[deleted] t1_jd5aeqv wrote on March 21, 2023 at 10:51 PM

Why do we have to root for or like every character?

It’s a beautifully written piece of queer literature that has an imperfect main character. I don’t have to agree with Giovanni’s thoughts to find that interesting, appreciate what Baldwin was writing, or even enjoy the text. It’s worthy of discussing those attitudes is a broader context, but it would be vastly uninteresting if characters didn’t have major flaws.

West_b0und OP t1_jd5bcvz wrote on March 21, 2023 at 10:57 PM

Certainly. The book is very well written, and I do appreciate it for all the reasons you stated. However, while most of the characters would not be as interesting as they are without their flaws, certain flaws are objectively distasteful, even if they are well-executed. That’s what I was aiming to express in my original post.