This was a great analysis. I can't imagine setting out to create a passive protagonist, but I'm sure I would be told that's because I'm a part of the problematic patriarchy and I ooze a desire for intentional growth and purpose. God forbid.

Every second someone chooses to read our stories, they are making a conscious choice not to do something else. If the very nature of reading requires a self-directed act, that should tell us everything we need to know about what people expect of the protagonist on the page.