Antagonist

Character Role Analysis

Imperialism

As you've probably noticed, we have ourselves a complicated story on our hands. On the easiest level, we might see Hector as the direct antagonist to Achille, the best friend who will destroy our hero's peace of mind because he has it bad for Helen. Our perspective on Hector softens, though, as the narrative progresses because he not only repents, but then pays the ultimate price for his choices with his stint in hell. And with so many storylines in the mix, we're really looking for an antagonist who gets in everyone's way, not just Achille's.

So let's look at the bigger picture. As the narrator takes a trip through Europe and reads about Catherine Weldon's life—and as he reflects on the history of his people—he can't help but notice a trend: Everywhere he goes, there is always the ugliness of greed, enslavement, and displacement. Hmm… that seems pretty terrible. He makes the observation that even those who were once captives of imperialist forces (i.e., Britain when it was enslaved by Rome) often become captors themselves, perpetuating the cycle of violence and destruction through the centuries. Yikes.

And with that, Shmoopers, we have ourselves an antagonist: Please say hello to imperialism (or flip it the bird if you'd prefer—it's definitely earned it). At every turn in this book, imperialism rears its ugly head, destroying cultures, lives, connections, and more as we go along.