[Literature Discussion] Something I noticed while reading the first chapter of Berserk

[Truhan]

You know how a protagonist is usually someone you can relate to? Guts is not that, and yet he's the protagonist. And yet, you have a character you kind of can relate to. One who probably thinks the way you normally think going into the manga. That character is Puck. He's kind of upbeat, and mistakes Guts's murder of a bunch of bandits as an act of kindness. Through Puck, we learn about Guts. And when Puck gets fucking annoying and Guts threatens to smash him under boot, through him, we begin to relate to Guts. Puck acts as some kind of bridge between the reader and the actual protagonist because Guts would normally be unrelatable (in a dark world like Berkserk) and his actions incomprehensible. Does anyone know the exact term for what Puck is in this context? I know there's a word for it, I just must never have been taught it. Anyways, this is just one of the many reasons I'm certain that Berserk is considered great. The first chapter had me immediately hooked. This observation just stood out to me as an example of good writing (never mind the incredible art style, I'd have trouble believing this was something drawn in the 1980s if I didn't know it for a fact).

[Mata Hari]

I read Moby Dick and it was shit

[Truhan]

I read Moby Dick and it was shit

THAT'S BECAUSE YOU DIDN'T WATCH THE FILM VERSION, AFTER EARTH