Reluctant Messiah

Is the protagonist of your story driven to do good? I look at Harry Potter to see how a current trend in fiction might benefit from a change in storytelling structure

One of my all time favorite genres to jump into is fantasy fiction. Be it books, movies, or the odd concept album by Canadian prog rock legends, fantasy fiction offers a unique take on the human psyche. The intricate nature of the mysticism, magic and fantastical creatures serves as a platform. A mirror by which the reader can immerse and attach themselves to characters in the narrative. The reader wants to know how they would react to any given situation or predicament. It is the authors portrayal of the human psyche which is brought to life in the mind of the reader. To put it another way, in the world of absolute craziness, how do the protagonists (and by virtue the reader) react to the larger than life situations.

This form of art offers the ultimate escapist fantasy. Another world ready for you to explore, not tied down by your real life anxieties, fears and emotional fluctuations. In order to do so, all stories will inevitably have a viewfinder. The viewfinder serves as a proxy for our own thoughts. The crucial plot points, the rules governing the world, and the nature of good and evil is often explained to this person, either at the start or throughout the narrative. In a lot of cases, this viewfinder is the protagonist. Often in the fish out of water situation, our protagonist has to learn about the various paradigms surrounding this world, before they can be tasked with saving it. It is a useful story telling tool, since it allows the reader to understand and experience this new world, while associating themselves as the hero of the narrative.

Which brings us to a slightly overused trope of fantasy fiction. By using the protagonist as a viewfinder, we risk making the reader an inactive participant. The protagonist will always be present in crucial situations, and hence, so will the reader. But depending on the protagonists choices, they might be in a situation through their own actions, or they might be in that situation because of someone else’s actions. The latter usually arises when the character is stamped with a predestined fate or prophecy. A prophecy can read as a small summary of what the reader should expect from the epic story. The protagonist just happens to be the person this story is happening to, thereby rendering this person inactive. Because of which, the reader is also left inactive. By not actively engaging the reader, the story is not completely challenging all aspects of the narrative payoff. And by trying to study a protagonist, we can learn whether or not they are an active participant. This can provide us with a clearer of understanding of what differentiates an active lead from a passive one.

For now, let’s pick the easiest case study and most popular protagonist in recent history..

Harry Potter

Too long, don’t want to read version: Don’t be a Potter, Be a Granger.

Totally original drawing from the First Publication

J.K Rowling cast a spell in the late nighties with her beautifully constructed story about the boy who lived. It is a wonderful tale about good, evil, the nature of sacrifice, and the power of love. Harry Potter is our viewfinder and protagonist throughout the story. Through his eyes (He has his mother’s eyes) we learn about this hidden world of magic and wonder. And through his story, we learn about sacrifice, honour and commitment as Harry journeys to fulfill his destiny.

However, at a closer glance, a case could be made that Harry Potter is a passive participant in this narrative. While his individual actions may be active or passive, the overall sum is a character who has things happen to him, rather than a person who takes control of the narrative. In the earlier part of the series, this is expected. He is still new to the world of magic, and has a ridiculous amount of expectation thrown his way, via the tag ‘The Boy who Lived’.

However, once his story progresses, you don’t really see this character take any action to effect his own arc and narrative. His name is entered illegally in a tournament, and he chooses to go along with it when he can just as easily say no and enjoy the tournament as a spectator like everyone else. He would miss out on a few life lessons here and there, but it would be his choice, one that puts him firmly in control of his narrative. He is asked to train a bunch of his peers, but he never shows an active participation in making that decision. He is a good teacher, but he is a reluctant teacher. A year after that, he just goes along with Dumbledore’s training, rather than actively seeking the reason for these lessons. It’s only in the final book do you really see him try to actively combat the situation he is in. But by then, it is evident that he is not fully equipped to handle the gravity of the situation. His lack of action in all the preceding books has now rendered him slightly incapable. He has no strategy or plan to go on, as he never needed one before. Since we are firmly in the mindset of the protagonist by this point, we even see Ron Weasley’s criticism of Harry through Harry’s eyes (Those beautiful green eyes). And to some extent, it falls flat, because Ron’s frustration by the lack of direction is seen as hurtful and arrogant. In any narrative, the soldier will always be frustrated by the lack of direction from the general. However, in this situation, Ron is at fault, since he should be patient. And even he is absolved of this fault, since it’s actually dark magic playing on their minds.

Did you exchange?

There are situations where Harry actively takes charge of the narrative, thereby controlling his fate and destiny. None more poetic than his final sacrifice, given without a second thought, as it will serve the greater good. And for his part Harry’s choices have always boiled down to whether or not the situation effects him, or someone else. Most of his active decisions are always for the well being or benefit of others. He is the ultimate altruist. Its a great way to see a character grow. A child born of hardships, manages to stay polite and humble despite the craze surrounding his existence, and always places the happiness of others before his own. Its a good lesson to teach children everyone. But it also disables the main character to a large extent by not balancing these selfless actions with some selfish (story propelling) actions.

A Walk on Part in the War

Harry, at the end of the day, is the main character of an fantastical epic. He should stand on that merit alone. The actions that surround him, are inevitable. Either he will act to move the story forward, or an act will happen to him to move the story forward. Only his virtues control the outcome of these acts. The challenge is that most of us will never actually find ourselves in these situations. Most of us weren’t raised in horrid conditions, most of us aren’t destined to defeat the darklord. Most of us will never have actions happen to us, that will propel our story forward. And there in lies the challenge of having a character like Harry, or any other lead, in a fantasy role. A character destined to defeat the ultimate evil might not actually take steps towards achieving that goal. By assigning a foretelling to your story, the author has in effect handicapped the protagonist. Their choices will never matter, because to a large extent the outcome has already been decided.

And as a reader, when we attached ourselves to the viewfinder-protagonist hybrid, we too, look at the world with a sense of destined outcome. This can cause the reader to not be completely invested in the moment, since they are certain of the outcome (Akin to reading the last page of a book, after reading just a few chapters). Which could eventually lead to the reader becoming a passive consumer of the art.

For a lead role in a Cage?

Most of real life is governed by actions taken by individuals to move their own story arcs forward. If you do nothing, nothing will happen, nothing will change. Life only moves forward when you make something happen for yourself. If you plan your actions well enough, the result is expected. If you act on impulse, the result is unexpected. In either case, there is a shift in status quo. We must be willing to challenge this status quo everyday. Waiting in real life serves no purposes, simply through our inaction. Even if such a day should come, our habit of inaction will render us incapable of actually performing under pressure. In fact, we will be utterly lost unless we have a host of skilled and practiced individuals, helping us fight our battles. Similar to real life, the reactions of a protagonist in a story must be grounded in these consequences. However, when fantasy fiction provides us with an inactive protagonist, it moves away from the every man. It creates a waiting game, more similar to a Cinderella story. Waiting for the day when we will be forced into action, hence restoring balance to the natural order of things.

And that is the paradox that comes from creating a character that is both a viewfinder and a lead who is the foretold messiah. Their inevitability in the story might eventually mean that they are unprepared for the story. Which makes their eventual victory not a powerful completion, but rather seem like a cheap win.

A viewfinder should be our fish out of water, but in certain cases should not be the main lead of the story. They should exist to serve as a conduit to the overall narrative, a reference point for the lessons we learn. If the protagonist is self sacrificing, the viewfinder should learn this trait after multiple interactions with the protagonist. It sets up a better payoff, as the viewfinder has learned an important lesson, but has been given the space to follow through on that lesson.

As for the protagonist, if they are predestined to defeat the forces of evil, their story should be dissociated from the readers view. In part, so that their choices in the narrative, can be seen with a better appreciation of the circumstances. If the lead is an altruist, it should be shown in context with the overall story. This way, the reader can stay connected to the story without sharing a sense of restlessness from inactivity.

In our search for an ideal viewfinder, in the world of Harry Potter, no better argument can be made, than for

Granger Danger

Hermione Granger, the always battle ready, hyper planned queen of Hogwarts. Hermione serves as a perfect example of the narrative potential of a viewfinder. One who is not burdened by the weight of destiny. And one who chooses through her actions every step of the way. Most of Miss Granger’s choices are based in her characteristics and traits. She wants to learn, so she immerses herself in books and her training. She wants to promote equality for all, so she stands up to bullies and tries to fight for equal rights for house elves. She wants good to prevail, so she chooses to help Harry from the first book itself, providing wonderful insights and knowledge along the way. She is by all accounts, the most driven character in the series.

She is also an excellent example of how a narrative could provide a better payoff, by using her as the readers viewfinder. The story remains exactly the same, but we are introduced to it, and experience it, from Hermione’s point of view. She fits the fish out of water trope, as her parents are non magical beings. If we start looking at the story through her eyes, there is much more emotional depth to be earned. She meets a boy, born in hardship, destined to overthrow evil. Yet he is humble, quiet and self sacrificing. She admires these qualities, learns to do the same as the story progresses. She meets his friend, a boy raised by the wizarding world, with enough ancestry that it could eventually turn into arrogance. Yet, this boy is buoyant, brash but self-deprecating, and wears his heart on his sleeve. From her point of view, we can easily mine the same emotional depth from the story. And by using her as a viewfinder, the reader can feel like a much more active participant in the story, since they will be following the arc of a character who is driven, constantly making choices and taking action.

Changing the Structure

Harry Potter makes for a good example for now because of its massive reach. It is still one of the best fantasy art pieces of the last 20 years. But given its success, it has also spawned the resurgence of young adult fantasy fiction in literature, and epic fiction in media. Look to the last few years, and the crazy success of Game of Thrones, Marvel films, and whole young adult genre owes parts of its success to Harry Potter. And the inspiration from these tent-poles has lead to the creation of even lesser quality works of fiction.

A narrative payoff cannot be hijacked for wholesale. If your characters’ choices are inevitable, you have to find another way to keep them involved in the story. J.K. Rowling navigated this tight rope excellently. We are still compelled by Harry’s story. Harry might be inactive, but the reader is constantly engaged. However, lesser imitations have often failed to capture the same sense of engagement i.e. they end up ‘losing the plot’. Harry Potter has changed the landscape of fiction through its various media products. But we as a generation have still not tapped into the important storytelling ideas and techniques this story has to offer. We should try to learn what makes the story so compelling, and see how those themes can be utilized in our narratives. The quicker we learn and take action, the quicker we will create a generation of characters that embrace and exemplify those ideals.