It's a mixed bag, like most folks have commented already. Not only do I know this guy, I've probably BEEN this guy on more than one occasions. He's just one of those guys that's committed to the point of being stubborn about it. I never saw him do anything out of maliciousness, but he just can't get out of his own way more often than not.
On one hand you want to praise the drive he has toward becoming a successful solo act, and you do understand the chip on his shoulder he carries since his former partner killed himself, and that's never easy to deal with.
On the other hand, he is pretty pretentious with his whole "keeping it pure, maaaaa, you're being a careerist, not an artist, maaaaan!" attitude about it. Hate to break it to ya, Llewyn, but one of those ACTUALLY helps pays the bills that you're in desperate need of, and it ain't your way.
I think he slightly comes around at the end where he finally throws his hands up and admits that he's tired and that he's going back to the merchant marines. Though of course he has to go back to the club where he heckles that woman and we know how that ends...
It was about 2/3 his own doing, and 1/3 of him just having the worse kind of luck. Probably wouldn't trust him with MY cat, but again, I know believably flawed people like this, so I can't truly hate this character.
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