Warm-Up for Analyzing a Character
Who is your favorite character from a story or novel? Someone with amazing abilities who does astounding things? Someone with major flaws who overcomes them in surprising ways? Is the person likable? Intelligent? Funny? Are other qualities more important? You could answer these questions in many ways because great characters, like real people, are multilayered and complex.
In this unit, you will peel back the layers of a character from a story or novel. In addition to the person's actions, you'll analyze the character's mind, body, and spirit to discover what makes the person tick. In the process, you may even get closer to understanding what really makes a great literary character.
What Is a Character Analysis?
Listen to "What Is a Character Analysis?"
Hide audio
A character analysis is a response to literature that looks closely at one or more characters from a story or novel. A successful analysis considers different aspects of a character, provides textual evidence about the person, and explains what these details mean in the larger context of the work.
In this unit, you will pick a key character from a work of fiction that you know well. The lessons that follow will help you closely analyze the character, express an overarching idea about the person, and find evidence to support your position.
Thinking About Character Traits
One of the challenges of writing a character analysis is drawing conclusions about someone you have met only through words on a page. You have to rely on text evidence, things the character does and says in the story. Of course, we all make similar judgments about people we've met only in other media, for example favorite icons from music, sports, politics, or movies.
You can warm up your character-analysis muscles by answering interview questions from the perspective of a famous person. Create answers as best you can based on what you know about the person. Here's an example to get you started:
Interviewer:
Clarissa from Crossover Magazine
Interviewee:
Steph Curry, basketball superstar
What personal characteristics have helped you become successful?
Well, I'm a perfectionist. I believe in the power of repetition. A lot of people are fascinated with my warm-up routine. Before every game, I do the same dribbling exercises and make the same number of shots from the same places on the court. The routine itself is something I developed and worked at as a kid, a college student, and an adult. My commitment to practice and repetition has really helped me with my career. I also know how play to my strengths and avoid my limitations. Obviously, I don't have the size or strength of most guys in the NBA, but I've learned to use my speed and high basketball IQ to my advantage. Every move I make on the court has a purpose. I feel like I'm close to mastering the angles of basketball. No step is wasted.
How would your friends describe you?
Easy going, goofy, hopefully down to earth
What motivates you?
Earning the respect of my peers, being a great husband and father, and winning more championship trophies
What's your greatest fear?
Trying to guard LeBron James on a fast break. I'm kind of kidding, though that is scary. I guess my latest fear is losing my passion for the game. I know at some point I'll break down physically, but before then I don't ever want to get to a point where the mental grind of basketball wears me down to the point of breaking.
Where do you want to be in five years?
Still playing ball, of course. Hopefully, I'll still be with the Golden State Warriors. I love the Bay Area.
Create a fictional interview.
Choose a famous person to "interview." Make up answers to the interview questions from the perspective of the famous person. Don't worry about getting the person's answers perfectly accurate, but do think carefully about everything you know about the person to create realistic answers.
Interviewer:
Interviewee:
- What personal characteristics have helped you become successful?
- How would your friends describe you?
- What motivates you?
- What's your greatest fear?
- Where do you want to be in five years?
Teaching Tip
Encourage students to use this exercise as a jumping-off point for thinking about the strengths, weaknesses, and motivations of the characters in literature.