I'm not sure that it's possible to write a novel about people who don't transgress or stumble, people who don't surprise themselves with the things they do, people who can explain all their actions with perfect logical consistency. At least it's not possible for me to write that sort of novel.
Interpretation
This quote expresses the idea that human characters in stories must be flawed and unpredictable to be relatable and engaging.
Tom Perrotta emphasizes the necessity of imperfection and unpredictability in character development within literature. He suggests that writing about individuals who consistently make rational choices without errors or surprises is not only unrealistic but also dull, as true human experiences are often fraught with contradictions and spontaneous decisions. This reflects the complexity of human nature, where people often act against their logical reasoning, and such intricacies are what make narratives compelling.
In practice
In a literary class discussing character development, one could use this quote to illustrate the importance of conflict and flaws in storytelling.
Meg was going to have to learn for herself what Laurie had figured out over the summer - that it was better to leave well enough alone, to avoid unnecessary encounters with the people you'd left behind, to not keep poking at that sore tooth with the tip of your tongue. Not because you didn't love them anymore, but because you did, and because that love was useless now, just another dull ache in your phantom limb.
Writers are often the worst judges of what they have written.
Amos Oz is one of the finest novelists of this entire period. MY MICHAEL is a beautiful work of great depth and in some indescribable way lingers in the mind as a lyric song to his country's people as much as a moving love story.
One cannot be too careful in the selection of adjectives for descriptions. Words or compounds which describe precisely, and which convey exactly the right suggestions to the mind of the reader, are essential.
The short story is still like the novel's wayward younger brother, we know that it's not respectable - but I think that can also add to the glory of it.
It had been startling and disappointing to me to find out that story books had been written by people, that books were not natural wonders, coming of themselves like grass.
Perhaps they were looking for passion; perhaps they delved into this book as into a mysterious parcel - a gift box at the bottom of which, hidden in layers of rustling tissue paper, lay something they'd always longed for but couldn't ever grasp.
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