1. Character Analysis

2. Characters can be  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).

3.  dynamic (changing) - a character who undergoes an important inner change such as a change in personality or attitude:  static (unchanging) – a character who undergoes little or no inner change; a character who does not grow or develop.  stereotypical (stock), This is the absent minded professor, the jolly fat person, the clueless blonde. Characters can be

4.  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. Characters can be

5. To describe the Character

6. 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.

7. Consider if he/she a static (unchanging) or dynamic (changing) 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?

8. 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).

9. Look for these things within the creation of the character: 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?

10. 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)?

11. 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?

12. Relationships  With other characters in the story  How others see/react to him/her Strengths Weaknesses Morals – 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.

13. 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.

14. 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.”)

15.  How to write a character analysis How to write a character analysis How to write a character analysis

16. Response log focusing on character analysis  What is going on in this passage?  What is your first impression of this character?  What line(s) raise questions for you that need to be answered? Why?

17. Response log focusing on character analysis  What is going on in this passage?  What is your first impression of this character?  What line(s) raise questions for you that need to be answered? Why?

18. Criteria for response log (not met) This student makes reasonable inferences about the character, but does not support them with details from the selection. details from the selection. accurately describes setting, characters, and events, and their relationships accurately describes setting, characters, and events, and their relationships makes simple inferences about characters makes simple inferences about characters offers a logical interpretation of the theme and provides some evidence; offers a logical interpretation of the theme and provides some evidence; tends to focus on the obvious tends to focus on the obvious

19. This student’s response includes an accurate analysis of character, well supported with  references to the selection.  accurately and thoroughly describes setting, characters, and events and their relationships  makes and justifies logical predictions about events in and “beyond” the selection  makes inferences about characters and story events, supported by specific evidence from the selection  makes logical connections to own ideas and knowledge; shows some insight (e.g., “typical teen that talks good and bad about her friend”) Criteria for response log (met)