Oscar Hopkins

Oscar is an extremely odd protagonist. His physical appearance borders on the ludicrous, and he has no apparent redeeming value as a human being. Generally, an author creates a protagonist whom the reader can support by sharing in the main character's triumphs and failures. Oscar is so unredeemable that the reader hardly cares what happens to him at all. Were it not for Lucinda's love, we would give up on him entirely. Her love leads us to hope for his success and redemption. Oscar disappoints Lucinda in the end, and he lets down the readers by causing nothing but pain for the woman he loves.

Theophilus Hopkins

Theophilus is a parody of a self-sanctimonious holy man. His strong religion actually masks a complete lack of faith in God. He is self-absorbed and takes no personal responsibility for anything in his life. He is content to sit back...