Discussion Son by Denis Johnson

While Johnson’s collection of stories is very character driven, the main character/narrator is a bit of a mystery. He is nameless, faceless, and doesn’t present much – if any – of a backstory for his life. Because of this, he feels both complete and incomplete as a character. Based on what you’ve read so far, come up with a character description of everything you know about the main character/narrator. Don’t just make things up; use the text to help you. Make sure you get beyond the fact that he’s a drug addict. That seems too obvious. Really think about who he is, how he relates with others, how he is conflicted, and how he lives in the world. Then, speculate about why an author might make a seemingly ” broken” character the “hero” of a book. Why is Fuckhead telling this story? Does Johnson make him entirely tragic? Empathetic? Something else? What do we learn from this character’s perspective?