Antagonist

Character Role Analysis

The Sharks

Ha! You thought we were going with the fish, didn’t you? Not so fast. We might try that one, too, but the sharks are more antagonizing than the marlin. We don’t hate the marlin; we hate the sharks. They are simply greedy creatures that take what the old man has fought for, and also seem to disrespect the marlin.

The Marlin

Let’s say the marlin is the antagonist. This makes sense – the old man does battle with the antagonist, and only one of them can win. But this raises an interesting question: can you have an antagonist that you kind of like? That you respect and feel sorry for? That is also your brother and friend?