The Audience Surrogate: Characters That Represent the Audience

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In all good stories, there’s at least one character you can relate to—someone who feels like an extension of yourself in the narrative.

These characters most likely act as audience surrogates—they’re inserted into the story so you have someone you can identify with.

What Is an Audience Surrogate?

An audience surrogate is a character that acts as a proxy for the reader within the narrative. They think as you do, ask the questions you’re curious about, and get confused by the same things you would. They also sometimes act as the voice of logic or doubt, frequently questioning plans that seem haphazard or dangerous.

In this, they provide a familiar point of view that you can easily connect with as you explore the unfamiliar world in the story.

For example, Middle-Earth is one of the most complex worlds in the fantasy genre. It’s full of fictional races, magic, entirely original mythologies, and a long in-universe history. These are things you wouldn’t know if it’s your first time reading J.R.R. Tolkien’s legendarium, and without any information presented in a way you can understand, the story can quickly become confusing.

Fortunately, many of Tolkien’s characters are the same. Bilbo Baggins, in particular, was specifically descibed by Tolkien as an everyman that anyone can relate to. Having never been outside the Shire, he’s as unfamiliar with the world as you are.

His lack of knowledge reflects your own ignorance of the story. As such, you can easily identify with his confusion with certain concepts. It then becomes the perfect excuse for him to ask questions about things that are considered basic to people who grew up outside of the Shire. Both of you are rewarded with a better understanding of the world.

Famous Examples of Audience Surrogates

You usually don’t notice that a character is an audience surrogate; they feel natural because their actions and thoughts reflect your own. Here are some famous examples you might be surprised act as surrogates, taken from books, movies, and TV series.

1. Taran from The Chronicles of Prydain

Despite being the protagonist, the audience is never told about Taran’s physical appearance or age. As such, many of the adaptations and art depict him in different ways.

Even his backstory is only given at the end of the final book. Author Lloyd Alexander did this intentionally to make him easier for young readers to connect with.

2. Harry Potter from Harry Potter

Harry acts as a surrogate early on in the series. As someone who didn’t know about the wizarding world, he is curious about and marvels at every application of magic. This is most evident in the scene where Hagrid brings him to Diagon Alley for the first time.

The entire scene is an info dump of sorts, but it’s played very well. Harry learns about Gringotts, goblins, and his inheritance. Later on, he visits Ollivanders, learns how wands work, and buys his own. Hagrid also buys him Hedwig, explaining how most wizards have an animal companion.

3. Penny from The Big Bang Theory

Penny frequently fills the role of audience surrogate in the series. Because she’s not a nerd and isn’t interested in science, it falls on her to ask questions that the not-so-nerdy and sciencey audience might be wondering about.

And for the nerds and science geeks, Leonard mostly fills the role as he’s the most normal in his circle of friends. He doesn’t exhibit Raj’s inability to speak to women, Howard’s over-the-top lechery, and Sheldon’s neurotic jackassery.

4. The Companions from Doctor Who

Many of the Doctor’s companions are thrown into unfamiliar worlds and situations, so it’s only natural for them to ask obvious questions that the Doctor is almost always obligated to answer. This happens in every episode, where the companions are always confronted with unfamiliar things.

Clara Oswald provides an interesting take on this surrogacy. While primarily the companion of the Eleventh Doctor, later events establish her as having met all of his incarnations, influencing some of his most important decisions as well (what TARDIS to take, for example).

5. Jim Halpert from The Office

Jim Halpert often acts as the audience surrogate in this mockumentary series. Whenever characters such as Michael or Dwight do something outrageous, he almost always gives the camera a look.

In other words, he reacts the same way many people would feel if they were in the ridiculous situations he frequently finds himself in.

Purpose of the Audience Surrogate

Audience surrogates are useful in expounding plot elements and worldbuilding. This is most helpful in stories that are dense with information such as crime fiction, sci-fi, and fantasy.

Take Sherlock Holmes as an example. Watson’s curiosity in every case provides Sherlock with an excuse to explain how exactly he arrived at his hypothesis. After the reveal, Watson and the reader are then left to marvel at Sherlock’s brilliance. In this way, additional context can be inserted without making the narrative seem forced.

They also benefit the story by avoiding info dumps or making them more digestible. Instead of relying on (often tedious) exposition, writers can introduce character traits, backstories, and other relevant details through dialogue.

This is mostly seen when the surrogate asks a question about something they don’t know. It’s a great way of developing a character. Through the conversation, you learn more about the character by analyzing their speech patterns and how they interact with the surrogate.

One of the most important functions of a surrogate is that it also acts as a companion as you progress through the story. Both of you explore the world at the same pace, learn things at the same time, and feel the same emotions during critical moments in the story.

Many of the stories you read, listen to, or watch will likely have audience surrogates. It’s not because they’re required, but because it’s pretty hard to write a story without one character becoming one. Authors can create them intentionally, but some characters often naturally turn into one as they’re further fleshed out.

Audience surrogates aren’t restricted to protagonists. They can be any character in the story that acts, thinks, and speaks the way the readers might.

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