[Kalla]

Boromir is not my favorite character but I would not call him evil or say I hated him. I think he is perfect for the role he played and in representing what most "men" would do in that situation. He is extremely brave and valiant, and wants to protect his home and his people. There is a lot of honor in that. I know many many people who value strength and bravery above most other things...look at the military. Not that every branch of a military is based on physical prowess, but you have to admit it is a big requirement for parts of it. It's jsut for my personal taste, I value philosophers and visionaries more than warriors. Thus my tendency is to like characters such as Gandalf and Frodo more. Boromir is presented in the book as being one of the bravest men the city has seen as well as one of the strongest and most determined. I don't think that it was presented in a bad light...it was just the way it is. Everyone has a weakness and since Boromir so strongly wanted to help his people, he was blinded to the fact that the ring could not be used to do so because his strength had carried him through all other battles. Why should this be any different? I think the book presented him as a rather valiant character, and now that I am rereading it, I feel that even more strongly. But if I had to choose one of the characters to meet he would not be my first choice. I think it's just a matter of what the reader values as to what the reader percieves as being "good" personality trates and "poor" ones.