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I will start off by saying that the idea of a subjective story is not entirely new. This concept, that the main character's perceptions and ideas aren't the only ones, can be seen in books such as the original "Romeo and Juliet" (where both families are wrong about how Romeo and Juliet feel, the characters themselves are guilty of wishful thinking and only their drama is is present) to the works of Iain Banks (where even the most reliable narrator can be confused about their supposed superiority). This principle is especially true in fantasy or science fiction, where the human race is dwarfed in scope by a society distinctly, plausibly alien. Neil Gaiman's 'American Gods' is probably the best example.
But the concept is not new either. Joseph Conrad used it to great effect in 'heart of darkness'. And who can forget the three great tragedies from which the story came from – King Lear, Oedipus and Hamlet? Hamlet is reputed to have said, "The play is the thing, wherein I'll catch the conscience of the king." Many of the greatest works of fiction, indeed, portray their protagonists as subjective, expressing their inner thoughts and perceptions without judgement. Think of all the King James Bible's depictions for God.
Hence, in that sense, my story will have a subjective theme. But that is still just a theme. We will be judging the protagonist primarily by his external qualities and actions, right?
Not quite.
So I'll try to explain.
My first protagonist has a form of mental illness that creates a great deal of confusion, doubt and failure within the world around him. Mental illness in and of itself is no good. It can be a great help, or it can be the beginning of a great deal of misery. Having mental illness means that you can be taken advantage of and always looked down upon. Being mentally ill can be a great burden on your life. Having mental illness doesn't always mean that you're not normal. It's a matter of interpretation, of course. Some people don't think of medication, counseling and psychological therapies as normal. They are certain that they are better off if nobody knows that they have problems. I don't agree with that. But I am sympathetic enough to my antagonist to know that I don't want to hurt him.
My second protagonist is already confounded enough by his family and society without the added burden of mental illness. To them, he is irrational to the point where he is dangerous. But he tries to hide it, convincing himself as much as others that he's fine. Then again, he's in high school. Not much else to do but to hide it. There are no therapists, psychiatrists or psychologists for high schoolers.
The first protagonist is a jealous boy. He is petulant, mean, and he's rude. All of this is a result of his mental illness. Not that anybody's perfect, but his friends, family and classmates aren't perfect either. He acts the way that he does mostly because of his condition. Some of his actions are out of his control. At other times, it's just him doing it for the sake of it. I've explained this to make myself clear, not to offend anybody (although I'm sure that somebody will be offended at some point).
Now, to the point of all of this.
The protagonist's condition is exacerbated by the public's erroneous perceptions of him.
In the young man's mind, he is a perfect gentleman. He is terribly thankful for the things he receives. His family treats him like a hero. He is a potential future leader for his country, and his mother would do anything for him. Just because he has multiple issues that may hinder his later life doesn't mean that he's a bad person. He's a toddler still. He still doesn't have the control to have the best interests in his adult mind, nor the ability to express himself.
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