Less Is Lost

Arthur Less is the protagonist of the story. Freddy refers to him to as “our hero” because he undergoes a comic hero’s journey and is the character whom the narrator and reader root for. Arthur leaves home on an unexpected adventure; his odyssey is the novel’s central plot. Arthur’s anxieties get him into absurd situations. He is gay, middle-aged, loveable buffoon, and a “Minor American Novelist” (8). His name, Arthur, is a homophonic play on author. He fears travel and humiliating situations, infusing his journey with irony and humor.

Arthur grows as a character and learns to feel more comfortable in his own skin but he doesn’t completely change. Through him, Greer suggests that people are who they are, especially when they’re older. One key moment of character development comes in Part 3, when Arthur stops fretting and starts paying attention. He leaves behind his writerly ambitions and reading responsibilities momentarily to observe the world around him and live in the moment.

Arthur is motivated by love and a desire to save his humble home with Freddy. The odyssey is important to him because it is the first time in his adult life that he must be the caregiver, the provider, the security net.