How To Read Literature Like A Professor Character Analysis

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Thomas C. Foster, the author of How to Read Literature Like a Professor, presented readers with a concept that in every work of literature, the idea of a quest for the main protagonist is always present. Within that quest consists of five aspects, as presented by, a quester, a place to go, a stated reason to go there, a challenges and trials, the real reason to go. A questor is usually someone in the novel who can be referred to as the Knight of the story, the protagonist of the story. Such example can be seen in one of the most popular literature known by almost every English major, To Kill a Mockingbird where Atticus Finch is trying to prove a black man, Tom Robinson’s innocence from a ruthless white supremacist town in Alabama during the 60s. …show more content…
This place to go is usually recived within their mission to the quest. The location doesn't even have to be a physical place. It can be anything ranging from a person, an object, or even an idea. That goes to say, the next aspect, the reason to go on the quest can be combined with the place to go. Without a reason to go on this quest, the protagonist would not have the motivation to walk the path to their mission. In To Kill a Mockingbird, Atticus’s goal is to go to the court case of Tom Robinson and to prove Bob Eule is the real criminal and serve justice. A quest can’t be an actual quest without challenges and trials along the way of the trip. The protagonist will have to face many difficult and dangerous situation throughout their journey. In To Kill a Mockingbird, Atticus has to overcome the pressure from other racist whites to prove Tom Robinson’s guilt in a white court. The last reason is the Real Reason to Go. The real goal in these quests are usually for self-knowledge. Atticus’s original mission was to prove the innocence of Tom Robinson from a white court, but subconsciously trying to hid the ignorance of society from his children to preserve their
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