What makes Zachariah Martin a likeable protagonist?

Use this forum to discuss the November 2019 Book of the month, "Deadly Waters: The Vietnam Naval War And Its Aftermath", by Randy Miller.
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Ferdinand_Otieno
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What makes Zachariah Martin a likeable protagonist?

Post by Ferdinand_Otieno »

Zachariah Martin was an likeable character who left his home and enlisted as aBlue Water Navy sailor. He makes friends during the war and survives it only to return home changed by his experiences. He tackles his new life back with his love Tally Goodwin. He stands up against the Department of Veterans Affairs who are denying veterans their pensions. The character showed bravery, determination, and friendship throughout the story, which I found endeared him to me.
What act(s) of the protagonist made him likeable to you?
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Post by DC Brown »

Ferdinand_otieno wrote: 01 Nov 2019, 04:10 Zachariah Martin was a likable character who left his home and enlisted as a Blue Water Navy sailor. He makes friends during the war and survives it only to return home changed by his experiences. He tackles his new life back with his love Tally Goodwin. He stands up against the Department of Veterans Affairs who are denying veterans their pensions. The character showed bravery, determination, and friendship throughout the story, which I found endeared him to me.
What act(s) of the protagonist made him likable to you?
His faithfulness to his girlfriend endeared me to him. And look at all the trouble he missed!!!
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Post by djr6090 »

I like watching him mature. He starts out kind of timid and naive, and ends up being the mouse who roared. He was definitely a memorably character.
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Post by Brenda Creech »

I immediately liked Martin. I think it was because he is so 'down-to-earth. He just seemed kind to everyone and he was willing to work hard, learn, and succeed.
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Post by ohlendorfbe »

I think Zach Martin was one of my favorite characters of all time. His earnestness for his work, his family and his love, Tally, made him really stand out among the other sailors. The fact that he stayed true to Tally until they finally married makes him a special person in my sight. His doggedness in first of all learning his jobs, but also later in fighting the establishment, shows his true mettle.
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Post by Jeremie Mondejar »

I appreciate his loyalty overseas to Tally everytime their team have a 'R and R' in the PI. He remains faithful despite of the constant flirting of the girls in Olongapo.
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Post by Laura Ungureanu »

I admired his honesty to others and himself. He felt real, so I could easily relate to him immediately.
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Post by Aditi Sapate »

He really was an admirable character. I really like to read stories where we get to see the growth of the character through the book. It helps us learn a lot.
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Post by cpru68 »

Zach’s most admirable quality to me was he served no matter what got thrown at him. His job was heavy mentally and physically onboard, but he did everything as instructed. His faithfulness to his girlfriend back home was quite impressive too.
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Post by Liana Mayhew »

I found Zachariah highly endearing. I loved his determination and bravery and his love of his girlfriend was lovely. I would love to meet someone like him!
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Post by SHALLU RAWAL »

He is young but, his qualities makes him much mature than others. He is determined, friendly, hardworking, kind, honest and brave. These quality makes him great in my eyes.
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Post by Herbstlicht »

It's admirable that his moral integrity didn't change in times of war. He stayed true to his calling and to his love overseas. A lovely character really.
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Post by Julehart1 »

I admired Zachariah’s loyalty, honesty, and bravery. I thought that he was a very likeable protagonist that people can really root for.
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Post by Julie Petitbon »

I think his loyalty, honesty, and sincerity stood out most to me. He has so many good qualities! He's brave and hardworking. I think the qualities as a whole make him an admirable character.
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Post by La Cabra »

From what I've read of the sample of the book, I found Zach instantly likable. He's introduced as a sort of clueless seventeen-year-old trying to do his best in the big complex adult world around him. There's still a teenager in every adult, not many people can say they feel at the top of things even years after their teenage, and I think that aspect of Zach reaches out to the reader early on.
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