Protagonist

The protagonist is the central figure of a story, and is often referred to as

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a story's main character.

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The story follows and is chiefly concerned with the protagonist (or, sometimes, a small group of protagonists—see usage below). Often the story is told from the protagonist's point of view; even when not in first-person narrative, the protagonist's attitudes and actions are made clear to the reader or listener to a larger extent than for any other character.

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The protagonist is also characterized by his ability to change or evolve. Although a novel may center around the actions of another character, as in Herman Melville's "Bartleby the Scrivener", it is the dynamic character that typically allows the novel to progress in a manner that is conducive to the thesis of the work and earns the respect or attention of the audience.

Related Topics:
Herman Melville - Bartleby the Scrivener

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The protagonist is, it should be pointed out, not always the hero of the story. Many authors have chosen to unfold a story from the point of view of a character who, while not central to the action of the story, is in a position to comment upon it. However, it is most common for the story to be "about" the protagonist; even if the protagonist's actions are not heroic, they are nonetheless usually vital to the progress of the story. Neither should the protagonist be confused with the narrator; they may be the same, but even a first-person narrator need not be the protagonist. As they may simply be recalling the event while not living through it as the audience is.

Related Topics:
Hero - Narrator

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The protagonist is often faced with a "foil"; that is, a character known as the antagonist who most represents or creates obstacles that the protagonist must overcome. As with protagonists, there may be more than one antagonist in a story.

Related Topics:
Foil - Antagonist

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Sometimes, a work will initially highlight a particular character, as though they were the protagonist, and then unexpectedly dispose of that character as a dramatic device. Such a character is called a false protagonist.

Related Topics:
Dramatic device - False protagonist

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Protagonists with interesting names include Hiro Protagonist, the primary character in Neal Stephenson's Snow Crash, and John Proctor in Arthur Miller's The Crucible.

Related Topics:
Neal Stephenson - Snow Crash - John Proctor - Arthur Miller - The Crucible

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