Introduction
Dystopian novels, as a genre, entail a set of specific characteristics that are used by writers to criticize real-world political systems and highlight the wrongdoings of humanity in general. One of such characteristics is a central figure or the main hero of the story who performs unconventionally for the portrayed system actions trying to withstand the negative impact of a regime.
In the novel Legend by Marie Lu (2012), the main character named Day experiences a process of self-development and self-exploration through the re-interpretation of the wrongful political system and resistance to its destructive forces. This paper is aimed at discussing and analyzing the characteristics of the main hero of Legend to claim that Day is a typical dystopian protagonist since he complies with all characteristics of one.
Feeling of Being Trapped
The first feature of a typical dystopian protagonist is the persistent feeling of being trapped and needing to escape. In the novel by Lu (2012), Day, the main character, has such a feeling throughout the book and demonstrates it both implicitly and explicitly. In the very opening chapter of the novel, the main character states that he “is wanted for assault, arson, theft, destruction of military property and hindering the war effort” (Lu, 2012, p. 1).
The character is running from the authorities who are searching for him with the intention of arresting him. He is continuously hiding, feeling that he is trapped in the Republic due to the dangers of being caught and imprisoned. The necessity to escape is pictured via the character’s words when he says that “having a gun isn’t about the expense; it’s that it’s so easy to trace back to you” (Lu, 2012, p. 5). Thus, the main character is portrayed as an outcast in the country where he feels trapped and searched for.
Questioning the Political System
The second characteristic of a protagonist in a dystopian novel is that such a hero always questions the political system in which they live. In the case of Day in Legend, the main character is dissatisfied with the political regime in the Republic, which is justified not only by the issues he observes but by the first-hand experiences he has. In particular, Day comes from a poor neighborhood, which means that his socio-economic status predetermines his overall life opportunities as scarce (Persson, 2021). This idea is presented in the text of the novel, where Day states, “I know you rich folks have it easy – new plague vaccination every year and whatever meds you need” (Lu, 2012, p. 202). The hero observes how economic inequalities lead to health disparities and the suffering of the less fortunate, which is why he questions the political system for being corrupt.
Believing that the Society is Wrongful
A similar characteristic of the dystopian protagonist is that such a hero strongly believes that society is wrongful. This aspect is manifested through the observation of the social processes conditioned by the long-term political pressures and unveils the negative and immoral social trends in a dystopian society. For example, observing the murders, Day states that “few people ever kill for the right reasons, … most do it for the wrong reasons” (Lu, 2012, p. 250).
In this regard, the protagonist criticizes society for being compliant with the system and committing crimes against humanity. In the book, June “and Day join forces to resist the forces that seek to oppress them and their fellow citizens” (Hampshire, 2019, p. 37). Such efforts demonstrate that the heroes resist the regime and the individuals who support the wrongful trends in society.
Helping the Audience Recognize the Dystopian World
Another significant characteristic of a dystopian protagonist is his role in the text of a novel as a guide who helps the readers to recognize the flaws of the dystopian world and emphasize the necessity to change it. The character describes the world around him by unveiling the wrongdoings, such as the fact that “the Republic engineers the annual plague” (Lu, 2012, p. 245).
Indeed, the moral principles and ethical judgment presented by the main character throughout the novel are explicitly delivered to the readers as a sign of his belonging to the good fighting against the evil (Persson, 2021). Therefore, since the novel is written from the first-person perspective, where Day is the narrator, the readers believe that his point of view is the correct one, which guides them in the identification of the wrongfulness of the dystopian world.
Conclusion
In summation, the analysis of the main character of the novel Legend allows for concluding that Day is a conventional dystopian protagonist. Such an argument is based on his experiences, beliefs, actions, and role in the text of the novel that comply with the basic characteristics of a dystopian hero. Day’s first-person narration demonstrates his beliefs about the Republic’s flaws, his motivation to resist the regime, and his feeling of being trapped and the necessity to escape, which characterizes him as a typical dystopian protagonist.
References
Hampshire, K. M. (2019). Power, resistance, and transformation: A leadership studies analysis of dystopian young adult literature (Doctoral dissertation, Indian University). Web.
Lu, M. (2012). Legend. London, UK: Penguin Books.
Persson, H. (2021). Government and power in young adult dystopias. Web.