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Tommy Sherman: Difference between revisions
→Was Tommy Sherman Evil?
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That is one thick rhino hide. A lack of self-esteem wasn’t one of his shortcomings. He was conceited, self-important, egotistical, and boorish; like [[Quinn Morgendorffer]], he esteemed himself more than anyone. (“Do you know who I am? Tommy Sherman?”) Worse, in his retort to Daria Tommy nailed the basics of the issue: Daria <i>was</i> a “misery chick” who externalized her anger at the unfairness of the world. She seemed to revel in her self-imposed unpopularity, but she really was miserable—a “loser” at the popularity game, and she knew it and he knew she knew it.
Even worse, Tommy was completely right that he was widely admired, though perhaps not by people who knew him very well. He was “unanimously voted most valuable player” by his teammates after the state championship win, and upon his return to Lawndale High was put up in a good hotel at LHS’s expense. A jerk he was, but he played to his strengths and was little hampered by his weaknesses. He was the worst kind of winner, but he was a winner nonetheless, and (almost) everyone loves a winner. The easygoing Trent had nothing bad to say about him, other than noting that Tommy didn't show up for classes often. "The guy was a hero," said Kevin. "A really good quarterback, everybody liked him, kinda hunky, you know." Nearly everyone at his memorial service looked sad. He was genuinely missed. He even had a memorial tree (per "[[A Tree Grows in Lawndale]]."
Finally, it appears Tommy had no notable criminal record, given the lack of mention of the same. He never physically harmed anyone (except himself, by hitting goalposts). He didn't even lie. As Daria observed, he was not a nice guy, but he did not deserve to die. Was he evil? Only barely. He could have been far, far worse.
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