Final Jeopardy: Literary Characters (11-4-25)

The Final Jeopardy question (11/4/2025) in the category “Literary Characters” was:

“Assure me that I yet may change these shadows you have shown me, by an altered life!”, says this man

New champ Joyelle McSweeney, a poet & English professor from South Bend, IN, won $17,700 yesterday. In Game 2, her challengers are: Joseph Evans, a middle school history teacher from Beltsville, MD; and Aaron Himmel, a stay-at-home dad orig. from Long Island, NY.

Round 1 Categories: Put It On – Ancient Names – That’s Crickets – 8-Letter Words – In the Book – Aaron Sorkin

Joseph found the Jeopardy! round Daily Double in “In the Book” under the $800 clue on the 17th pick of the round. He was in the lead with $2,800, $1,000 more than Aaron in second place. Joseph bet $1,000 and he was RIGHT.

Boys in Afghanistan battle to see who can cut the strings of their opponents’ toys show

WHAT IS “THE KITE RUNNER”?

Aaron finished in the lead with $5,600. Joseph was second with $5,400 and Joyelle was last with $800. All clues were shown.

Round 2 Categories: Put It Off – A Watery Border – Old TV Show, New Audience – They Got Married – Adult Beverages – Not Their Main Musical Instrument

Joyelle found the first Daily Double in “Not Their Main Musical Instrument” under the $1,200 clue on the first pick. The scores were the same as above. Joyelle bet the $2,000 allowance and said lute after the time ran out. That was WRONG anyway.

Pepe Romero plays a mean classical guitar but is also good on this type, lighter & often with a golpeador or tap plate show

WHAT IS A FLAMENCO GUITAR?

Aaron got the last Daily Double in “A Watery Border” under the $1,600 clue on the 5th pick. In the lead with $11,200, he had $5,800 more than Joseph in second place. Aaron bet $3,000 and got one of them. Alas, without the other, he was WRONG.

For 1,250 & 24 miles, these 2 rivers form parts of the border between the U.S. & Mexico show

WHAT ARE THE RIO GRANDE & THE COLORADO?
Aaron had the Rio Grande & the Gila

Aaron finished in the lead with $15,000. Joseph was next with $9,000 and Joyelle was in third place with $3,600. All clues were shown.

TWO of the contestants got Final Jeopardy! right.

WHO IS EBENEZER SCROOGE?

This quote comes from Stave 4 of the Charles Dickens’ classic, “A Christmas Carol” (1843). It’s very close to the end (at 11:15 in this video) of the visit from The Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come, who scares the dickens out of Scrooge with a visit to his future grave.

Scrooge begs for hope with an altered life right before uttering the much more famous quote: “”I will honor Christmas in my heart, and try to keep it all the year.”

Joyelle got it right. She bet it all and doubled her score to $7,200.

Joseph got it right, too. He bet $6,529 and finished with $15,529.

Aaron thought it was Dr. Jekyll. He lost $3,001 and the game when he finished with $11,999. Joseph Evans is the new Jeopardy! champ.

A triple stumper from each round:

AARON SORKIN ($1000) Aaron Sorkin: “I wrote ‘Charlie Wilson’s War’, which was the last film directed by this Hollywood legend, the most talented man I’ve ever met; he made directing look simple–it’s not”

A WATERY BORDER ($2000) Mainland Australia is separated from Papua New Guinea by this strait named for a Spanish sailor who passed through it in 1606

More clues on Page 2

2 years ago: TWO of the players got this FJ in “WORLD HISTORY”

This African capital renamed an area Mexico Square to honor Mexico’s WWII-era support of its sovereignty during Italian occupation show

WHAT IS ADDIS ABABA?

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