: Re: Are reactive protagonists inherently a bad thing? I'm just getting into writing and while reading about it I've found a lot of topics which claim that reactive protagonists are generally frowned

@Pierce369

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Protagonists come in many types and many degrees. One trait one expects from the protagonist is that he or she will act to do something, decide something - whatever is required by the plot or other characters.

Some situations no one can control or influence - being at sea on a small yacht and a hurricane crosses your path. Such a character would do something within the confines of the yacht, trying to improve chances of survival, but defeating the storm is impossible. The greater the force with which one contends, often the more limited are their options.

What one usually tries to avoid is a character who does nothing and is simply acted upon - passive protagonists need something to do. That said, one of my favourite novels is Magic Mountain, where nothing seems to happen aside from a character going to an asylum (hospital) to visit a friend, getting sick himself and eventually leaving. Thomas Mann takes characters you don’t have to really like and weaves a story where the action is so trivial as to seem almost nonexistent. It is a character study and a commentary on the medical care of the time - and simply enthralling.

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