Going Solo-Protagonist, Antagonist and Conflict

Going Solo
Roald Dahl

The Protagonist in Going Solo is Roald Dahl. He is a twenty-two year old Englishman who is in the army. He signed a contract with the Shell Company which took him to Mombasa, Kenya. In the book it is 1938 so it is around the time when World War Two started. One of his first duties in the army is stop any Germans trying to escape across the border. He is a bright young man and is very curious. For example, one evening he was visiting a family and saw a snake (green mamba) slither into the house. After he warned the family and they all got to safety he accepted the offer to watch the snake-man catch the green mamba. He thought it was a very interesting experience.

The Antagonist in Going Solo is World War Two.  In this book it is at the beginning of the war, when the Germans invaded Poland and Great Britain declared war on Germany. Roald Dahl signed up for the army and was sent to Kenya to fight. In Kenya the King;s African Rifles (KAR) were waiting to see if the war had started, and when it did they had orders to stop Germans who were escaping. The war brought many Englishmen to Africa to prepare if a war broke out, and it did.

The Main conflict in this story are the Nazi's. Which means it is a Man versus Society conflict. The Nazi's created a society that wasn't good for a big portion of the population. Many people did not agree. They were a very large and strong group, and were very capable of taking over countries (France for example). When the war started, Germans were the main target because they thought most of them were associated with the Nazi's.