jocundasykes

—I’m going to be writing some posts on writing to help me consolidate what I’ve learnt. If anyone finds this useful, then power to you, and comment below! But if no one comments then don’t feel sorry for me.—

The main character is the point of view character, and are in all the scenes we read. They are often, but not always, the protagonist.

The protagonist ends the conflict at the climactic moment, answering the question posed at the inciting event. For example, this question may be ”What shifty stuff is Draco Malfoy up to?” Answer: ”trying to kill Dumbledore”. The protagonist is opposed by an antagonist or antagonistic force (such as bad weather). The protagonist is often, but not always, heroic. After all, ”We are all the heroes of our own lives.” In the same vein, the antagonist is not always a baddie. They’re just someone with opposing goals to the protagonist. In coming-of-age stories, the antagonist might be your mum, who opposes your goals, but isn’t a terrible person.

Sometimes stories are told through witnesses: a main character or a narrator. This technique can be useful for enhancing the mysteriousness or greatness of the protagonist. Sherlock’s genius would not be nearly so interesting told from his POV, nor would To Kill a Mockingbird be as good from an adult’s viewpoint. Shawshank Redemption wouldn’t have been as good if we knew how the white dude escaped, watched him make his tunnel with a toothpick or whatever, and we didn’t see Morgan Freeman get freed at the end.

Stories I can think of where POV character is not the protagonist:

A ?Dramione fic I read ages ago, told through the eyes of the passive narrator Crookshanks.
The books about Sherlock Holmes. The narrator is Dr Watson, who tells the story of the protagonist Sherlock. The stories are more interesting when we don't have the workings of Sherlock's brilliant mind fingertips. In the BBC’s Sherlock, Dr Watson is also a main character not just a narrator, since he goes along on the adventures, helps out, and is impacted by the plot.
Shawshank Redemption. Morgan Freeman is the main character, the white guy is the protagonist. He is the one that drives the plot forwards and ends the conflict by escaping jail.
Wuthering Heights is about Cathy and Heathcliff told from the point of view of servants. They are narrators rather than main characters.
Fight Club. An unnamed narrator working in an office tells the story of Tyler Durden/Brad Pitt, and Tyler is the protagonist because he drives the story forwards.
Peter Pan is from Wendy’s POV, and Peter is the protagonist. He drives the story forward and opposes the antagonist, Captain Hook.
To Kill a Mockingbird is told through the eyes of young Scout. The protagonist is her father, Atticus Finch, who is a lawyer. He ends the conflict when he tries and fails to successfully defend Tom Robinson who’s wrongly accused of rape.
Far From the Madding Crowd. Gabriel Oak (<3) is the main character but Bathsheba is the protagonist. She makes decisions, gets things done.
Arguably Mary Poppins isn't the protagonist of Mary Poppins because she just shows up and does her job. Mr Banks is the one who calls the shots, and no longer needs her when he learns he should appreciate his kids and loosen up.
Moby Dick. It's narrated by Ishmael but he doesn't really do much. The protagonist is Captain Ahab.