Approaches to Begin Character Analysis Introductions
An introduction:
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captures your audience's attention with the first sentence/ hook
gives background on your topic.
develops interest in your topic.
guides your reader to your (last sentence of introduction)
includes the title of the novel in italics: To Kill a Mockingbird
includes the author of the novel: Harper Lee
NOTE: Make sure your hook (first sentence(s)) connects to your next sentence.
Strong/ Attention-Grabbing First and Second Sentences (incomplete introductions):
One option: Begin with description:
He eats raw animals at night; he stabs his father in the leg with a pair of scissors; he peeks in
windows at night to watch neighbors sleep. Arthur “Boo” Radley serves as a person of mystery and
gossip to the people of Maycomb, Alabama in the novel To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee.
He is the attorney who inspires students to join his profession; he is the father who
comforts his children in times of distress; he is the neighbor who treats all people with dignity and
respect, regardless of their race or economic status—‘“Atticus Finch is the same in his house as he is
on the public streets”’ (Lee 61). In the novel To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, Atticus Finch is a
parent of two children Jem and Scout and a lawyer who must work to defend an innocent black man
named Tom Robinson accused of raping a white woman.
Walking like an Egyptian entertains him; studying his father’s approach to justice engages
him; and arguing with his younger sister about right versus wrong is a chore he cannot avoid.
Jeremy “Jem” Finch is the maturing son of infamous attorney Atticus Finch in the novel To Kill a
Mockingbird by Harper Lee.
His favorite hobby is drinking whiskey; his approach to life is laziness above all else; and his
common methods of communication include swearing, harassing, and abusing. Bob Ewell—
ironically named Robert E. Lee Ewell—in the novel To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, is the
catalyst for one of the most infamous trials in fictional history. His accusation that his daughter
Mayella Ewell is raped by Tom Robinson, a kind black man, sparks controversy in the little town of
Maycomb, Alabama in the 1930s.
Her eyes dart suspiciously around the courtroom; her voice quivers with untruths; and her
improper speech reveals her lack of education. Miss Mayella Ewell is found in the courtroom in the
novel To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee as she testifies that Tom Robinson, a kind-hearted black
man, raped her. Her presence in the novel symbolizes the ugly truth of the South in the 1930’s: a
low-class, white person’s word will always be accepted over a black person’s.
He rode trains around the country by himself even though he was seven years old; a picture
of himself won the five-dollar prize in a beautiful child contest; and he thinks it would be a terrific
idea to adopt a baby with his friend at this young age. Charles Baker “Dill” Harris uses his
imagination in the novel To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee to hide from the sad truth of his life.
Approaches to Begin Character Analysis Introductions
A second option: Begin with a quotation by your character or narration about your
character: (These are not complete introductions)
“‘You can just take that back, boy!’” (Lee 99) Scout exclaims as she prepares to attack her
classmate. Jean Louise “Scout” Finch has a reputation for fighting boys who criticize her father
Atticus in the novel To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee.
“‘If you can learn a simple trick. . .you’ll get along a lot better with all kinds of folks. You
never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view--’” (Lee 39).
Atticus Finch, father of Jem and Scout in the novel To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, emphasizes
to his children the importance of respecting and understanding people of all races and
backgrounds. From their father, the children learn that Boo Radley is not a monster, that Mrs.
Dubose is only mean because of her morphine withdrawal, and innocent people can be accused of
crimes based on their race alone.
“Having been found in chains and left to die in the basement. . . by his new father, who
disliked him, and secretly kept alive on raw field peas by a passing farmer who heard his cries for
help. . . Dill worked himself free by pulling the chains from the wall” (Lee 187). Stories such as these
dominate Charles Baker “Dill” Harris’ imaginative world in the novel To Kill a Mockingbird by
Harper Lee.
Complete Introductions: (The thesis statements are underlined; don’t underline yours )
Famous Quotation:
“Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the judgment that something else is more
important than fear,” author Ambrose Redmoon once stated. Atticus Finch, a father and lawyer in
the novel To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, displays courage when he defends Tom Robinson, a
black man accused of raping a white woman. Mr. Finch is not afraid of being attacked or threatened
by citizens of Maycomb, Alabama who do not agree with a white man representing a black man; he
feels standing up for Tom’s rights are more important than worrying about what could happen to
him. Atticus must strive for racial equality during the Great Depression, when racism was a
predominate and acceptable quality of white Americans. He attempts to protect his children Scout
and Jem from the discrimination surrounding the Tom Robinson case and is successful—for the
most part. Throughout the novel, Atticus demonstrates courage, strong paternal instincts, and
morals which guide not only his children but readers as well through obstacles implicit in the
culture of the racially segregated South.
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Description:
Jean Louise Finch is not a name which suits a child who is engaged by age nine, a student
who rebels against her teacher’s orders to not read at home, and an adventurer who seeks the
identity of the mysterious Boo Radley; therefore, her loved ones simply refer to her lovingly as
Scout. Throughout the novel To Kill a Mockingbird, Scout learns some of the most important lessons
in life. Her personality is shaped and changed by the events occurring in her childhood. Scout tries
to live her life the best way she knows how in a time when the world is spinning around her. She
must learn to cope with the events resulting from her father Atticus’s attempt to provide justice for
an African-American named Tom Robinson. S c out’s em oti onal, i nquis i ti ve, yet dynam ic
personali ty
aff ec ts S c out’s i nteres t i n and reac ti ons to si gni fic ant c i rcum s tanc es throughou t the
novel.
Approaches to Begin Character Analysis Introductions
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Important Quotation By Character:
“A young girl walked to the witness stand. As she raised her hand and swore the evidence
she gave would be the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth so help her God, she seemed
somehow fragile looking. . .” (Lee 238). In the novel To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, Mayella
Ewell quickly shows herself to be dishonest and accusatory while on the witness stand. The reader
discovers she was forced into a life of isolation and abuse by her lazy drunk of a father, Bob Ewell.
Although she is not present throughout the entire novel, the majority of her personality and life is
revealed to the reader in the courtroom where she condemns a good-natured, innocent black man
to his death. Tom Robinson is accused of raping and beating Miss Ewell because Mayella does not
have the courage to admit to her actions of trying to seduce a black man or the courage to speak the
truth against her father’s wishes. Mayella shows that white people were consistently believed over
black people in the courtroom during the 1930’s, even if the obvious truth was told. Throughout
Mayella Ewell’s sho rt appearance i n the novel, she presents herself as isolated, abused,
and insensitive.