Protagonist

Character Role Analysis

Alanna

Did you see the front cover of the book with her name on it? Yeah, that's a pretty big clue that she's the story's protagonist. Not only do we see most of the events from her perspective, but the whole story also revolves around her quest to be accepted as a page on her way to knighthood, even as she must hide a very basic fact of her identity (that she's a girl).

It helps that she's a really sympathetic character: she stands up to bullies rather than being one herself, and she's generally a nice person, leading to her making lots of friends. And who couldn't relate to secretly fearing judgment from your friends and acquaintances? Let's face it, we're all a little insecure sometimes. Alanna, fortunately for her, gets to save the life of her friend Prince Jonathan not once but twice, which is a nifty way of proving herself to the others—but also in her own eyes. Yay for having a competent and compassionate protagonist!