Automoderated users, Autopatrolled users, Bureaucrats, Comment administrators, Confirmed users, Moderators, Rollbackers, Administrators
215,624
edits
m (Mass update links) |
No edit summary |
||
(6 intermediate revisions by 4 users not shown) | |||
Line 1:
{{trope}}
Some written works feature a consistent [[Point of View]]: namely, through the eyes of [[The Protagonist]]. Other works throw in [[Deuteragonist|additional protagonists]] and [[Switching POV|pass the POV around]] to present each of their respective views on the transpiring events. Sometimes, however, a single main character (usually the one with the most ambiguous/mysterious motivation) is conspicuously ''denied'' POV and their impact upon the plot is only ever seen through the eyes of co-protagonists. This character is the
The main purpose of the trope is to create dramatic tension. When a the story is told from the perspective of a character, readers become very familiar with him or her, and can make some predictions as to their feelings and reactions. When a the story does not give the perspective of a character, readers are left peering in, wondering just what is going through that person's head. That can be quite a tense experience if said character is [[The Chosen One]], the [[Big Bad]], or even just a [[Supporting Leader]] who will nonetheless be making decisions that the narrator characters have to live with.
Due to the nature of the medium, this is primarily a [[Literary Tropes|Literary Trope]], though media closely related to literature may also use it.
Related tropes (that often accompany this) include [[Supporting Protagonist]], a POV-character who is a protagonist, just not the "main-main" one; and [[First-Person Peripheral Narrator]], a narrator character who isn't a protagonist. In those terms, this trope describes a "main-main" protagonist who isn't a POV-character.
{{examples|Examples: }}▼
== [[Literature]] ==
* In [[A Song of Ice and Fire]], Robb is the only Stark child besides 4-year-old Rickon to never have his own narrative, despite having major events in ''A Clash of Kings'' and ''A Storm of Swords'' revolve around him. Most of the chapters involving Robb are told from the P.O.V. of his mother.
Line 15:
** Played strait in books 2 and 3 but subverted in book 5 with Melisandre. Her lack of narration in 2 and 3 contributes to the overall mysteriousness of the character.
* Roque Alva is arguably the central character of the ''[[Reflections of Eterna]]'' cycle, yet there has never been a single chapter describing what exactly is going on in his head.
* The Sister of ''[[My
** A similar thing happens in ''[[Handle
* Due to the fact that she's dead, the mother in ''[[As I Lay Dying]]'' never narrates a chapter. Again, given the fact that she's dead, this isn't unusual until you consider the title.
* Andrew Jackson is treated like this in ''[[
* We never get [[Sherlock Holmes]]'s point-of-view in all but two of his mysteries, only [[The Watson|Watson]]'s.
* Similarly, [[Erast Fandorin]] has only been the POV character in five out of thirteen books about him.
* Caddy from ''[[The Sound and
* Carrot Ironfoundersson from [[Terry Pratchett]]'s ''[[Discworld]]'' books. He's an important character, yet we never see what he thinks. Other main characters' POV are frequently presented. There's a theory that this might be due to the fact that he's not exactly as innocent and simple - minded as he appears to be, and Pratchett doesn't want to show it.
** Carrot gets occasional POV sequences - the first little bit of ''[[
* Admiral Thrawn from [[Star Wars Expanded Universe]]. He's an [[Anti-Villain]] antagonist, to be precise, but we have narration from the POV of Imperial characters - except him. Never from his point.
* Happens in ''[[Stargirl]]'' by Jerry Spinelli. Leo talks about his [[Manic Pixie Dream Girl]] friend Stargirl, but she never narrates. Sort of inverted in the sequel, ''Love, Stargirl'', where Stargirl narrates and discusses her relationship with Leo but he never narrates.
* Many important characters in ''[[The Lord of the Rings]]'' are narrated by hobbits. (Not that the hobbits are unimportant, but since a [[Supporting Leader]] is often a
* Miranda Sharifi in ''Beggars and Choosers'', second book of the ''[[
* The character Kitai in [[Codex Alera]] is arguably one of the most important characters in the series (let's count the number of times she saves Tavi's life...) and faces many important and interesting decisions throughout the series. However, the reader always sees her actions through Tavi's and once, Isana's eyes. Bernard is like this as well.
* ''[[Malazan Book of the Fallen]]'': While the author almost zealously ensures that most named characters are given a point of view section regularly - not a mean feat, considering that there are usually hundreds of characters that qualify - Tavore Paran is a notable exception. Throughout the series we are given only a single paragraph from her point of view, and a vague one at that. This is deliberate; she is one of the series' greatest mysteries.
== [[Video Games]] ==
* Thanks to some [[Leaning
* Masterfully played in ''[[Heavy Rain]]'': you can overhear the thoughts of every character but one of them ''never'' shows their true feelings even when thinking. So, in effect, you get a protagonist whose POV you ''think'' you know but you really don't until the end.
* Princess Ashe is the real hero of [[Final Fantasy XII]], but the game's story is told through the eyes of Vaan, a street rat who stole the right [[MacGuffin]].
* ''[[Final Fantasy Tactics]]'': Delita, despite being the [[Deuteragonist]] and having plenty of screen time, is largely left a mystery as most of his scenes are seemingly seen from the perspective of other people present, most prominently the Princess Ovelia. There are a handful of exceptions, and he does have a few scenes which focus on his personal affairs, but even then very little is revealed about his true self.
=== [[Visual Novels]] ===
* [[Higurashi]] has a unique way of letting you see through the character's eyes. You get to see it through the new kid's eyes, the twin sister's, the crazy girl's, etc. But you never get to see Sonozaki Mion's point of view. Or Satoshi's. Or Hanyuu's.
* ''[[Nogizaka Haruka no Himitsu]]'' is, as those who read Japanese must have figured out from reading the title, about the secret of a character named Nogizaka Haruka. However, the story isn't told from her P.O.V., but the one of [[Ordinary High School Student]] Ayase Yuuto and is about how his life changed after learning the secret.
{{reflist}}
[[Category:Literary Tropes]]
▲[[Category:Non POV Protagonist]]
|