Just What Is It That Makes Tony Soprano Such an Appealing, Attractive Murderer?

Tony Soprano is a vicious thug. And yet, he commands the loyalty, affection and sympathy of most viewers of The Sopranos. The case of Soprano gives rise to two philosophical questions. The first concerns the problem of personality. How can we feel sympathy for, or be attracted to, characters who would repel and appall us, were we to encounter them in reality? The second concern can be traced back to David Hume’s remarks on ‘vicious manners’ and ‘rough heroes’ in ‘Of the Standard of Taste.’ What are the moral implications of the fact that we find Soprano an appealing and sympathetic character? In approaching these questions, I first consider the different ways in which fictions may engage us morally. In tackling the problem of personality, I survey a range of possible answers, and contend that our stance towards Soprano is a complex amalgam of attraction – elicited by both Soprano’s moral and immoral actions – and repulsion. The very complexity of this stance implies that the second, moral question is a live one which will require further careful consideration.