The Sea of Trolls

Jack is the novel’s protagonist, or main character. One of his defining traits is his perceptiveness, which leads the Bard to choose the 11-year-old as his apprentice over the stronger and more educated children in the village. Jack’s keen observations about the world help him connect to the life force that makes magic possible. The boy is also highly curious, and his eagerness to learn serves him well as the Bard’s apprentice. For example, he responds with interest rather than terror when his mentor accidentally strikes him with magic: “By Thor’s bushy beard! I almost killed you, and the first thing you want to know is how to do it” (21). Later in the novel, Jack’s curiosity helps him adapt to life among the Northmen by quickly learning their language and customs. Another one of Jack’s greatest strengths is the determination that empowers him to persevere through ordeals like his abduction by Olaf’s band, his attempted murder by his fellow thralls, and his encounters with dragons and giant spiders. Although the dynamic character grows over the course of his journey, he doesn’t grasp how much he has changed. After his return from Jotunheim, he protests that he is “just a farm brat dressed up in fancy clothes” and only hesitantly acknowledges that he is “kind of heroic” when Rune praises his achievements (409).