How to Write a Character Analysis Essay

How to Write a Character Analysis Essay

A character analysis essay is a challenging type of essay students usually write for literature or English courses.

In this article, we will explain what a character analysis is and how to approach it.

We will also touch on how to analyze a certain character and guide you through writing a character analysis essay.

Typically, this kind of essay requires students to describe the character in the context of the story.

This can be fulfilled by analyzing the relationship between the character in question and other characters.

Although, sometimes it is also appropriate to give your personal opinion and analysis of a specific character.

Let’s start our article with how to do a character analysis by getting straight to what a character analysis actually is.

What Is a Character Analysis Essay?

A character analysis essay explains the in-depth personality traits and characteristics of a certain character.

Mostly, the characters are from literature, but sometimes other art forms, such as cinematography.

In a character analysis essay, your main job is to tell the reader who the character really is and what role they play in the story.

Therefore, despite your personal opinion and preferences, it is really important to use your critical thinking skills and be objective towards the character you are analyzing.

A character analysis essay usually involves the character’s relationship with others, their behavior, manner of speaking, how they look, and many other characteristics.

Although it’s not a section about your job experience or education on a resume, sometimes it is appropriate to give your personal opinion and analysis of a particular character.

What Is the Purpose

More than fulfilling a requirement, this type of essay mainly helps the reader understand the character and the world they live in.

One of the essential purposes of a character analysis essay is to look at the anatomy of a character in the story and dissect who they are.

We must be able to study how the character was shaped and then learn from their life. 

A good example of a character for a character analysis essay is Daisy Buchanan from “The Great Gatsby.”

The essay starts off by explaining who Daisy is and how she relates to the main character, Jay Gatsby.

Depending on your audience, you need to decide how much of the plot should be included.

If the entire class is writing an essay on Daisy Buchanan, it is logical to assume that everyone has read the book.

Although, if you know for certain that your audience has little to no knowledge of who she is, it is crucial to include as much background information as possible. 

After that, you need to explain the character through certain situations involving her and the things she said or did.

Make sure to explain to the reader why you included certain episodes and how they have showcased the character.

Finally, sum everything up by clearly stating the character’s purpose and role in the story.  

Different Types of Characters

Several types of characters are based on their behaviors, traits, and roles within a story. We have gathered some of them, along with vivid examples from famous literature and cinema pieces:

• Major: These are the main characters; they run the story. Regularly, there are only one or two major characters. Major characters are usually of two types: the protagonist – the good guy, and the antagonist: the bad guy or the villain. 
• Protagonist(s) (heroes): The main character around whom most of the plot revolves. 

For example, Othello from Shakespeare’s play, Frodo from The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien, Harry Potter from the Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling, and Elizabeth Bennet from “Pride and Prejudice” by Jane Austen.

• Antagonist(s): This is the person that is in opposition to the protagonist. This is usually the villain, but it could also be a natural power, set of circumstances, majestic being, etc. 

For example, Darth Vader from the Star Wars series by George Lucas, King Joffrey from Game of Thrones, or the Wicked Queen from “Snow White and Seven Dwarfs.”

• Minor: These are the characters who help tell the major character’s tale by letting them interact and reveal their personalities, situations, and/or stories.
• They are commonly static (unchanging). In The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien, the minor characters would be the whole Fellowship of the ring.
• In their own way, each member of the Fellowship helps Frodo get the ring to Mordor; without them, the protagonist would not be a protagonist and would not be able to succeed.
• In the Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling, minor characters are Ronald Weasley and Hermione Granger.
• They consistently help Harry Potter on his quests against Voldemort, and, like Frodo, he wouldn’t have succeeded without them.

On top of being categorized as a protagonist, antagonist, or minor character, a character can also be dynamic, static, or foil.

• Dynamic (changing): Very often, the main character is dynamic.

An examplewould also be Harry Potter from the book series by J.K. Rowling.

Throughout the series, we see Harry Potter noticing his likeness to Voldemort.

Nevertheless, Harry resists these traits because, unlike Voldemort, he is a good person and resists any desire to become a dark wizard.

• Static (unchanging): Someone who does not change throughout the story is static.

A good exampleof a static character is Atticus Finch from “How to Kill a Mockingbird” by Harper Lee. His character and views do not change throughout the book.

He is firm and steady in his beliefs despite controversial circumstances. 

• Foils: These are the characters whose job is to draw attention to the main character(s) to enhance the protagonist’s role.

‍A great exampleof a foil character is Dr. Watson from the Sherlock Holmes series by Arthur Conan Doyle.

How to Analyze a Character 

While preparing to analyze your character, make sure to read the story carefully.

Pay attention to the situations where the character is involved, their dialogues, and their role in the plot.

Make sure you include information about what your character achieves on a big scale and how they influence other characters. Despite the categories above, try thinking outside the box and explore your character from around.

Avoid general statements and being too basic Instead, focus on exploring the complexities and details of your character(s).

How to Write a Character Analysis Essay?

To gather a more profound sense of truly understanding these characters, one must completely immerse themself in the story or literary piece.

Take note of the setting, climax, and other important academic parts.

You must be able to feel and see through the characters. Observe how the writer shaped these characters into life.

Notice how little or how vast the character identities were described.

Look at the characters’ morals and behaviors and how they have affected situations and other characters throughout the story.

Finally, observe the characters whom you find interesting. 

How Do You Start a Character Analysis Essay

When writing a character analysis essay, first, you have to choose a character you’d like to write about.

Sometimes a character will be readily assigned to you.

It’s wise to consider characters who play a dynamic role in the story.

This will captivate the reader as there will be a ton of information about these characters.

Read the Story

You might think that if you already have read the book, there is no need to do so again, however, now that you know the character you would like to focus on, reading it again will have plenty of benefits.

It will give you an opportunity to be more precise while reading the scenes that relate directly to your character and are important for his/her analysis.

While reading the book, pay attention to every tiny detail to make sure you grasp the whole array of your character’s traits. 

Consider the following things:

• What specific descriptions does the author provide for each character?

For example,while J.K. Rowling describes Harry Potter for the first time, she describes his clothes as old and oversized, his hair untidy, and his glasses as broken.

It might seem just like a simple description, but she expresses compassion and pity for an orphan neglected by his only relatives. 

• What kinds of relationships does your character have with others?

Think about how Harry builds up his friendships with others. First, him and Ron do not like Hermione because she acts like a know-it-all, but when she gets stuck in the dungeons with a horrendous troll, he rushes to save her regardless. 

• How do the actions of the character move the plot forward?

In “The Philosopher’s Stone”, Harry is very observant of any events taking place at school.

He analyzes people’s actions, which builds up the plot around the stone and its importance for the magical world.

STRUGGLE with answering the questions mentioned above?

Choose a Dynamic Character

Choosing a dynamic character is a great idea.

This does not necessarily have to be the protagonist, but a character that undergoes a lot of changes, has grown throughout the story, and is not boring and/or static.

This gives you a perfect advantage to fully show the character and make your paper entertaining and engaging for the reader. If you choose a character that is not very dynamic, your essay might turn out seeming monotonous because your character will not end up doing much and will not be very involved in the story.

Take Notes

While you are reading, it is useful to take notes or highlight/underline any and all of the critical elements of the story.

This will add depth to your character description(s). By providing vivid and specific examples, you connect your reader to the character, and the character comes alive in their eyes.

When you’re finished reading with your character in mind, review your notes and formulate the main idea about your character.

Make an initial draft while taking note of the character analysis essay outline provided by your instructor.

If you have not been provided with a sample, you may follow the recommended character analysis essay format.

Choose a Main Idea

While reading the story, make sure you keep track of your notes. It is a good idea to look at them, choose the ones that are the most representative of your character and find patterns. This will be your thesis.

Then, you need to support this idea with examples and situations involving your character. 

If your character were Jem Finch from “To Kill a Mockingbird” by Harper Lee, the main idea would be how his personal character is shaped through racial conflicts, social inequalities and internal struggles between public opinion, his own views, and what is actually right.

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