i feel like ALL of yall are missing the point here. the author giving JK this backstory and showing it to us isn’t meant to “excuse” his behavior, it’s meant to show you that in life, when someone has a difficult childhood, one filled with abuse, drug addicts, and so forth, they don’t always grow up to be empathetic towards that, they don’t always grow up to not being apart of it. in life, 1 of 2 things happen when someone is faced with a shitty childhood, they either grow up to be better and not put their kids or anyone else in that situations they grew up in, or they end up being just like the people in their childhood. in JK’s case, he’s becoming just like his father but doesn’t realize it because he’s so blinded by not wanting to be his father, that he is becoming him, and the moment he realizes it, he’ll decide to change and be better. THAT is the point of his backstory. not an excuse to “justify” his behavior, but a way to let the readers know, these 2 characters, JK and Dan, are 2 sides to the same coin. there are parts that are ugly, disgusting and that you don’t want to accept, that’s just life. Dan was abused and grew up in poverty, so he became a doctor to help people instead of hurting them, JK was abused and raised in poverty, and his way out was boxing, a sport that rewards violence. all he knew as a child was violence, so it’s not hard to see how he ended up becoming a violent person, even when his heart and mind is like “i’m not going to be anything like my dad”, he unintentionally became just like him and he’s going to realize it pretty soon. so stop thinking the author is trying to make you feel bad for him, or making excuses for his behavior, it’s simply showing us the 2 ways people can turn out when raised in a neglected and abusive environment.
i feel like ALL of yall are missing the point here. the author giving JK this backstory and showing it to us isn’t meant to “excuse” his behavior, it’s meant to show you that in life, when someone has a difficult childhood, one filled with abuse, drug addicts, and so forth, they don’t always grow up to be empathetic towards that, they don’t always grow up to not being apart of it. in life, 1 of 2 things happen when someone is faced with a shitty childhood, they either grow up to be better and not put their kids or anyone else in that situations they grew up in, or they end up being just like the people in their childhood. in JK’s case, he’s becoming just like his father but doesn’t realize it because he’s so blinded by not wanting to be his father, that he is becoming him, and the moment he realizes it, he’ll decide to change and be better. THAT is the point of his backstory. not an excuse to “justify” his behavior, but a way to let the readers know, these 2 characters, JK and Dan, are 2 sides to the same coin. there are parts that are ugly, disgusting and that you don’t want to accept, that’s just life. Dan was abused and grew up in poverty, so he became a doctor to help people instead of hurting them, JK was abused and raised in poverty, and his way out was boxing, a sport that rewards violence. all he knew as a child was violence, so it’s not hard to see how he ended up becoming a violent person, even when his heart and mind is like “i’m not going to be anything like my dad”, he unintentionally became just like him and he’s going to realize it pretty soon. so stop thinking the author is trying to make you feel bad for him, or making excuses for his behavior, it’s simply showing us the 2 ways people can turn out when raised in a neglected and abusive environment.