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Describing a character for a character analysis
by Dr Davis on May 25, 2008
A strong character analysis will:
1. identify the type of character it is dealing with.
2. describe the character, using various measures as detailed below.
3. discuss the conflict in the story, particularly in regards to the character’s place in it.
There are different types of characters:
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protagonists (heroes), The main character around whom most of the work revolves.
antagonists, The person who the protagonist is against. This is often the villain, but could
be a force of nature, set of circumstances, an animal, etc.
major, These are the main characters. They dominate the story. Often there are only one
or two major characters.
minor, These are the characters who help tell the major character’s tale by letting major
characters interact and reveal their personalities, situations, stories. They are usually
static (unchanging).
dynamic (changing), See below under “Look at specific things.”
static (unchanging),
stereotypical (stock), This is the absent minded professor, the jolly fat person, the
clueless blonde.
foils, These are the people whose job is to contrast with the major character. This can
happen in two ways. One: The foil can be the opposite of the major character, so the
major’s virtues and strengths are that much “brighter” in reflection. Two: The foil can be
someone like the major character, with lite versions of the major’s virtues and strengths
so that the major comes off as even stronger.
round (3 dimensional), This means the character has more than one facet to their
personality. They are not just a hardcore gamer, but they also play basketball on the
weekends.
flat (1 dimensional), This is the character who is only viewed through one side. This is
the hardcore gamer. That’s all there is to the character.
Protagonists can follow literary patterns or types:
 the anti-hero (Holden Caufield), This is the guy your mother would not want you or your
sister to date. They are often graceless, inept, and actually dishonest.
 the tragic hero (Oedipus, Macbeth), This is the guy whose bad end is a result of flaws
within himself.
 the romantic hero (Don Juan, James Bond), This is the guy the girls all swoon over. He
gets the girls, even when he doesn’t want to keep them.
 the modern hero (Chuck Bartowski), This is the average guy who is put in extraordinary
circumstances and rises to the challenge.
 the Hemingway hero, This is the guy who has been in a war, drinks too much, gets his
girlfriend pregnant, and she dies. Or guys like him.
http://www.teachingcollegeenglish.com/2008/02/28/how-to-write-a-character-analysis-and-apersonnel-review/
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To describe the character:
Consider the character’s name and appearance.
 Is the author taking advantage of stereotypes? The hot-tempered redhead, the boring
brunette, the playboy fraternity guy.
 Is the author going against stereotypes? The brilliant blonde, the socially adept professor,
the rich but lazy immigrant.
 Is the author repeating a description of the character? If so, then it is important. For
example, Kathy in East of Eden is described as rodent-like and snake-like, “sharp little
teeth” and a “flickering tongue.”
 Is their name significant? Is it a word that means something, like Honor or Hero? Does it
come from a particular place or time and make reference to that? Scarlett, Beowulf.
 Appearance and visual attributes are usually far less important than other factors, unless
their appearance is the point– such as in The Hunchback of Notre Dame. Clothing also
rarely matters, except to make him/her easier to visualize.
Consider if he/she a static (unchanging) or dynamic (changing) character. If the character
has changed during the course of the story:
 Was the change gradual or rapid?
 Was it subtle or obvious?
 Are the changes significant to the story or are they a minor counterpoint?
 Are the changes believable or fantastic?
 What was his/her motivation to change?
 What situations or characters encouraged the change?
 How does the character learn from or deal with the change?
Consider how the author discloses the character:
 By what the character says or thinks.
 By what the character does.
 By what other characters say about him/her.
 By what the author says about him/her.
 The short form for this is STAR (says, thinks, acts, reacts).
Look for these traits within the creation of the character:
psychological/personality traits
 Do these characteristics aid in the character being consistent (in character), believable,
adequately motivated, and interesting?
 Do the characteristics of the character emphasize and focus on the character’s role in the
story’s plot?
motivation
 Is the character ethical? Is he/she trying to do the right thing, but going about it in the
wrong way?
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Is the motivation because of emotion (love, hate) or a decision (revenge, promotion)?
http://www.teachingcollegeenglish.com/2008/02/28/how-to-write-a-character-analysis-and-apersonnel-review/
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behavior /actions
 Does the character act in a certain way consistently?
 Or is the character erratic?
 Could one pluck the character from the story, put them in another story, and know how
they would react?
relationships
 With other characters in the story
 How others see/react to him/her
weaknesses/faults
 Typical tragic weakness is pride. Oedipus is proud.
 Weakness could be anything. In “Little Red Riding Hood,” the girl talks to a stranger.
That’s a weakness.
strengths/virtues
 There are many different strengths and virtues.
 One strength/virtue is being good in trying times, like Cinderella.
 Another strength/virtue is caring for family, like Little Red Riding Hood.
 Another strength/virtue is being smart, like Oedipus.
 Most protagonists have more than one strength/virtue.
moral constitution
 Often a character will agonize over right and wrong.
 If a character doesn’t agonize and chooses one or the other easily, that is also significant.
protagonist/antagonist
 Does the story revolve around this character’s actions?
 If so, is the character the hero (protagonist) or villain (antagonist)?
complex/simple personality
 Personalities are more likely to be simple in children’s stories, fairy tales, and short
stories.
 Personalities are more likely to be complex in longer works.
 Even in short works, such as “The Story of an Hour,” the character’s personality can be
complex. Then it depends on what the author was focusing on.
history and background
 Sometimes a character analysis looks at the history of the individual character. Was that
person mistreated? abused? well-loved? liked?
 Sometimes the history of the work matters more. Is the story set in World War II? In
ancient Greece? That makes a difference because culture changes stories. If you don’t
know the culture, though, you may not be able to comment on this.
http://www.teachingcollegeenglish.com/2008/02/28/how-to-write-a-character-analysis-and-apersonnel-review/
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similarities and differences between the characters
 This could be the foil aspect again.
 It could be looking at how characters complement each other.
 It could be looking at why characters would be antagonistic.
character’s function in story
 Is the character an integral character? (Cinderella)
 Is the character a minor character? (The wicked stepmother in “Cinderella”)
 Is the character someone who could have been left out or is gratuitous? (The second
wicked stepsister in “Cinderella.”)
Analyze conflicts the character faces:
External –
 man vs. man: This is the protagonist versus the antagonist. Snow White versus the
Wicked Queen.
 man vs. machine: This is when the machine is the enemy. Many robot-centric novels
have this issue. (This is sometimes considered a subset of man vs. man.)
 man vs. nature: Robinson Crusoe on the island. Hansel and Gretel lost in the forest.
 man vs. animal: Captain Ahab versus the white whale in Moby Dick. The wolf in “The
Three Little Pigs.” –Usually the animal is a predator and the man has become prey for
some reason. It could be humorous, though, the man is trying to catch the dog, who runs
away and has the main character chasing him all over creation. (This is sometimes
considered a subset of man vs. nature.)
 man vs. fate or destiny: Sleeping Beauty can’t help pricking her finger. A man who has
been late several times (due to circumstances beyond his control) gets in a traffic jam and
is an hour late to work and gets fired. The fact that it has happened several times and is
not his fault is the crucial point.
 man vs. society: This is when a character battles societal norms. Winston Smith in 1984.
Huck in The Adventures of Huckleberrry Finn.
Internal –
 man vs. himself: This is when the character has an ethical dilemma, stealing to feed his
family or watch them starve. Lie to the government and save the people in the basement
or tell the truth and have them taken away. This is the cartoon equivalent of the devil
and the angel on either shoulder.
 man vs. his mind: This is the character with internal problems that are not ethical, but
mental. An example, as was pointed out in the comments, is the character with
schizophrenia or one who is bipolar. How does the character deal with his/her
limitations? What do they have to overcome? How do they overcome it? Is it harder or
easier to overcome something that is a part of the character than it is to overcome
something that is outside of the character?
http://www.teachingcollegeenglish.com/2008/02/28/how-to-write-a-character-analysis-and-apersonnel-review/