Is it Right to Choose Favorites?

During my discussion an interesting point came up: is it morally right to have a least favorite character? While writing out the questions for the talk I concluded that my favorite question was the last one I wrote: Who is your favorite and least favorite character or storyline and why?

The reason why I was so excited about this question is because I had already formed my own opinions, I even wrote a blog post titled “I Hate Madame Pericand”. However when I called upon Angela during the discussion she brought up a very interesting point: whether or not you like a character in Nemirovsky’s Suite Francaise, they are teaching you a valuable lesson about humankind. Up until this point was made, I thought it was clear that there could be a distinct divide between a favorite and a least favorite character however Angela’s point got me thinking.

            Why did I hate Madame Pericand? Was it because of her selfishness or her seemingly entitled personality? I may never have an answer to those questions, however after the discussion I was left with an interpersonal debate. Having a least favorite character seemed almost childish after the discussion because Angela and other members of the class argued for the validity of even the worst storyline. I understood their message completely and almost reproached myself for having negative feelings towards certain people within the book. Each character, no matter how uninteresting their storyline or how obnoxious their personality, taught a valuable lesson that we as a class can learn from. Character flaws are important to recognize and acknowledge as students so that we may learn and progress while keeping in mind the kind of person that we wish to be.