Protagonist

Character Role Analysis

Martin Arrowsmith

Love him or hate him, Martin is our main man. From the beginning, we watch him as he struggles to negotiate between his core values and the compromises he makes in order to live some semblance of a family-centric domestic life.

Along the way, he finds a mentor in Max Gottlieb and ends up turning away from the guy because Gottlieb's constant criticism is too much for his young pride. At the end of the day, Martin realizes that he must leave his family behind and live alone if he's ever going to be happy. But it's difficult to tell whether this makes him a hero or a coward. In Sinclair Lewis' mind, it might be possible to be both.