How to Write a
Character Analysis
by Dr Davis on February 28, 2008
Adapted for Power Point
By Mrs. Travitz for 11th grade AP English
A strong character analysis will:
 identify
the type of character it is dealing
with
 describe the character
 discuss the conflict in the story, particularly
in regards to the character’s place in it.
Identify the type of character it is
dealing with… Possibilities
 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.
Identify the type of character it is
dealing with… Possibilities
 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),
Identify the type of character it is
dealing with… Possibilities


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.
Identify the type of character it is
dealing with… Possibilities
 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
Describing a character for a
character analysis

Consider the character’s name and appearance.
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
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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.”
Describing a character for a
character analysis
 Consider
the character’s name and
appearance.
 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 or
dynamic character.







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).
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?
 Is the motivation because of emotion
(love, hate) or a decision (revenge,
promotion)?
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.
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.
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.”)
protagonist/antagonist
 Does
the story revolve around this
character’s actions?
 If so, is the character the hero
(protagonist) or villain (antagonist)?
Protagonists follow literary
patterns or types:
 the
anti-hero, 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, This is the guy whose bad end is
a result of flaws within himself.
 the romantic hero, This is the guy the girls all
swoon over. He gets the girls, even when he
doesn’t want to keep them.
Protagonists follow literary
patterns or types:
 the
modern hero, 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.
Discussing the conflict in the story
for a character analysis
 Conflict
can be
External
Internal
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.
External

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.
External
 man
vs. society: This is when a character
battles societal norms. Winston Smith
in 1984. Huck in The Adventures of
Huckleberry 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.
Time to write
 Your
task—3 to 5 page paper in MLA style
(With title page, in-text citations and work cited page)
 Character
Analysis of Ethan Frome
 Due two weeks from today 4/21/09