Ralph Ellison
Brother Jack
To use the narrator for political gain
Power vs Equality
Calculating manipulative one-eyed
Remains a leader in the Brotherhood
Ralph Ellison
Ras the Destroyer
To achieve black nationalist liberation through violence
Justice vs Vengeance
Fierce charismatic volatile
Disappears into the Harlem riot
Kingsley Amis
Jim Dixon
To keep his job while being true to himself
Hypocrisy vs Sincerity
Sarcastic bored rebellious
Leaves the university for a better job
Kingsley Amis
Margaret Peel
To control Jim through guilt
Vulnerability vs Manipulation
Manipulative neurotically clingy
Exposed as a fraud
J.R.R. Tolkien
Frodo Baggins
To destroy the One Ring
The Ring's temptation vs Duty
Resilient selfless burdened
Departs for the Undying Lands
J.R.R. Tolkien
Samwise Gamgee
To protect and serve Frodo
Fear vs Devotion
Loyal courageous humble
Returns to the Shire as Mayor
J.R.R. Tolkien
Gandalf
To guide Middle-earth against Sauron
Power vs Mercy
Wise powerful mysterious
Departs for the Undying Lands
J.R.R. Tolkien
Aragorn
To reclaim the throne of Gondor
Doubt of his lineage vs Responsibility
Noble weary kingly
Crowned King Elessar
J.R.R. Tolkien
Gollum
To reclaim his 'Precious'
Smeagol vs Gollum
Obsessive fractured pathetic
Falls into the fires of Mount Doom
Chinua Achebe
Okonkwo
To be a strong man and avoid his father's fate
Fear of weakness vs Tribal pride
Proud hardworking violent
Commits suicide
Chinua Achebe
Nwoye
To find peace away from his father's violence
Family loyalty vs New faith
Sensitive questioning gentle
Converts to Christianity
Harper Lee
Scout Finch
To understand the world and her neighbors
Childhood curiosity vs Adult prejudice
Curious tomboyish intelligent
Gains a mature understanding of empathy
Harper Lee
Atticus Finch
To uphold justice and set an example
Professional duty vs Family safety
Moral calm courageous
Lives as a respected but tired lawyer
Harper Lee
Boo Radley
To protect the Finch children
Fear of the outside vs Love for the children
Shy benevolent misunderstood
Saves the children and returns to seclusion
Harper Lee
Tom Robinson
To survive a false accusation
None
Kind hardworking honest
Shot while trying to escape prison
Joseph Heller
Yossarian
To live forever or die trying
Sanity vs The insanity of war
Cynical paranoid logical
Deserts and flees to Sweden
Joseph Heller
Milo Minderbinder
To profit from the war
None
Greedy entrepreneurial amoral
Becomes incredibly wealthy
Doris Lessing
Anna Wulf
To integrate the fragmented parts of her life
Writer's block vs Political activism
Intellectual creative anxious
Finds a tenuous sense of wholeness
William Golding
Dean Jocelin
To build a 400-foot spire for God's glory
Vision vs Madness
Obsessive visionary delusional
Dies after the spire is completed
Douglas Adams
Arthur Dent
To find a decent cup of tea and survive
Sanity vs Cosmic absurdity
Baffled ordinary resilient
Travels the galaxy
Evelyn Waugh
Margot Beste-Chetwynde
To maintain her lifestyle and illicit business
None
Beautiful wealthy criminal
Marries a politician and stays wealthy
Evelyn Waugh
Captain Grimes
To stay 'in the soup' and avoid responsibility
None
One-legged jovial disreputable
Fakes his own death again
William Faulkner
Caddy Compson
To find love and escape her family
Desire for freedom vs Family name
Promiscuous spirited tragic
Exiled and lost to the family
William Faulkner
Dilsey Gibson
To keep the Compson family together
None
Resilient pious patient
Outlives the Compson decline
Evelyn Waugh
Adam Fenwick-Symes
To make enough money to marry Nina
Love vs Poverty
Harried desperate witty
Lost on a battlefield
Novel Overview
1984
The Protagonist & Motive: The story follows Winston Smith, a low-ranking member of the Outer Party who dreams of rebellion. His motivation is purely intellectual and nostalgic—he wants to remember a time before "Big Brother."The Antagonists: O'Brien serves as the terrifying primary antagonist. He is an Inner Party member who masquerades as a co-conspirator to trap Winston, eventually leading his systematic physical and psychological destruction. Big Brother himself is the ultimate symbolic antagonist, representing the faceless, eternal nature of the Party.Supporting Foils: Julia provides a vital foil to Winston; while Winston rebels for "truth" and "history," Julia rebels for "pleasure" and "the present." Their doomed romance is the catalyst for Winston's brief hope and ultimate despair. Together, these characters illustrate the total erasure of the individual within a perfect surveillance state.
The Great Gatsby
The Protagonist & Motive: The narrative centers on Jay Gatsby, a self-made millionaire whose entire existence is a performance designed to lure back Daisy Buchanan. His arc represents the tragic intersection of romantic obsession and the corruption of the American Dream.The Antagonists: Tom Buchanan serves as the primary foil, representing the brutal, "careless" nature of established old money. Unlike Gatsby’s flashy, hopeful wealth, Tom’s power is inherited and exclusionary. Daisy herself functions as a passive antagonist; though loved by Gatsby, her ultimate allegiance to safety and status makes her the catalyst for his downfall.Supporting Foils: Nick Carraway provides the moral lens through which we view the cast, struggling with his attraction to the East’s glamour and his disgust for its lack of heart. Jordan Baker embodies the era's cynical detachment, serving as a warning of what happens when one values style over substance. Together, these characters form a web of desire and deceit that inevitably collapses under the weight of Gatsby’s impossible illusions.