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Who Is The Protagonist? 43103 Views


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Description:

Picking out the protagonist isn't always as easy as recognizing that the thing flying in the sky with a big "S" on its chest isn't actually a bird or a plane. Want tips for spotting a protagonist in the wild? If so, this video's for you.

Language:
English Language

Transcript

00:04

Who is the Protagonist? a la Shmoop. Books are populated with millions of different

00:09

characters, from kind-hearted recluses to monsters stitched together from dead body

00:14

parts.

00:16

Chances are, if you can imagine him or her, that character exists somewhere out there

00:20

in the literary-verse.

00:22

Despite their diversity, most of these characters can be filtered into a variety of tried-and-true

00:27

roles.

00:28

The most popular role, by far, is the protagonist... although the antagonist might have something

00:33

to say about that…

00:35

So, how do you identify the protagonist of a novel?

00:40

Picking the protagonist out of a lineup isn’t as easy as identifying the heroic-looking

00:44

guy in shining armor with a singing sword.

00:47

Depending on the novel’s P-O-V, that guy could be the villain.

00:52

The protagonist is the guy… or gal… that you root for to triumph in the novel’s main

00:57

conflict.

00:57

They’re basically your favorite person on your favorite sports team…

01:01

Until they get traded to the rival team, then they become the antagonist.

01:06

Many times the protagonist’s name is in the title. Jane Eyre. Huck Finn. Gilgamesh.

01:12

The Time Traveler’s Wife… whatever her name is.

01:17

But not Moby Dick. Or the Mockingbird from To Kill a Mockingbird. Although we’re sure

01:22

if the mockingbird had a story, it would be riveting.

01:29

More often than not, if a book is told from the first-person perspective, the protagonist

01:33

is the narrator of the story.

01:36

Bella Swan… protagonist. Katniss Everdeen… protagonist.

01:40

However, just because Nick Carroway is the narrator of The Great Gatsby, it doesn’t

01:44

make him the protagonist. Whose name is on the cover of that book?

01:48

Now, just because a character is the protagonist doesn’t necessarily make them the hero of

01:53

the story, or even all that heroic. We’re looking at you, Bella…

01:59

A protagonist can also be an anti-hero. They’re not performing wild feats of derring-do, but

02:05

you’re still rooting for them.

02:06

Here are a few confessions: We kind of love to hate Scarlett O’Hara. Holden Caulfield

02:13

isn’t exactly a role model you’d bring home to dinner.

02:18

And we admit to adoring the most anti- of all anti-heroes… Satan in Paradise Lost.

02:24

So, when you’re trying to pick out the protagonist, remember these things…

02:27

The protagonist is most often the character you’re rooting for.

02:31

They’re usually the narrator or focal point of the story.

02:35

However, just because they’re the protagonist doesn’t mean they’re a saint.

02:39

Protagonists can have complex personalities and faults. Protagonists are people, too!

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