David Drayton is the protagonist and narrator of The Mist. He tells the audience about the worst four days of his life, in which he almost loses his family, his life, and everything he knows. At the beginning of the story, David is a family man. He is not the most respected artist, but he makes enough money commercially to support his family. This is a conscious decision, as he abandoned his artistic aspirations when he realized that he would be a father. David knows that he will never be as successful or as respected as his father as an artist, but he hopes to measure up to his father’s achievements as a leader of a family. Until the night of the storm, David succeeds in doing so. He provides for his family and enjoys a loving relationship with his wife and son. The care and consideration that David lavishes on his family show the depths and sincerity of his emotion, qualities obliterated by the arrival of the mist. The opening chapters establish David as a likable, caring man, and then the ensuring chapters challenge the audience’s conception of him as a character.