Character Analysis

adapted from Dr. Davis’s, How to write a Character Analysis.

A strong character analysis will:

• identify the type of character it is dealing

With• describe the character• discuss the conflict in the story,

particularlyin regards to the character’s place in it.

Identify the type of character it isdealing with… Possibilities

protagonists (heroes), The main characteraround whom most of the work revolves.

antagonists, The person who the protagonist isagainst. This is often the villain, but could be aforce of nature, set of circumstances, an animal,etc.

major, These are the main characters. Theydominate the story. Often there are only one ortwo major characters.

Identify the type of character it isdealing with… Possibilities

minor, These are the characters who helptell the major character’s tale by lettingmajor characters interact and reveal theirpersonalities, situations, stories. They areusually static (unchanging).

dynamic (changing), See below under“Look at specific things.”

static (unchanging),

Identify the type of character it isdealing with… Possibilities

stereotypical (stock), This is the absent mindedprofessor, the jolly fat person, the clueless blonde.

foils, These are the people whose job is to contrast withthe major character. This can happen in twoways. One: The foil can be the opposite of the majorcharacter, so the major’s virtues and strengths are thatmuch “brighter” in reflection. Two: The foil can besomeone like the major character, with lite versions ofthe major’s virtues and strengths so that the majorcomes off as even stronger.

Identify the type of character it isdealing with… Possibilities

round (3 dimensional), This means the characterhas more than one facet to their personality.They are not just a hardcore gamer, but theyalso play basketball on the weekends.

flat (1 dimensional), This is the character who isonly viewed through one side. This is thehardcore gamer. That’s all there is to thecharacter

Describing a character for acharacter analysis

Consider the character’s name and appearance.

Is the author taking advantage of stereotypes? The hot-temperedredhead, the boring brunette, the playboy fraternity guy. Is the author going against stereotypes? The brilliant blonde, thesocially adept professor, the rich but lazy immigrant. Is the author repeating a description of the character? If so, thenit is important. For example, Kathy in East of Eden is describedas rodent-like and snake-like, “sharp little teeth” and a “flickeringtongue.”

Describing a character for acharacter analysis

Consider the character’s name andappearance. Is their name significant? Is it a word that meanssomething, like Honor or Hero? Does it come from aparticular place or time and make reference to that?Scarlett, Beowulf.

Appearance and visual attributes are usually far lessimportant than other factors, unless their appearanceis the point– such as in The Hunchback of NotreDame. Clothing also rarely matters, except to makehim/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 aminor 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 thechange?

Consider how the authordiscloses the character:

By what the character says or thinks.By what the character does.By what other characters say abouthim/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 thecharacter being consistent (in character),believable, adequately motivated, andinteresting?

Do the characteristics of the characteremphasize and focus on the character’srole in the story’s plot?

Motivation

Is the character ethical? Is he/she trying todo 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. 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, likeLittle Red Riding Hood.

Another strength/virtue is being smart.

Most protagonists have more than onestrength/virtue

moral constitution

Often a character will agonize over right and wrong.

If a character doesn’t agonize andchooses 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 thehistory of the individual character. Was thatperson mistreated? abused? well-loved? liked? Sometimes the history of the work mattersmore. Is the story set in World War II? Inancient Greece? That makes a differencebecause culture changes stories. If you don’tknow the culture, though, you may not be able tocomment on this.

similarities and differences

between the characters

This could be the foil aspect again. It could be looking at how characterscomplement each other. It could be looking at why characterswould be antagonistic.

character’s function in story

Is the character an integralcharacter? (Cinderella)

Is the character a minor character? (Thewicked stepmother in “Cinderella”)

Is the character someone who could havebeen left out or is gratuitous? (The secondwicked 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 literarypatterns or types:

the anti-hero, This is the guy your mother wouldnot want you or your sister to date. They areoften graceless, inept, and actually dishonest.

the tragic hero, This is the guy whose bad end isa result of flaws within himself.

the romantic hero, This is the guy the girls allswoon over. He gets the girls, even when hedoesn’t want to keep them.

the modern hero, This is the average guywho is put in extraordinary circumstancesand rises to the challenge.

Discussing the conflict in the story

for a character analysis

Conflict can be:

ExternalInternal

External

man vs. man: This is the protagonist versus theantagonist. Snow White versus the WickedQueen.

man vs. machine: This is when the machine isthe enemy. Many robot-centric novels have thisissue. (This is sometimes considered a subset ofman 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 apredator 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 herfinger. A man who has been late several times (due tocircumstances beyond his control) gets in a traffic jam and is anhour late to work and gets fired. The fact that it has happenedseveral times and is not his fault is the crucial point.

External

man vs. society: This is when a characterbattles societal norms. Winston Smithin 1984. Huck in The Adventures ofHuckleberry Finn.

Internalman vs. himself: This is when thecharacter has an ethical dilemma, stealingto feed his family or watch them starve. Lieto the government and save the people inthe basement or tell the truth and havethem taken away. This is the cartoonequivalent of the devil and the angelon either shoulder.