Garp’s Ascension Through the Diegetic “World According to Garp” by John Irving

The main focus of analysis in the article is the evolution of the protagonist in relation to the complex system of characters in the diegetic world of John Irving’s “The World According to Garp”. Throughout the essay, Garp’s maturation and evolution is being continuously analytically measured against the other characters masterfully aligned within the story by author to support the protagonist’s growth, contrast and elucidate him. A typology of characters by their diegetic function is introduced, separating them into three main groups: people, creations, symbols. The linking reciprocal element between them is the protagonist, not only connecting all the characters, but also traversing through their roles on the way to his own posthumous ascension. Starting the novel as a regular human being, the protagonist is gradually transformed into a writer – creator of worlds and characters, to finally ascend into a symbol for the new world upon his death.