Why don't Artie and Ned get along? What do you think motivates Ned to betray Artie?

Why don't Artie and Ned get along? What do you think motivates Ned to betray Artie?

It is difficult to remember that Artie and Ned are twins as the novel progresses. Most twins are close and share strong bonds and similar natures. But Artie and Ned are extreme opposites in their personalities. One is efficient and number oriented while the other is emotional and focused on people. Ned is motivated to betray his brother by cold, hard calculations and even though he professes that the HUGE buyout Artie receives is not treacherous he next admits, "It's worth that much to me to have you gone."

I think Ned betrays Artie out of jealousy and sibling rivalry. He wants to the big man, but his showman brother steals all the spotlight. The only way for Ned to stand out is through money and treachery. It's why he collects autographs. He's trying to connect with power and fame--something he can only get by proximity. Whereas Artie comes by it naturally with his big personality and brash ways. Ned buys his way to influence by donating to political campaigns and by giving Artie a huge buyout. Money is the only power Ned has.

I forgot at one point that Artie and Ned were twins (as one responder notes as well). I was bothered that they weren't close (I guess I assumed twins would be more connected and/or similar) but their rivalry is I guess not that unusual since siblings can get contentious. I think Ned was petty though and that he stabbed Artie in the back was reprehensible, but I liked that Artie won in the end (so be careful what you wish for Ned!).

As one reads the Artie and Ned are twins because of their animosity for one another but on the hand that hatred became a stabilizing force in the film business. Some of the actions taken by Ned were not excusable and in the end Artie got what he wanted-- that is Ned gone.

Sibling rivalry, jealousy certainly play a role in Artie's and Ned's relationships. One has to wonder if the parents of these two contributed to this behavior in how they treated them when they were growing up.

Remember Esau and Jacob in the Bible? they were twins whose relationships was full of betrayal. So it has always been with us. Twins with varying strengths and attributes may feel jealousy toward one another as do other siblings. We don't know too much about how they were raised and whether their family contributed to the competition.
I think Marra chose twins because of the popular belief that they would be close and so made the betrayal more treacherous- maybe he was even influenced by Esau and Jacob?

Certainly jealously and sibling rivalry played a part, but I think Ned also believed he was helping Artie and was doing what was right for their company.

They are twins who are jealous of each other. They're always making jokes to each other, which are extremely passive aggressive and trying to outdo the other. Their encounters are actually quite humorous and provide a break from the tension. Marra's dialogue is masterful.

Think there must have been some issues in their childhood. Artie is more charismatic and personable whereas ned is much more uptight and cautious. I think Artie would love to have a better relationship with his twin, but they really don't seem to understand each other. The fact that Artie puts his trust in Ned speaks to his underlying love for his brother, which Ned does not reciprocate.
I agree that I think Ned thought he was doing what was best for the company and his brother, but knows he could never convince Artie that this was true. So he goes behind his back and severs there relationship as well.

I think the characters of Ned and Artie are shown to be very immature and shallow. They seek to improve their position in life by climbing over others, even their own brother.

I think jealousy and competition or rivalry was the biggest component to their disagreeing with one another. It was hard to remember at times, that they were brothers, much less, twins with the way they treated each other and tried to undermine one another. In the end, no one really came out on top.

Oh, sibling rivalry! It is such a great topic to explore and Marra does an excellent job depicting the twin brothers who love and hate each other in pretty equal parts.

They are oil and water, total opposites in their approaches to life, love, family, and business.

Ned fancies himself urbane, sophisticated, literate. He thinks his kids are better than Artie's and believes himself to be a better entreprenuer than Artie. He sees Artie as brash, uncouth, impulsive, egotistical, and motivated by both greed and a desperate need for attention and validation. Arties perceives Ned to be a judgmental snob who always measures Artie and his accomplishments, and concludes that he is less than Ned. Artie is extremely insecure, and feels like an outsider so he is always trying to claw his way into an upper echelon of power and influence. He wants to be remembered as "a somebody" and is striving to leave his mark on the world through his films and studio. Artie is furious with Ned's disregard for their sister Ada to whom Artie continues sending money, hoping against hope it will find its way to her so she can have a better life and, hopefully, join them in America. Artie is capable of forgiving Ned for many transgressions, but abandoning Ada is not among them.

The full and final destruction of their relationship is a long time coming, inevitable, and, as a result of Marra's capable storytelling, fully satisfying.