It begins... / what's likeable about dislikeable characters

There are words on paper, both tree and electronic, which will someday be on your computer screen as well. I have no idea when the next chapter be out - perhaps sometime early next month, but I'm not gonna guarantee anything. More characters, a different POV, it's pretty much got it all. Or really, it has those two things, plus a whole bunch of other, secret stuff.

So in addition to writing, I also read a whole bunch. Last month, it was He, She and It by Marge Piercy - not good, not worth discussing. This month it's The Man in the High Castle by Philip K. Dick. It's quite good - an alternate history which takes place a few decades after the Axis powers have won World War II and conquered the world, splitting the United States between Nazi Germany and Imperial Japan.

Part of what's stuck out to me is Dick's characterization - he has a number of characters who are really unpleasant, and it makes for a very engaging read. Robert Childan, for example - he runs a noted antiques business in California, ingratiating himself with the Japanese occupiers while at the same time hating them. In part because they're occupiers, but in large part because he's really, really racist. He's a walking embodiment of white American chauvinism and xenophobia, disregarding everyone's opinions but his own, and Dick does a great job illustrating this kind of mentality.

An example: in this scene, he's dining with a Japanese couple (Paul and Betty), who have invited him to their home as a guest in the spirit of friendship. As he's already let us know, this is a rare occasion, as Caucasians are considered racially inferior under Japanese rule. These are also potential customers of his, who are looking to furnish their home with his goods. In the first excerpt, they're discussing jazz, which Paul has already expressed affection for. In the second, they've been discussing a book written by a Jewish author.

Betty said, 'Most true. Average taste really deplorable.'
'As in music,' Paul said. 'No interest in authentic American folk jazz, as example. Robert, are you fond of say Bunk Johnson and Kid Ory and the like? Early Dixieland jazz? I have record library of old such music, original Genet recordings.'
Robert said, 'Afraid I know little about Negro music.' They did not look exactly pleased at his remark. 'I prefer classical. Bach and Beethoven.' Surely that was acceptable. He felt now a bit of resentment. Was he supposed to deny the great masters of European music, the timeless classics in favor of New Orleans jazz from the honky-tonks and bistros of the Negro quarter?

Robert said. 'If Germany and Japan had lost the war, the Jews would be running the world today. Through Moscow and Wall Street.'
The two Japanese, man and wife, seemed to shrink. They seemed to fade, grow cold, descend into themselves. The room itself grew cold. Robert Childan felt alone. Eating by himself, no longer in their company. What had he done now? What had they misunderstood? Stupid inability on their part to grasp alien tongue, the Western thought. Eluded them and so they took umbrage. What a tragedy, he thought as he continued eating. And yet - what could be done?

What a scumbag, right? The scene's incredibly uncomfortable, as well as humorous - we see Robert constantly putting his foot in his mouth with his racism and lack of tact. He's a white supremacist who's arguing with his hosts - who he considers racially inferior and occupying force - that it was best that the Axis won the war rather than the Allies (though as he's also made clear, he very much admires the Nazis, for obvious reasons).

Dislikeable characters - or aspects of characters that are dislikeable - can add a ton to a story. In fanfiction, I'm reminded of SleeplessBrony's depiction of Rarity in Romance Reports. Part of what makes her so memorable to me is the rough edges he gives her - her selfishness and species-ism makes her stand out as a character. She's not so bad that you hate her (or at least, I didn't), but her flaws will make her stand out when you go on to read other fics.