Protagonist

Character Role Analysis

Emma

The fact that our novel is named after Emma doesn’t give us too many choices here. Sure, Emma’s the obvious protagonist. But she’s also obviously flawed. This is where the fun starts. She’s got too much going for her, for one thing. She’s pretty, respected, and as powerful as a young woman could ever hope to be. If this novel is supposed to be a bildungsromän (that’s a fancy German term for a novel that traces the growth of a young hero), we’ve got a few problems. Where can she go from here?