Who are the protagonist and antagonist?

Conflict is generally thought to be at the heart of
engaging literature and drama. For conflict, you need a clash. Thus, the protagonist
goes head to head against the antagonist. This importance of conflict in tragic
literature was first recorded by Ancient Greek scholar,
Aristotle.

This clash need not necessarily be between two
people. There can be a number of antagonists who the protaganist must deal with. Society
can be an antagonist. Even, the protagonist's own weaknesses or doubts can be a form of
antagonist. Where there is conflict in literature and drama, there is a protagonist and
antagonism. Sometimes, people, society and the self can all be antagonisms, such as in
The Catcher in the Rye, by JD Salinger.

Thus, it can be
said that the protagonist is the main character of the book, and the antagonists are all
the impediments who s/he faces. Most works tend to have one main antagonist or "nemesis"
which gives the narrative a sense of personal contest. In The Catcher in the Rye,
however, although Holden conflicts against a number of people, it is ultimately society
as a whole, as seen through the prism of his own mental problems, that are his
antagonist.