Protagonist

Character Role Analysis

Phil Connors

Phil Connors is the protagonist of this story because he's the guy we want to see succeed. And when we say succeed, we mean that we want the guy to stop being such a jerk and to become a better person.

He's also the guy who's most affected by the main conflict of the story: the fact that he's stuck reliving the same day over and over for years. The story of Groundhog Day is really the story of Phil's moral and spiritual transformation, and everything ends happily when he finally escapes Groundhog Day and gets to be with the woman he loves—Rita.