Protagonist

Character Role Analysis

Mary Poppins, George Banks, Jane and Michael Banks

There are lots of good reasons for thinking Mary Poppins is the protagonist: the movie is named after her, for one thing. That's a big hint. She also makes everything happen—without Mary none of the other characters would change. Jane and Michael would keep getting into trouble with lousy nannies, and their parents would remain clueless and would never wise up. Mr. Banks wouldn't ever realize that he needed to show love to his children, instead of just being obsessed with discipline and tradition.

But what about Mr. Banks? Isn't he also decent protagonist? He's the one character in the movie who really undergoes a major change. Mary Poppins doesn't change—she's already "practically perfect in every way."

But George goes through the "Hero's Journey" (see our "Hero's Journey" section). He's the one who has to face down his own problems, reckon with the bank managers, and "seize the sword" by learning to enjoy his life and fly a kite with his kids. He starts off in a bank cocoon, and emerges as a butterfly…a fatherly butterfly.

And then there's the kids: aren't they pretty important? They're the ones who go on the movie's adventures: jumping into chalk drawings, helping floating uncles, dancing with chimney sweeps. All these things happen for their benefit.

They're the ones who go on the movie's ride, so to speak. George just experiences the after-effects of those adventures, while Mary acts mainly as a mentor to the kids (although she's teaching the movie's real lesson to George).