Greg Heffley is the anti-hero protagonist and narrator of the story. His perspective, expressed through his comical illustrations, sense of humor, and observations of the world around him, forms the basis of the story as he navigates the life of a middle-schooler. Greg has a strong imagination and is highly creative, and many of his drawings feature fantastical creatures, strange situations, and skillfully unique variations on simple cartoon figures that distinguish one character from another, like the size of a character’s nose.

Greg’s narrative, including his drawings, is expressive of his ambivalent self-image and his anxieties, many of which he seeks to conceal. He draws himself with an extremely slim body, which he occasionally jokes about, a round head, and three single hairs sticking out the top. He is like a typical “stick man” figure and sees himself as somewhat anonymous and invisible. In his view, his family seems to forget about him sometimes or loses track of where he is. He wishes that he could be something more:

Sometimes I wish I was born a little SOONER so I had a chance to actually DISCOVER something.