How often have you heard warnings against creating a protagonist who is the opposite of a mover and shaker, one who simply lets things happen to them? Or one who watches the other characters struggle without taking charge? A main character who is passive and without a compelling goal is supposed to be the death knell for a novel. However, in a tragedy, someone has to survive to relay the story. The passive observer may be the right person to do just that.

Melville wrote one of the most recognizable first lines of a novel, “Call me Ishmael.” But, the fame of his book, Moby Dick, does not mean this is an example of the iconic hook. It is an ordinary opening for an ordinary character named Ishmael. He is a observant person , who first describes the curious behavior of his South Sea islander roommate, Queequeg, and then life on a whaling ship until the obsessed Captain Ahab leaves his cabin to announce the hunt for the giant white whale. Ishmael excels at watching what occurs, so the story he observes is intriguing. Modern writers assume that a particularly devious villain will present a worthy challenge for the hero to combat. But, who exactly is the villain in Moby Dick? Is it the monstrous whale trying to save his own life ? Or, the obsessed captain Ahab who wants to destroy the creature that sent so many ships to their doom? That complex conflict between morally vague characters has kept readers persevering through that massive tome to reach the end.

Most people are aware of characters from Moby Dick without having ever read the book. However, they prefer a briefer novel. Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness is a well-known novella about a journey down the Congo River to bring back the renegade Kurtz, a villain who has built his own little empire among the natives, a man just as crazed as Captain Ahab. The book is not controversial because of its mostly passive main character, Marlowe. the steamer captain really does not do much more than observe. However, he details with with very sparse emotional input the Company’s cruelty to the natives. Why does he not react to this in outrage? He is an observer, a passive protagonist. Yet, this story is still widely read.

Nick Carraway, the point of view character in The Great Gatsby, is another example of the protagonist who is reluctant to act. He watches the world of the wealthy and bored weaving their intrigues around him in this novel of by F. Scott Fitzgerald. Nick finally gets involved in bringing Daisy and Jay Gatsby back together. However, the main character spends his time watching Gatsby, a man whom he somewhat admires, being sucked into a relationship with an unstable woman who cares more for wealth than love. Yet, Nick makes no protests.

All of these famous books bear the title of someone or something other than the main character. The protagonist’s job, for the most part, is to narrate the story in an impartial manner. Their keen observations help to develop the tragic character into a memorable one in the mind of the reader.