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Who Is The Protagonist? 43103 Views

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Description:

Picking out the protagonist isn't always as easy as recognizing that the thing flying in the sky with a big "S" on its chest isn't actually a bird or a plane. Want tips for spotting a protagonist in the wild? If so, this video's for you.

Language:

English Language

Subjects:

Writing / Literary Devices

Common Core Standards:

Transcript

00:04
Who is the Protagonist? a la Shmoop. Books are populated with millions of different
00:09
characters, from kind-hearted recluses to monsters stitched together from dead body
00:14
parts.
00:16
Chances are, if you can imagine him or her, that character exists somewhere out there
00:20
in the literary-verse.

00:22
Despite their diversity, most of these characters can be filtered into a variety of tried-and-true
00:27
roles.
00:28
The most popular role, by far, is the protagonist... although the antagonist might have something
00:33
to say about that…
00:35
So, how do you identify the protagonist of a novel?
00:40
Picking the protagonist out of a lineup isn’t as easy as identifying the heroic-looking
00:44
guy in shining armor with a singing sword.
00:47
Depending on the novel’s P-O-V, that guy could be the villain.
00:52
The protagonist is the guy… or gal… that you root for to triumph in the novel’s main
00:57
conflict.
00:57
They’re basically your favorite person on your favorite sports team…
01:01
Until they get traded to the rival team, then they become the antagonist.
01:06
Many times the protagonist’s name is in the title. Jane Eyre. Huck Finn. Gilgamesh.
01:12
The Time Traveler’s Wife… whatever her name is.
01:17
But not Moby Dick. Or the Mockingbird from To Kill a Mockingbird. Although we’re sure
01:22
if the mockingbird had a story, it would be riveting.
01:29
More often than not, if a book is told from the first-person perspective, the protagonist
01:33
is the narrator of the story.
01:36
Bella Swan… protagonist. Katniss Everdeen… protagonist.
01:40
However, just because Nick Carroway is the narrator of The Great Gatsby, it doesn’t
01:44
make him the protagonist. Whose name is on the cover of that book?
01:48
Now, just because a character is the protagonist doesn’t necessarily make them the hero of
01:53
the story, or even all that heroic. We’re looking at you, Bella…
01:59
A protagonist can also be an anti-hero. They’re not performing wild feats of derring-do, but
02:05
you’re still rooting for them.
02:06
Here are a few confessions: We kind of love to hate Scarlett O’Hara. Holden Caulfield
02:13
isn’t exactly a role model you’d bring home to dinner.
02:18
And we admit to adoring the most anti- of all anti-heroes… Satan in Paradise Lost.
02:24
So, when you’re trying to pick out the protagonist, remember these things…
02:27
The protagonist is most often the character you’re rooting for.
02:31
They’re usually the narrator or focal point of the story.
02:35
However, just because they’re the protagonist doesn’t mean they’re a saint.
02:39
Protagonists can have complex personalities and faults. Protagonists are people, too!
Full Transcript