Protagonist

Character Role Analysis

The Correspondent

Our protagonist has got to be the correspondent. If he isn't the narrator himself, the narrator certainly has some sort of Being John Malkovich portal into his mind. Although we get a sense for how the other men are feeling, the correspondent's thoughts are the only ones we really get to read, so naturally, it's the correspondent we're rooting for most in the story. We stay up with him at night, feel his fear when he sees the shark, and wish we could comfort him ourselves. When the men fall out of the boat, we stick with him as he watches the other men around him, and when they finally make it to shore, it's through him that we experience their merciful return.