Response to Mona

I completely agree with Mona. Sal is a sheep; he follows the most interesting characters he can find into less than desirable situation. Dean, as Jon mentioned, is a sheep because she is unable to handle any situation properly. Sal is not the sort of strong leader who is usually the protagonist in classic novels. I think that because Sal is so wishy-washy, which is in such contrast to most successful novels, it makes him an unpredictable character. I have a feeling, that precisely because he is so different, the book has become iconic. I also believe it’s why the book is extremely frustrating and difficult to get through. I do not necessarily enjoy that a character as flimsy as Neal can control Sal and his friends so easily. Sal seems to morph and become like whatever person he happens to be with at the time. I think a lot of situations could have been avoided if Sal was stronger and more demanding. I thought that Dean would fill this gap but instead Dean is too insane to control his own actions much less Sal’s. I am finding it extremely hard to like any of the characters at this point.