Ordinary people, extraordinary circumstances

Yes, every person is unique. Every person has their own story to tell, framed by their own specific family legacies and marked by their own shade of personal tragedy or triumph. However, when taken cumulatively, if the sum of all these 'unique' narratives of humans followed the pattern of their daily lives, the narratives would quickly sort themselves into repetitive categories and lose any novelty. For while each person has the potential to be the leading protagonist of an interesting story, the circumstances of that story should be distinctive. 

Some of the best, most popular stories, feature the everyday, often boring, protagonist, thrown into extraordinary circumstances beyond his or her control. My personal favorite is The Hobbit. Naive Bilbo goes from his world of pocket-handkerchiefs and upper-class comfort to journey of epic proportions medieval consequences. Here's a quick quote from Tolkien's initial characterization of Bilbo: "This hobbit was a very well-to-do hobbit, and his name was Baggins. The Bagginses had lived in the neighborhood of The Hill for time out of mind, and people considered them very respectable, not only because most of them were rich, but also because they never had any adventures or did anything unexpected: you could tell what a Baggins would say on any question without the bother of asking him. This is a story of how a Baggins had an adventure, and found himself doing and saying things altogether unexpected. He may have lost the neighbors’ respect, but he gained—well, you will see whether he gained anything in the end." Bilbo is quintessentially hum-drum respectable. Tolkien does not shy away from his heritage or amiability or desire to further the Bagginses' reputation. These are the very qualities that transform into resolution and bravery. 

Setting up Bilbo as this symbol of the 'everyday man' who becomes a hero is a classic trope in literature. So while I do believe that absolutely every single human on the planet could make an interesting protagonist, I do not believe that every single lifestyle ad infinitum deserves to be featured in a novel. The nuances of humanity must be fleshed out against the backdrop of contrast. 

I would only like to read a novel about my life if the novel centered around certain points of conflict and dissonance. For instance the transition to homeschooling, or boarding school or Stanford. These transition points mark identity crises that––with the proper refinement––could animate a novel in a way that the daily plod of life could not. Every person may have hidden depths, but in order to use the literary form of the novel to explore those depths, there must be some type of conflict or contrast to illuminate the mystery within.