Protagonist

Character Role Analysis

Gary Paulsen

A quick note about character roles: My Life in Dog Years is a nonfiction book with an unusual structure. Each of its nine chapters is a portrait of a dog that has been important in author Gary Paulsen's life. Since the stars of his story are all canine companions…we could have just listed nine companions. (But where's the fun in that? After all, this isn't Doctor Who.) Paulsen would probably say he's got nine protagonists. Instead, we chose examples to show you how this book both follows, and departs from, the usual cast of characters you find in great literature.

Paulsen focuses on his dogs, not himself, but he's the one writing, as well as the thread that connects the nine dogs' stories. The book follows his life from ages 7 to 59. So yeah, he's our main guy, even if he's not 100 percent in the spotlight.