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Do you think Hiram is the protagonist or the antagonist of the novel? If he's the protagonist, who do you think is the antagonist? Is he his own villain?

I think he is both. He is the protagonist in helping his family, and keeping his name. He's the antagonist with Jeremy and the rest of the world when he goes on the run. He's complicated.

I personally think he might have a chance of being both because, he can be a protagonist with his peers, and saving his name, but he can also be a antagonist with Jeremy and the whole world around him, when he runs. He can be many things!

The character that is striving after his goal throughout this book is certainly Hiram - often at the expense of everything else. He continues this, even after he runs, in that he wants to write a memoir telling people his version of what really happened. So that definitely makes him the protagonist of this story. The antagonists would be those who are getting in the way of him achieving his goals. I think these would mainly be Michael and Paige. It must be said, the lines demarcating antagonist and protagonist in this book are blurred - that's what makes this such an engaging read.

Considering the protagonist of a novel has no real relation to alignment (good or evil), Hiram is the protagonist by (literary) definition because he is the major character and drives the story forward. If a story is told from the viewpoint of The Joker, Batman becomes the antagonist because he is against the main character.

I think a better word would maybe be hero (or anti-hero) or villain because it relies on the characterization rather than the main character.

I'll say Hiram is a complex character, the author did a very good job with him. He's both the protagonist and the antagonist of the story and he fits into both perfectly.

I think that Hiram is both protagonist and antagonist. He cares for his relatives, although he shows his attitude towards them is very complicated. He is ready to break the law to protect them. On the other hand, he is very selfish and is ready to gain success at all costs. He does not care for the other people's feelings.

I think you can make an argument that he is both a protagonist and an antagonist of the story. He is a very multi-faceted and complex character. There are different sides to him.

sonya01 wrote: ↑19 Oct 2018, 09:07 It must be said, the lines demarcating antagonist and protagonist in this book are blurred - that's what makes this such an engaging read.

I agree. It also makes the characters realistic.

Vscholz wrote: ↑21 Oct 2018, 00:08 Considering the protagonist of a novel has no real relation to alignment (good or evil), Hiram is the protagonist by (literary) definition because he is the major character and drives the story forward. If a story is told from the viewpoint of The Joker, Batman becomes the antagonist because he is against the main character.

I think a better word would maybe be hero (or anti-hero) or villain because it relies on the characterization rather than the main character.

That's interesting. I can see your point.

Hiram is the protagonist; he is the focal character. Too bad he had many bad sides, but I'm glad he did a selfless service at the end of the story.

I agree with most that he's both. I find his character as irritating but at the same time fascinating. So far, I'm wondering if there's a book for Sophie and Charles.

This question is difficult to answer. At first he was the antagonist. He put every foot wrong and even provoke the reader to hate him. But as time progresses, the reader begins to develop a sense of pity towards his character. In this sense, I don't it's fair to classify him into either category.

This story is about Hiram. Most of the story revolves around him. There is no other strong character as such. Hiram can be considered both protagonist and antagonist due to the different aspects of his life.

Hiram McDowell would fit both Protagonist and Antagonist.