One of the most important aspects of a novel is the characters—protagonist, antagonist, major characters, minor characters, and cameos. The story is told through these characters, and therefore require more planning. Writers must describe these characters with vivid illustrations, depicting their physical appearance, personality, background information, and their actions that are relevant to the story. A writer gives each character, no matter their importance, a great deal of planning to create an entire persona around a single character. While most people only remember the major characters it is important to also create a supporting cast and characters that only appear as cameos. Each character depicted in a novel has a purpose, and our goal is to examine these different types of characters.
The Protagonist is the character who has the most involvement to the events in the plot. The protagonist usual goes on either a literal or 
metaphorical journey, sometimes both, throughout the course of the novel. The protagonist’s main goal is the driving force behind the plot. They are usually the relatable character to the audience, so that the audience becomes invested into what happens next with the character. This type of character is the most dynamic and usually the one who is transformed by the end. Using the iconic childhood series Harry Potter, the protagonist is the title character Harry Potter. The novels follow his journey from being the one who stopped Lord Voldemort during the First Wizarding War to their battle during the Second Wizarding War. Harry Potter transforms throughout each of the books, and readers are able to relate to him not because he is a wizard, but because he is compassionate, loyal, and moral.
Along with the Protagonist there are other major characters who play pivotal roles within the novel. These characters have their own history which the writer may or may not share with the readers. These characters also have their own unique way in which they act, dress, or talk. These characters have a connection with the protagonist and may fill a standard relationship role (family, friend, lover, co-worker, etc.). These characters may fill essential roles regarding the protagonist. Along with the protagonist there is usually:
- Antagonist: This character is not evil, but is considered the opposition to the protagonist. Someone he must contend with and outsmart in order to achieve their goals. For Harry Potter his antagonist is Draco Malfoy; the boy who continually undermines the protagonist, although in the end Potter usually comes out ahead of Malfoy.
- Villain: This character is essentially the “bad guy” who wishes to do harm to the protagonist, and tries to stop the protagonist from reaching their goals. The villain throughout the Harry Potter series is He-who-must-not-be-named/Lord Voldemort/Tom Riddle. In order to fully complete his transformation as a person Harry Potter must defeat the villain, which he does in the final chapters of the seventh novel in the series.
- Sidekick: This character(s) help the protagonist reach their goals, and are usually family, friends, or lovers to the protagonist. Harry Potter maintains two sidekicks, his best friends Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger; who help him overcome all the major obstacles throughout the series even though they do have disagreements as friends usually do.
- Mentor: This character helps guide the protagonist through his journey. The protagonist usually goes to them for advice and help. Harry Potter has many mentors who help guide and protect him, namely: Albus Dumbledore, Sirius Black, Hagrid, etc.
Supporting characters are important to the plot, but they only appear in certain parts of the books. Each of these characters have unique characteristics and ways of presenting themselves, but writers rarely give information about their backgrounds unless it plays an important role to the story. There are many supporting roles throughout the Harry Potter series and most of them are present in most or all of the books. Supporting characters include the Weasley family, Dobby, Seamus Finnegan, Mad-Eye Moody, Remus Lupin, etc.
Cameos are characters who interact only briefly with main or supporting characters. They are there to help move the plot along or add authenticity to a setting. They appear in the story, perform their function, and then are not mentioned past that. Examples in Harry Potter include the numerous death-eaters and other witches and wizards at Hogwarts.
Characters are a key element to telling a story, and each character must be attended to individually. Before a writer can begin to tell the story they must decide who all the characters are (main and supporting), their roles, and their personal stories. After that occurs, then a story can begin to take shape.
All images courtesy of Google Images and International Movie Database
Toni Guest