For many of our readers, nothing is more important than characters. Do we like these people? Can we relate to them? Are they good role models? If the answers to any of these questions are in any way disappointing, our readers may conclude the entire work is boring or pointless.
- Characters do not have to be likeable or admirable to be interesting.
An unlikeable character can change and grow
Change and growth do not necessarily ensure a character's happiness.
Our great writers hardly ever write about nice people. In Lawson's, "The way I Treated Father", there is conflict, crisis, reckoning with the past and reckoning with self.
Even when Lawson wrote about 'nice' characters like "Corny Bill", he used conflict and crisis to develop an interesting character.
And what about "Sweeney"? What makes this piece stand out in Lawson's works?