Is Grant a good protagonist

Use this forum to discuss the July 2020 Book of the month, "Zona: The Forbidden Land" by Fred G. Baker.
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gatuguta2030
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Re: Is Grant a good protagonist

Post by gatuguta2030 »

Leen282 wrote: 01 Jul 2020, 13:17 I think he's a good protagonist. He's human, with good sides and flaws like any person.
I agree with you.
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Surabhi Rani
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Post by Surabhi Rani »

Grant Taylor's choice in life to continue the expedition to the forbidden land Zona that was once commenced by his uncle Randell in the story, makes him an admirable character for readers!
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Post by timd »

In many, what are considered to be modern viewpoints, good protagonists have weaknesses and particular strengths. Often the plot revolves around them facing these weaknesses or vulnerabilities and overcoming them. This is not a modern viewpoint, however, and it is common in all good literature from before the bible even. For that matter, Christ being tempted alone in the desert is a good example of this, although some people would not consider this as literature but rather as truth.
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Post by Andra2005 »

I think he is a pretty good protagonist, because he is human, he has defects but also qualities.
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Post by Kreads1 »

I do believe Grant was a good protagonist. His qualities align with human nature. He is not “perfect”, and those imperfections, in my opinion, made his struggles relatable. I think if he were to always make the “right” choices his character would be dull. As a reader, knowing that he was making a mistake long before he knew it himself added some suspense.
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Post by moowshiri »

Leen282 wrote:
> I think he's a good protagonist. He's human, with good sides and flaws like
> any person.
I second your thoughts fully. Grant is a good protagonist, but he has a few shortcomings, a factor that is allowed since there's no perfection in the human race.
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Post by Amy Murdoch Coleman »

Dreamer80 wrote:
> He was actually a very good protagonist. I like character with grey areas
> and realistic nature. His flaws are what made him much more likeable to me
> in general.

I totally agree. Characters, whether they are heroes or villains, become montoned and boring if they don't have realistic flaws.
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Post by rahilshajahan »

Anna Dougherty wrote:
> I think that the protagonist of the story does not have to be an
> exceptionally good person to be the main character in a book. I believe
> that his character flaws are important to the plot.

I thought the same thing. If the story had to move with some intrigue, Grant should be a careless and faulty character. He fails to finish reading a letter from Randall himself right in the beginning, loses the documents to some maid and has intercourse with any female who bats him an eyelash of interest.

Is Grant a good protagonist? Hell no! The only thing I liked about him was his god-given ability to sense danger before-hand.
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Post by Nelson Reviews »

Personally, the protagonist is overwhelming. The other really portrayed a Human character.
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Post by Haywhyre7 »

I think he's a good protagonist...i feel the character flaws make him more realistic and human. He doesn't have to be perfect to be a good protagonist
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Post by Stephanie Keener »

I think Grant is a good protagonist. He may come across in the beginning as aloof, unorganized, and forgetful because he misses appointments and dates. However, when considering the situation that he has been placed in, he’s actually acting quite normal and human. He is in a foreign country, and his uncle has been declared dead, having never returned from his latest scientific expedition. Grant is there to work through his uncle’s apartment and the estate, while still going through a grieving process. Then, mysterious things start to happen, and he starts suspecting that something is awry. I think it is refreshing that Grant is so relatable. His character is flawed but that’s acceptable and makes for a better connection to the reader. After all, who wants a perfect protagonist? We all want someone in which we can associate, someone who has strengths and weaknesses.
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Post by kathy2705 »

I think he impersonates the qualities of being a protagonist well. A protagonist does not necessarily have to meet our expectations, the important thing is that they drive the story through their flaws and strengths.
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Post by rahilshajahan »

SwissKeener wrote:
> I think Grant is a good protagonist. He may come across in the beginning as
> aloof, unorganized, and forgetful because he misses appointments and dates.
> However, when considering the situation that he has been placed in, he’s
> actually acting quite normal and human. He is in a foreign country, and his
> uncle has been declared dead, having never returned from his latest
> scientific expedition. Grant is there to work through his uncle’s apartment
> and the estate, while still going through a grieving process. Then,
> mysterious things start to happen, and he starts suspecting that something
> is awry. I think it is refreshing that Grant is so relatable. His character
> is flawed but that’s acceptable and makes for a better connection to the
> reader. After all, who wants a perfect protagonist? We all want someone in
> which we can associate, someone who has strengths and weaknesses.

I get that. But why didn't he read the letter from Randall if he 'so' worried about him? Atleast, skim read. That is common sense. Instead of just being careful and vigilant of the people, first, digest all the information you have.
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Post by Kenesha Latoya Fowler »

I guess it depends on what you mean by a "good" protagonist. While he remained central in the story, I didn't see much in terms of growth. I was okay with him in the beginning, but by the end of the book, I didn't like him at all. And although I wouldn't go so far as to say that he was too flawed, his poor actions definitely didn't endear him to me.
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Post by Book Reader18 »

I think that as the reader it was frustrating seeing Grant make bad decisions and not put pieces together that seemed obvious. Though after losing an uncle and being thrown into this new atmosphere he knew nothing of, I can't say it's unreasonable that he would react in the way he does. So though I believe his actions were accurate to what a person might think/do in his place, I think he is a weak protagonist overall.
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