I don’t think people acknowledge that Grace was a coward enough despite Grace HIMSELF being distraught over it and it being stated over and over again within the movie and book. I think having a character with conflicting beliefs is really cool though because it’s realistic. Grace cares about the world and the future SO MUCH, but is (understandably) reluctant to give up his life for it; he says he likes to piss people off and actively holds unpopular opinions but he withdraws from the community the moment that his opinion isn’t taken well.
I think one main reason for this is that the movie removes some of this. Grace doesn’t have a breakdown about being a coward, it might be PART of the reason he’s upset, but he’s mostly bothered about knowing the extent of his situation. His reason for leaving the science field also changes, and tbh I believe book Grace would NOTT yell at a major scientist unprovoked (I think the Lokken situation is different). I’M NOT BASHING THE MOVIE I WAS A MOVIE WATCHER FIRST AND I ADORE THST FILM SO MUCH!! But I think people see Grace as somebody who was ALWAYS 100% reliable and brave when that was definitely character development. Being in his position and experiencing what he had CHANGED him.
This point might sound weird but I really enjoy the canon reason for why Grace has no pets or partner. I love aroace Grace, but I ALSO think the fact that he was SO scared of heartbreak and mourning to the point that he avoided it at all costs adds so much. Sure, that part doesn’t make him a *hypocrite,* but it makes him a coward. He’s way more worried than the average person. He was horribly scared of discomfort and would retreat to safety at all costs. At least he used to.
I don’t actually have a compelling point with this post but I think people should talk about his early hypocrisy more bc I think it makes him feel so much more real and I think it is a HUGE part of his character!! I’m not calling him a bad person, he’s an AMAZING guy, but just like any character he’s flawed and I think that makes him super interesting but people treat him like he isn’t.
