# Let's name & discuss stories in which the title character is not the protagonist. **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 18, 2010, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-name-discuss-stories-in-which-the-title-character-is-not-the-protagonist/532924 "2010-03-18T19:25:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2010, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-name-discuss-stories-in-which-the-title-character-is-not-the-protagonist/532924/81 "2010-03-19T17:54:30Z")
> [@Peter\_Morris](#): > > And if you had raised the same objection to The Merchant Of Venice, The Thin Man and The Third Man then I wouldn’t have posted them. > > The point is, I’m not protesting that I’m right and you’re wrong. I’m protesting that you are “picking on me” and ignoring everyone else doing the same thing. **Peter** , I don’t mean to pick on you, and I apologize for doing so. I have only skimmed the thread, and so I could easily have missed some; and I wouldn’t reply to every post anyway. Anyway, I did not mean to single you out, and I am sorry. ---
**Author:** ![Giles](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/giles/32/60_2.png) [@Giles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Giles)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2010, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-name-discuss-stories-in-which-the-title-character-is-not-the-protagonist/532924/82 "2010-03-19T17:59:54Z")
If we’re going to be technical, then “The Wizard of Oz” and “Lord of the Rings” are not names either. ---
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2010, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-name-discuss-stories-in-which-the-title-character-is-not-the-protagonist/532924/83 "2010-03-19T18:05:43Z")
> [@Giles](#): > > If we’re going to be technical, then “The Wizard of Oz” and “Lord of the Rings” are not names either. Stop bothering me with facts. Facts do not support my position and make it look stupid. ---
**Author:** ![McGeek](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f4b2a3/32.png) [@McGeek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/McGeek)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2010, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-name-discuss-stories-in-which-the-title-character-is-not-the-protagonist/532924/84 "2010-03-19T18:17:25Z")
The Oliver Stone movie “JFK”. ---
**Author:** ![Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e47c2d/32.png) [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffy_the_Elephant_Shrew)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2010, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-name-discuss-stories-in-which-the-title-character-is-not-the-protagonist/532924/85 "2010-03-19T18:48:38Z")
**Alice’s Restaurant** , both film and song. (“Remember Alice? This is a song about Alice.”) ---
**Author:** ![Nom\_de\_Plume](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/85f322/32.png) [@Nom\_de\_Plume](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nom_de_Plume)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2010, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-name-discuss-stories-in-which-the-title-character-is-not-the-protagonist/532924/86 "2010-03-19T18:49:30Z")
_Welcome Home Roxy Carmichael_. Roxy is shown, but the main character is Dinky (no…I don’t mean she’s small. Her name is Dinky Bossetti.) ---
**Author:** ![Alka\_Seltzer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c89c15/32.png) [@Alka\_Seltzer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alka_Seltzer)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2010, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-name-discuss-stories-in-which-the-title-character-is-not-the-protagonist/532924/87 "2010-03-19T19:10:33Z")
**Flaubert’s Parrot** by Julian Barnes. The main character was not a parrot. **Finding Nemo** - (Suprised no-one beat me to that one). **Zodiac** - (Zodiac killer). **The Golden Child**. **Goodbye Lenin** - He only appears in statue form. **Glengarry Glen Ross**. **The Triplets of Belleville** - The main protagonists are an old lady with an orphapedic boot and a fat cartoon dog who actually behaves like a dog. Noteable for a beautiful scene where they cross an ocean on a pedalo. **Angels and Demons** - Did not appear in it anywhere, nor does a coherent plot (quite enjoyed it anyway). **Pan’s Labyrinth**. Really, lots. ---
**Author:** ![cjepson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a9adbd/32.png) [@cjepson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cjepson)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2010, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-name-discuss-stories-in-which-the-title-character-is-not-the-protagonist/532924/88 "2010-03-19T19:36:18Z")
> [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](#): > > To reiterate: I’m looking for stories in which one of the characters’ is mentioned by name in the title, yet that character is not the main character. Stories in which a proper name is part of the title, but no one of that name figures in the story, are not what I seek. Aw, man – I was all set to chime in with _A Canticle for Liebowitz._ Sticking with SF, I would propose _She_ (and its sequel, _Ayesha_). I think a lot of fantasy books probably are named after villains, gods, etc. Like _The Call of Cthulhu_ etc. I guess _The Snow Queen_ would qualify, as well as _The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe_, and _The Last Unicorn._ With regard to movies – I don’t believe anyone’s mentioned _The Return of Jafar._ ---
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2010, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-name-discuss-stories-in-which-the-title-character-is-not-the-protagonist/532924/89 "2010-03-19T19:52:59Z")
> [@Alka\_Seltzer](#): > > **Flaubert’s Parrot** by Julian Barnes. The main character was not a parrot. > > **Finding Nemo** - (Suprised no-one beat me to that one). > > **Zodiac** - (Zodiac killer). > > **The Golden Child**. > > **Goodbye Lenin** - He only appears in statue form. > > **Glengarry Glen Ross**. > > **The Triplets of Belleville** - The main protagonists are an old lady with an orphapedic boot and a fat cartoon dog who actually behaves like a dog. Noteable for a beautiful scene where they cross an ocean on a pedalo. > > **Angels and Demons** - Did not appear in it anywhere, nor does a coherent plot (quite enjoyed it anyway). > > **Pan’s Labyrinth**. > > Really, lots. Er…not so much. “Finding Nemo,” “Zodiac,” and “The Golden Child” are all spot on, but Glengarry Glen Ross" is not the name of a character in the play or film; it’s a real estate project, I think. Likewise, there is no character named “Pan” in PL. I refuse to see or read anything more by Dan Brown, so I can’t say with certainty, but I suspect that there are no characters identified as such in what I will laughingly call the narrative. Like I said, I was thinking of characters from a story, named in the title, who are not the protagonist. “Nemo” is the perfect example. But a simple allusion to a name in the title, when no such person exists in the narrative, would seem to disallow it. > [@cjepson](#): > > Aw, man – I was all set to chime in with _A Canticle for Liebowitz._ > > Sticking with SF, I would propose _She_ (and its sequel, _Ayesha_). > > I think a lot of fantasy books probably are named after villains, gods, etc. Like _The Call of Cthulhu_ etc. I guess _The Snow Queen_ would qualify, as well as _The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe_, and _The Last Unicorn._ > > With regard to movies – I don’t believe anyone’s mentioned _The Return of Jafar._ Aslan has as much of a call to be the protagonist of LWW as anybody, though he is much less focused in in the later books. ---
**Author:** ![Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e47c2d/32.png) [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffy_the_Elephant_Shrew)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2010, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-name-discuss-stories-in-which-the-title-character-is-not-the-protagonist/532924/90 "2010-03-19T19:56:46Z")
> [@cjepson](#): > > Aw, man – I was all set to chime in with _A Canticle for Liebowitz._ And why not? Liebowitz certainly is a character who figures in the story; he just doesn’t take part in the action. Sounds like a good answer to me. ---
**Author:** ![Push\_You\_Down](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/push_you_down/32/9095_2.png) [@Push\_You\_Down](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Push_You_Down)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2010, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-name-discuss-stories-in-which-the-title-character-is-not-the-protagonist/532924/91 "2010-03-19T20:03:00Z")
“Welcome Home Roxy Carmichael” Never even shows up! ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2010, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-name-discuss-stories-in-which-the-title-character-is-not-the-protagonist/532924/92 "2010-03-19T20:09:10Z")
There’s a cute Irish movie called _Waking Ned Devine_. The title character wins the Irish Sweepstakes and promptly dies in the first few minutes; the rest of the movie is about friends and neighbors faking his non-death to get the money. A very convoluted case: in the 1980s Valerie Harper starred in a sitcom called _Valerie_. When she had a contract dispute and walked out they killed her off but kept the name, which IIRC they did because it was in her contract that her name must remain on the series and though there were lawsuits flying both ways (the producers sued her, she sued them, each claiming the other had breached) they didn’t want it breached further, so after a few episodes they changed the name to _Valerie’s Family_. Later after the contract dispute was settled somewhat (though the case would go on for years) the title was changed to _The Hogan Family_, which it really was about. Harper eventually got a very big settlement (evidently the courts ruled she was more sinned against than sinning) but it may be the only sitcom ever to be named for a corpse for a good part of its run.) ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2010, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-name-discuss-stories-in-which-the-title-character-is-not-the-protagonist/532924/93 "2010-03-19T20:19:21Z")
Also, if TV shows count, there are several that are named for the star even though the character she or he plays has a different name. Examples: _Newhart_ (main character Dick Loudon) _The Bob Newhart Show_ (main character Bob Harley0 _The Andy Griffith Show_ (main character Andy Taylor) # _The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour_ (main characters Lucy and Ricky Ricardo) _EQUUS_ is a horse and or a god but the main characters are Dr. Dysart and Alan Strang. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2010, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-name-discuss-stories-in-which-the-title-character-is-not-the-protagonist/532924/94 "2010-03-19T21:31:09Z")
> [@](#): > > Likewise, there is no character named “Pan” in PL. There is, to the extent that you accept “Pan” as a translation for “el Fauno”. Certainly, the title is referring to the tall creepy fellow with the hooves. How about comic strips? While Funky Winkerbean is certainly a major character in the comic strip by the same name, I’d have to say that Les Moore is the main protagonist. ---
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2010, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-name-discuss-stories-in-which-the-title-character-is-not-the-protagonist/532924/95 "2010-03-19T21:32:59Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > There is, to the extent that you accept “Pan” as a translation for “el Fauno”. Certainly, the title is referring to the tall creepy fellow with the hooves. Stop being smarter than me. It’s annoying. > [@](#): > > How about comic strips? While Funky Winkerbean is certainly a major character in the comic strip by the same name, I’d have to say that Les Moore is the main protagonist. Spot on, captain. ---
**Author:** ![Alka\_Seltzer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c89c15/32.png) [@Alka\_Seltzer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alka_Seltzer)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2010, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-name-discuss-stories-in-which-the-title-character-is-not-the-protagonist/532924/96 "2010-03-19T21:33:46Z")
> [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](#): > > Er…not so much. “Finding Nemo,” “Zodiac,” and “The Golden Child” are all spot on, but Glengarry Glen Ross" is not the name of a character in the play or film; it’s a real estate project, I think. Aren’t they the names of the partners, who are mentioned by Alec Baldwin’s character? They never appear onscreen, but they are referenced, so they exist in the story. > [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](#): > > Likewise, there is no character named “Pan” in PL. I thought Pan was the faun. Looking on IMDB, Pan seems to be a loose translation of faun. The original title is “El laberinto del fauno”, or the labyrinth of the faun. > [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](#): > > I refuse to see or read anything more by Dan Brown, so I can’t say with certainty, but I suspect that there are no characters identified as such in what I will laughingly call the narrative. Yeah, I should have read the OP more carefully. Edit - heh, see Chronos got there before me. ---
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2010, 9:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-name-discuss-stories-in-which-the-title-character-is-not-the-protagonist/532924/97 "2010-03-19T21:37:43Z")
> [@Alka\_Seltzer](#): > > Aren’t they the names of the partners, who are mentioned by Alec Baldwin’s character? They never appear onscreen, but they are referenced, so they exist in the story. Wikipedia says that it’s the name of two real estate deals. And I don’t think being referenced in the story is sufficient to establish an entity as a character in a given story. Otherwise, Thomas Jefferson, George Washington, and Abe Lincoln are all characters on the West Wing. A character in a movie has to ACTUALLY APPEAR ON SCREEN, or at least have a line of spoken dialogue. Anyone wish to argue the contrary? ---
**Author:** ![Spoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@Spoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoke)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2010, 9:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-name-discuss-stories-in-which-the-title-character-is-not-the-protagonist/532924/98 "2010-03-19T21:51:37Z")
> [@Small\_Hen](#): > > No one has mentioned Chasing Amy? 'Cause that’s the first one that came to mind. Ah, but Amy isn’t exactly a character in the movie. She only gets mentioned in a story told by Silent Bob. But in the same vein, how about **(500) Days of Summer**? Summer is a character, but not the protagonist. ---
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2010, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-name-discuss-stories-in-which-the-title-character-is-not-the-protagonist/532924/99 "2010-03-19T21:53:57Z")
> [@spoke-](#): > > Ah, but Amy isn’t exactly a character in the movie. She only gets mentioned in a story told by Silent Bob. Precisely. Though people frequently think that the female lead’s name is Amy, due to not paying attention. My cite is my friend Jeff. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Spoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@Spoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoke)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2010, 10:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-name-discuss-stories-in-which-the-title-character-is-not-the-protagonist/532924/100 "2010-03-19T22:01:30Z")
> [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](#): > > Precisely. Though people frequently think that the female lead’s name is Amy, due to not paying attention. My cite is my friend Jeff. 🙂 Still, it’s debatable. She’s a character within a story within the film. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-name-discuss-stories-in-which-the-title-character-is-not-the-protagonist/532924.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-name-discuss-stories-in-which-the-title-character-is-not-the-protagonist/532924.md?page=6)