The protagonist narrator is the central character of the plot.
In order to know the meaning of the term protagonist narrator , it is necessary, first of all, that we discover the etymological origin of the two words that give it shape:
– Narrator , on the one hand, derives from Latin. Specifically, it emanates from narrator , which can be translated as "one who tells a story" and which is the result of the sum of these lexical components: the verb narrare , which is synonymous with "narrate" and "relate", and the suffix -dor , used to indicate the "agent."
– Protagonist , on the other hand, comes from Greek. Specifically, protagonistís , which is obtained from the union of these two components: the word protos , which means "the first", and the word agonistís , which is equivalent to "fighter" and "player".
Concept of protagonist narrator
Narrator is the one who is in charge of telling a story . This is the voice that refers to the actions that take place in a story. According to his characteristics, the narrator can be qualified in different ways.
The protagonist narrator is the one who, as his name indicates, stars in the events . This narrator is the central character of the plot , which can allude to true or fictional events.
The narratives of this class are developed in the first person. The main narrator presents the events according to his point of view or perspective, sharing his view through his sayings.
When a protagonist narrator is used, the story is told in the first person,
An example
Below is an example of a text with a protagonist narrator: «When I opened my eyes, I couldn't recognize where I was. My head hurt and I was a little confused, but it was clear to me that I was no longer in the hospital where I had spent my last three nights. Someone, for some reason, had moved me to a gloomy and dark house. "I soon realized that my life was in danger, so I began to plan my escape from that place."
As you can see, the one who narrates the story is the protagonist himself. The narrator, in this case, shares with the reader his confusion when he wakes up and cannot discover where he is. This protagonist narrator describes what he sees and tells his thoughts.
Advantages of appealing to the main narrator
Among the advantages that come with an author using the main narrator in his works are the following:
– Makes the reader empathize more with the protagonist.
– No less important is that it manages to give greater credibility to what the story itself is.
– Likewise, there is also the fact that it allows us to delve and define much better and in greater depth the personality of the central character.
– In the same way, you have to know that it allows you to play with the information that is given to the reader. Yes, because it gives the option to reserve some data that later, at the right moment, can become great surprises for that person.
These characteristics differentiate the protagonist narrator from other narrators, such as the witness narrator , who observes the events but does not intervene in them; or the omniscient narrator , who knows everything that happened, occurs and will happen in the story.