Anthropomorphic Protagonists

While reading through my current book of Treasure Planet, I found out quite early on that our protagonist is human. Of course, that’s not at all a surprise. Aside from having him featured on the cover itself, it’s not at all uncommon to see human protagonists in anthropomorphic literature. Heck, think of the simplest examples such as Winnie the Pooh. Pooh is usually the story’s primary protagonist, of course, but Christopher Robin is still a central focus and the character that I think most children reading or seeing the stories will most easily relate to.

That thought brought me to a curiosity question, a simple question that has no other purpose than to make the mind wander and muse for a bit and maybe lead to discussion:

How necessary is a human protagonist in anthropomorphic literature?

In another book I’ve been reading, The Writer’s Digest Guide to Science Fiction & Fantasy, there is a section of the book on writing stories with alien languages and how to help your audiences understand and relate to the language. It’s truly interesting stuff! However, there seems to be an underlying idea of making your characters primarily speaking English, simply because readers respond better when they aren’t tripping over new words AND a new story.

I’ve noticed that, in many modern day science fiction books that I’ve seen with an anthropomorphic element, the main character is human, serving as someone for us to relate to as we take in all this information about a new and alien place. If we look at it like the issue of language I just mentioned, then that makes perfect sense to make the story as accessible as it can be… But where does that leave anthropomorphic antagonists? Are they still perfectly fine starting points for new readers?

I remember relating quite easily to Mole in The Wind in the Willows, and all the crazy adventures his friends would take him on. I also suspect many kids who read Redwall related heavily to Mathias as he learned about the history of the abbey and came into being a hero.

Why don’t we see these protagonists more, though? Is it just coincidence, or do most readers really have trouble identifying with a character unless he’s human like them?  Do you have any favorite anthropomorphic heroes?

A classic non-human protagonist!

Have a wonderful week all, and good reading!

-Chammy

Book currently being read:

Treasure Planet by Hal Colebatch & Jessica Q. Fox