reader response...

The characters in "The Flowers" are very diverse.  Sonny's character develops more and we see more of his interactions with friends.  The twins are sort of naive when it comes to girls, so when Sonny speaks they try to act cool like they know what he's talking about when they actually don't.  Sonny gets a macho confidence when it comes to them because he's more experienced in his teenage shenanigans. Overall, they enjoy eachother's company and they can call themselves Sonny's true friends.  Pink is also one of Sonny's friends and he's a hustler.  Pink sells cars without a permit which makes Cloyd upset.  Cloyd doesn't like anyone doing shady activities around his apartments and always finds something wrong with everyone eventually.  He expects people to do all that he says, including Sonny and Sylvia.  Sylvia is just the beautiful housewife who everyone loves, but she hides her imperfections.  Sonny loves her either way because Sonny has a welcoming personality towards women.  Sonny is a typical boy who hates his stepdad, loves his mom, falls for the girl nextdoor and loses his virginity to the hopeless girl upstairs.  He tries to help people, but at the same time he does what he wants.  Breaks into houses and goes bowling.  People are drawn to Sonny's personality, and most of the characters in this novel have something to do with Sonny but also fit into their typical stereotypes.  My opinion on the characters is that each have something unique about them, which helps make them memorable.