Bob Denver wasn't Gilligan...

Bob Denver played Gilligan on the old Gilligan's Island series. He wasn't actually Gilligan in real life. He didn't really live in a bamboo hut with the Skipper.

Patrick Stewart isn't really Jean-Luc Picard, although we may wish that were the case. No, Stewart is an actor. He played Picard on Star Trek: The Next Generation. He's played hundreds if not thousands of other roles.

You are not your novel. You're the writer.

You are not your painting. You're the artist.

If you think Gilligan is an oppressed idiot who couldn't do anything right, Bob Denver wouldn't take that personally. Why? See the first line.

So how come if some random person doesn't like your novel, you feel compelled to take it personally? You are not your novel.