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<blockquote data-quote="Umbran" data-source="post: 225683" data-attributes="member: 177">Yes, and by the time we see him, the tests have broken him.&nbsp; He is no longer really sane.&nbsp; He may be physically normal, but he's no more psychologically normal than the purest, most virtuous hero.&nbsp; I don't think a normal Joe is supposed to identify with Covenant any more than with said hero. *sigh*&nbsp; This is hard to do properly without including spoilers...You don't see why it's a big deal?&nbsp; Where have you ever gotten the idea that it shouldn't be a big deal?&nbsp; You think the author put it in casually?&nbsp; Yes, there are atrocities in the other books.&nbsp; Rarely are they committed by the main character.&nbsp; One would have to argue hard in order to call him a protagonist.You have a choice - 1) Covenant is insane, and therefore his action is excusable.&nbsp; But, this means he's not a normal Joe, as he's insane.&nbsp; 2) Covenant is sane, but is a criminal, despite your protestations.&nbsp; Other than insanity, there is no defense for his actions.&nbsp; Most folks really cannot accept that he is insane enough for it to be a defense.&nbsp; From my own reading, I'm pretty sure the author doesn't believe it either.&nbsp; Covenant justifies it in his own mind, but I don't think the reader is supposed to buy the excuse.&nbsp; Covenant is supposed to be soiled.&nbsp; It is made worse by the fact that he never convincingly feels remorse or atones for his crime.&nbsp; That makes it really slimy, to most folks eyes.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="Umbran, post: 225683, member: 177"] Yes, and by the time we see him, the tests have broken him. He is no longer really sane. He may be physically normal, but he's no more psychologically normal than the purest, most virtuous hero. I don't think a normal Joe is supposed to identify with Covenant any more than with said hero. *sigh* This is hard to do properly without including spoilers... You don't see why it's a big deal? Where have you ever gotten the idea that it shouldn't be a big deal? You think the author put it in casually? Yes, there are atrocities in the other books. Rarely are they committed by the main character. One would have to argue hard in order to call him a protagonist. You have a choice - 1) Covenant is insane, and therefore his action is excusable. But, this means he's not a normal Joe, as he's insane. 2) Covenant is sane, but is a criminal, despite your protestations. Other than insanity, there is no defense for his actions. Most folks really cannot accept that he is insane enough for it to be a defense. From my own reading, I'm pretty sure the author doesn't believe it either. Covenant justifies it in his own mind, but I don't think the reader is supposed to buy the excuse. Covenant is [i]supposed[/i] to be soiled. It is made worse by the fact that he never convincingly feels remorse or atones for his crime. That makes it really slimy, to most folks eyes. [/QUOTE]

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