To write a character analysis essay, you first need to read through a literary work to see what characteristics the author reveals about the character through dialogue, narrative, and plot. Literary analysis essays will focus on the role each character plays in the work. The protagonist is the most important character, and the bad guy who opposes the protagonist is called the villain. Great writers create characters with many facets, so character analysis should revolve around these complexities. Here are a few things to keep in mind when analyzing your personas:

Initial Stage

Choose a character. Character analysis assignments given by school teachers usually stipulate which character you are asked to analyze. But if it’s your choice, remember to only consider dynamic characters within the story. Flat characters are unsuitable objects of analysis. A flat character refers to a pure good guy or a pure bad guy with only one side, without complex motives that can be considered.

• For example, if you are reading Mark Twain’s classic novel “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn”, you might consider choosing Huck or the runaway slave Jim, because they are dynamic characters with rich emotions. Often acting unexpectedly, their actions drive the plot forward.
• The duke or king Jim meets in Arkansas is not a suitable candidate because they have little role in the story, do not show rich emotions, and more importantly, they are static characters. The story needs a humorous interlude. It needs a way to separate Jim and Huck so that Huck can welcome him. At this critical moment, the duke and the king mainly played these roles.

Read the story with the character you want to analyze in mind. Even if you’ve read this story before, it’s worth reading it again because reading with a specific mission in mind allows you to capture some new information. Pay attention to every appearance of this character and think about the following questions:

• Take “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn” as an example. You can think of how Huck is described as a country boy, but he is ambivalent about big issues with complex social implications, such as slavery and religion.
• Consider the relationship between Huck and the runaway slave Jim at the beginning and end of the novel. Consider Huck’s relationship with his alcoholic, beating father and how that relationship shaped his character.
• Huck is the main character, so obviously his actions are important. But what is so special about Huck’s behavior? Faced with the same situation, how is his response different from others? You can talk about why Huck decided to rescue Jim when the men wanted to return Jim to his master. Even though it went completely against what he had been taught since he was a child, he decided that slavery was wrong.
• Think about how Huck grows and learns throughout the story. At first, it was easy for him to fall into traps, such as pretending to be dead. But later he was able to see through and avoid the tricks, such as when he tried to get rid of the hypocritical duke and king.

Take notes. On your second read, note down all the key elements that add depth to your protagonist. You can take notes in the side columns of the book and highlight important passages.

• Take notes. On your second read, note down all the key elements that add depth to your protagonist. You can take notes in the side columns of the book and highlight important passages.

Choose a main idea. Put together all the notes related to the character and see if you can identify the main idea. This may be the core argument of your character analysis essay. Think about their actions, motivations, and consequences. Maybe your core argument is how this character represents a boy’s growing pains or the underlying good nature of people. Perhaps this character proves to readers that even people who have made serious mistakes can and deserve redemption.

• Take “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn” as an example. You might focus on the hypocrisy of civilized society because the novel is essentially about a boy who was raised to support the enslavement of black people. When getting along with Jim on the river, he decided to treat Jim as a person and a friend instead of a slave. Huck’s father also captures Huck and “enslaves” him, and Huck eventually escapes, which is a similar situation. This also alludes to Jim’s journey to freedom. Society generally believes that Huck’s escape is just and moral, but in the eyes of the town residents, Jim’s escape committed a felony. The main conflict of the story is implicit in this contradiction.

Make an outline. After you’ve identified your main points, you can put all supporting material into an outline. Mark in the text where this character exhibits the characteristics you have summarized, as well as any textual evidence that contradicts these and adds depth to the character.

• An outline can help you organize your thoughts and ensure coherence as you continue your analysis.

Write a Character Analysis

Write the introduction first. With your core argument in mind, prepare an introductory paragraph describing your chosen character and the role that character plays in the overall work.

• The introductory paragraph should explain the topic and core argument of your analysis, and give enough background information to make the reader interested.

Describe the character’s physical characteristics. Describe what the character you want to analyze looks like and what characteristics this appearance reflects about him. Be sure to quote directly from the work or paraphrase it in your own words.

• Think of Huck’s tattered clothes and what this reflects. Let’s talk about how Huck disguises himself as a woman and goes to town to find out information. What impact does this cross-dressing have on the analysis of Huck’s character?

Introduce the background of the character. If possible, include details about the character’s growth experience. Some details may have to be introduced. People’s growth experiences will inevitably affect their personality and personal development, so it is necessary to introduce the characters’ growth experiences. When and where was this person born and where did he grow up? What kind of education did you receive? How have past experiences affected his speech and behavior?

• Write about the relationship between Huck and his father and the relationship between the Widow Douglas and Miss Watson who adopted him. What impact did these people have on Huck’s development? The contrast between Huck’s alcoholic father and the conservative ladies who later cared for him creates an interesting picture of social behavior, and it’s interesting to think about where Huck’s own beliefs and actions fit in that picture.

Write about the language this character uses. Analyze the language this character uses throughout the work. Is it unchanged from beginning to end, or is it changed halfway through?

• Huck’s speech style is that of a plebeian boy, and he often speaks in a manner that displeases the Widow Douglas. He tried hard to follow her teachings and behave properly in the church, but he still often made mistakes. His words and actions showed that he was far less civilized than he pretended to be, and he was far from the kind of person the widow wanted him to be.

Write about this character’s personality. Is he a sentimental or rational person? What values do his actions and words reflect? Does he have goals or ambitions? Be specific and be sure to quote the original text from the work or paraphrase it in your own words.

• Huck Finn tried hard to abide by social norms, but in the end, his actions followed his inner emotions. Even though he knew it was against the law, he still decided to rescue Jim who was returned to his master because he believed that Jim should not be enslaved. This is a decision that Huck makes on his own, contrary to the values that society has taught him.

Analyze this character’s relationships with other people. Think about how this character relates to other people in the story. Is he a leader or a follower? Does he have close friends and family? Analyze using examples from the text.

Describe the change or growth of this character throughout the process. Most protagonists experience conflict in their stories. Some conflicts are external, which may be caused by forces beyond his control, or may be caused by the surrounding environment and the people around him; some conflicts are internal, the character’s self-struggle in emotions or actions. Does the character get better or worse by the end? Memorable characters in literature usually grow or change.

• Huck’s external conflicts are all concentrated in the experience of rafting on the river, including physical difficulties, disasters encountered along the way, and many dilemmas and traps. Huck’s inner conflicts come to a head when he decides to help Jim fight for freedom from slavery. This is a very crucial moment in the story when Huck decides to follow his heart rather than the morals of society.

Gather supporting material or evidence for analysis. Be sure to support your opinion of the character with specific examples from the original text. Cite the original text to prove your point. If the author made the character careless, you have to give specific examples to prove that the character has this characteristic. You can quote directly from the work or paraphrase it in your own words.

Use Arguments in Writing

Support your writing with textual evidence. This means that you should provide some original excerpts from the text you are analyzing to support your argument.

• Citing the original text can increase the author’s credibility and support your argument more effectively.

Use the PIE method. That is, first make a point, then illustrate it with an example, you can quote the original text, and then explain how this quotation supports your point of view.

• For example, you could write: Huck Finn acquires an important new identity through his raft experience. He emphasized: “Being a man on a raft like this is awesome.” This sentence shows that he associates freedom and pride with his raft.

Intersperse quotations with your own words. In an academic paper, a quotation should never be an isolated sentence. Instead, you should “wrap” the quotation with your own words. The quotation should be preceded or followed by your own words.

• Wrong: “It’s cool to be a waiter on a raft like this.”
• Correct: He emphasized: “It’s cool to be a waiter on a raft like this.”
• Correct: “It’s cool to be a waiter on a raft like this,” Huck emphasized.

Don’t over-cite. Your own words should account for approximately 90% of the article, with the other 10% reserved for direct quotes. Too many citations will weaken the paper and make you look lazy, and the teacher will probably give you a low grade for this.

Tips

• First, write a draft, organize your analysis ideas, then polish it again, and then submit it to the teacher.
• Support each idea with specific examples from the text.
• Organize your essay carefully. Write an introduction that entices readers to read on. Each paragraph must revolve around a central theme. Finish with a strong conclusion.
• The characters in the story also have flaws. Analyzing flaws can add depth to a character’s character analysis.