I personally feel bad for Robert, but in all honesty I would not want to be his friend. He is one of those people that you want to like, but just can’t. You know they have good intentions, but you just cannot seem to get past that completely annoying exterior. He is, quite honestly, a pathetic person; he never achieves much of anything and when he does no one remembers, he completely lets those around him shape his life (especially the women), and he even waits around on a girl when he knows he has no chance. Yet, if I were around Robert, instead of having a pull to sympathize with him, I would probably try to distance myself. The more I read, the more I notice that they literally want Robert to leave them alone. It is almost like a survival method people have so that they are not dragged down with someone in their inevitable embarrassment. This is a little harsh, but c’mon, you know it’s true.
Yes, Robert seems to bring a lot on himself because of his actions but I do feel bad about how he's treated like a human punching bag. Even the most unlikable deserves to be treated with some respect.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree, but would you really want to be friends with him, or would you just be polite?
DeleteI don't know, I think that I disagree. While Robert does put up with a large amount of "crap", he also seems to sort of be ok with it. He has not been affected by the war, so he's probably not emotionally tainted forever AND he can proudly beat the daylights out of most. While reading this, I imagined more going on internally with him than any of the other characters, like he was just along for the ride and enjoying the theatre of it all.
ReplyDeletePut me in the "I wouldn't want to hang out with Robert" camp. I tend to agree with Amelia's description of him. But it would be, as Shelbi points out, good to have him around for back-up in a fight. :)
ReplyDeleteAnd it would be great to see some of the novel's events from his point-of-view. That would be a fun exercise in creative writing.