A Special Protagonist 

Question: Why does your protagonist need to be special? Answer: Because that’s what your reader needs.

 Identifying with the struggles of a sympathetic protagonist’ is a prime part of the reading experience. Why do little girls love the story of Cinderella? Why have versions of that story about a vulnerable girl’s triumph been around since ancient Egypt and maybe before? Overcoming adversity is what a lot of life is about. Stories tell us how others do it and teach us how we may emulate their success. The stories which do that best are the ones readers keep going back to.

Cinderella overcame her evil stepmother and cruel stepsisters with a special skill. She caught the interest of a fairy godmother who bestowed glass slippers and a coach drawn by white horses. She was just plain lucky, favored by the gods if you will. Likewise, Spiderman’s special skill is gifted by the bite of an insect. 

Other protagonists already have a special skill, but they have to discover it. They start out as beleaguered weaklings. Then they discover the truth about themselves. They may have flaws, but they’re special—special enough to overcome a host of trials and tribulations. What an exhilarating moment t hat is for the protagonist moment that is for the reader. By “readers” I mean the rest of us. Don’t we all want to be special? Don’t we all want the power to deal with this puzzling and sometimes threatening world in chich we find outselves?

An interesting example is David, the lead character in the fascinating FX series Legion. In the first episode (the only one I’ve seen so far) David is in a mental institution. He’s convinced he’s insane. Then he discovers the truth. He’s not crazy. The phantasmagocial world he lives in is real. He’s being kept in a government institution because he has unusual powers that make him dangerous.