Thoughts on the Protagonist

Those of you who know me may know that I am an amateur writer.  As I have been working on my latest bit of original fiction I have been thinking about the subject of character.  More specifically, I have been thinking about the protagonist.

In every storytelling medium we have a protagonist (or group of protagonists).  Sometimes called "the hero" (though that can be a bit of a misnomer), the protagonist is the person or group that the story is about.

Now, you may be saying, "Derrick, I know what a protagonist is, why are you taking all this time to tell me what I already know?"  The answer to that is, quite simply, everyone knows what a protagonist is, and in most cases can pick them out of a line-up; however, many people would find it difficult to identify the things that make a good protagonist.

So what makes a good protagonist?  Some would say that it is their good looks, special skills, and shining virtue that set the protagonist apart from the rest of society.  While this may be true in many cases, it is not always the case.  One of my favorite examples is the titular character from The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant by Stephen R. Donaldson.  Thomas Covenant is an antisocial, morally ambiguous leper.  That means that protagonists fall everywhere from the classic "knight in shining armor" to anti-heroes like Thomas Covenant.

Alright, if personality is not the key to a protagonist then maybe it isn't so much who they are but what they do.  The protagonist is the one that saves the day, topples the evil empire, finds true love, and lives happily ever after, right?  Well, consider for a moment the protagonist from 1984 by George Orwell.  He got arrested and brainwashed by the evil empire.  So, the protagonist doesn't always win out in the end.

But I can hear you now, "They can be anyone and do anything.  Thanks for clearing that up, Derrick."   Well, the point I was making is that it doesn't matter who they are or what they get accomplished.  What does matter, and what makes a good protagonist, is who they have the potential to become.  A great example of this concept is Shrek.  Shrek is an Ogre, with all the unloveable traits that one would expect.  Shrek is quite happy being the way he is, but he has the potential to become so much more.  As the movie goes on, Shrek is pulled from his comfortable swamp and is forced to live up to his potential.

I have just hit on a key point: character growth.  Character growth is very important for a protagonist.  A villain doesn't need character growth; we will happily hate them for who they are and what they do.  However, if a protagonist is already the perfect hero, then why do we care that they save the day; it was a forgone conclusion.  We need to see the struggle to overcome obstacles and, more importantly, the changes that these trials cause in the main character.  Character growth is what will keep someone reading/watching; we want to see the farm boy become the hero that we all know he can be.

But why does all of this make a good protagonist?  A good protagonist is someone that the audience can relate to.  Someone that they can care about and cheer on.  If everything comes to easily and there is no potential or character growth, then how will they identify with that character?  Give them flaws to overcome and challenges to meet and the audience will find something to care about.  The audience wants to care and a good protagonist gives them ample reason to do so.

Anyways, there's my two cents on the subject.  I would like to give everyone else a chance to voice their opinions and also share their favorites from print, stage or screen.

image courtesy of  yosoyjulito.