Prairie vs. Zoyd as Protagonist of Vineland

[Carvill, John]

Never really liked the 'Prairie is the protagonist' line. I can see how you can argue that she is, of course, but for me, well, Zoyd is the man. One major factor is that you enter the book through Zoyd's POV (or the narrator's POV of Zoyd), and Zoyd is a hugely appealing character, so despite the fact that he 'drops out' for some segments, he stays with you. For me, Zoyd is the most compelling character in the text, and - with his less focused, less committed political aspect - sort of a Hippy Everyman and, thus, closer to the heart of the book, in a sense.

<< In any event, I agree that Prairie becomes a narrative lens, but she is also the most significant, if not the most compelling character in the text. >>