A protagonist may be defined by many other terms: "hero," "main character," "focal character," "central character." Whatever label a protagonist wears, it is the primary character the story is about. The protagonist is actively on the side of moral good. The protagonist also changes, and by doing so expresses the theme of the story. Said determines the entire plot and advances most of the themes, as well as most of the character development. Overall, Said is the main focus of the novel, yet a main character cannot individually express all the authors themes and ideas alone.
Most of the time authors will insert secondary characters who at first may not seem relevant, yet almost always have a greater impact on the development of the novel. One example of this is the character Sheikh Ali al-Junaydi. Throughout the story he provides Said with refuge, advice, and support.
The main reason for the Sheikh's placement within the novel is to further develop the overarching theme of fate vs. freewill. The first encounter between Said and the Sheikh is directly after Said is released from the prison, he finds refuge in Sheikhs home, his old home. In this encounter we see that whilst Said is venting to the Sheikh of all his issues and betrayals that as we know eventually lead him to his own destruction, the Sheikh continuously attempts to guide Said in the opposite direction, representing the "freewill" side to the theme. The Sheikh tells him on and on to forgive his past issues and move on. Consequently Said chooses to ignore this advice and seeks revenge, which as we know does not go well for him.
Furthermore, the Sheikh represents a direct link between Said's past and the present. As mentioned early on his father s
