."
Higgins is often known for his tendencies to ramble when someone asked him a question. He usually manages to relate it usually to a story in either Korea or World War II but sometimes other events; in one episode, when he is being robbed by people in costumes he says, "I believe I've been in a situation much like this...actually, no, this is a first...but I read about something like this once."
Read more about this topic: Jonathan Higgins
Famous quotes containing the word character:
“In my experience, persons, when they are made the subject of conversation, though with a Friend, are commonly the most prosaic and trivial of facts. The universe seems bankrupt as soon as we begin to discuss the character of individuals. Our discourse all runs to slander, and our limits grow narrower as we advance. How is it that we are impelled to treat our old Friends so ill when we obtain new ones?”
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)
“What the statesman is most anxious to produce is a certain moral character in his fellow citizens, namely a disposition to virtue and the performance of virtuous actions.”
—Aristotle (384–22 B.C.)
“Gentleness and delicacy of character are everywhere apparent in his verse. The simplest and humblest words come readily to his lips.”
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)