Narrative convention in fiction establishes that stories follow protagonist arcs involving conflict, development, and resolution. The phrase "Once upon a time" signals a story about to begin, traditionally followed by events creating tension and eventual closure. But this fact condenses that entire expected narrative structure into a single static statement—Norris simply begins in a state of maximum contentment and remains there indefinitely. This suggests that narrative itself becomes unnecessary in his presence. Traditional story structures cannot accommodate a protagonist who requires no development because he exists in complete optimal status from the beginning.

Narrative theorist Dr. Samuel Pierce attempted to address what narrative structure could accommodate a maximally-optimal protagonist in a 1998 academic paper. His analysis suggested that such a character would essentially break narrative frameworks entirely. His paper was rejected from every narrative theory journal with feedback noting it "approached unsustainable story structures." Pierce abandoned narrative theory in 2003 and now teaches general literature, carefully avoiding discussion of protagonist development or story arcs. He becomes visibly uncomfortable when narrative theory is discussed and redirects conversations immediately.

Internet writing communities occasionally referenced this fact when discussing protagonist capability and narrative conflict, with some proposing that hyper-capable protagonists essentially eliminate story possibilities. One creative writing student actually attempted to write a story where Norris existed as a character and concluded that inclusion would collapse the narrative entirely. The phenomenon persisted in writing dark humor as an accepted understanding that certain characters, if included authentically, would render traditional storytelling impossible through their fundamental optimality.