Character Analysis --Notes and Suggestions

Life is full of conflicts.  We battle them everyday as we work toward our goals or just seek to move through one 24-hour period.  Some conflicts may seem monstrous while others are so small they go unnoticed.  Yet it is conflict and struggle that brings change—positive or negative or both--into our lives.

In our readings for short fiction, we’ve seen characters combat a host of situations and decisions.  Sometimes the conflict in the piece is between the characters, while in others the struggle may place the character and her ideas/expectations at odds.  In each case, personal traits as well as individual circumstances draw the reader along as the conflict(s) comes to a resolution.

As you consider a topic for your character analysis, identifying the specifics of the character(s) you’ve chosen is the first step to forming your analysis.  Let’s say you’ve decided to take a critical look at Isabel in Lawrence’s “The Blind Man.”  Where do you start? 

Physical appearance provides the simplest beginning.  Note where Lawrence gives the reader an image of this woman.  What description is used?  How does she appear to you, the reader? What specific traits emerge?

Follow this look with some closer examinations of her dialogue—her tone as she speaks—the personality revealed in her words.  Again, mark these places in your text as well as writing down some evaluation on a sheet of paper.  What do these two aspects of the character—physical qualities and language—tell you about this individual?

Now take a closer look at Isabel’s actions.  What does this element of her character tell you about her?  What motivates her—frightens her—calms her?  What (or whom) does she seem to be in conflict with in the story?  What choices does she make as a result?  How do these choices affect her—Maurice—Bertie?

Keep digging.  What do you know about her relationship to the other characters?  Is she manipulative?  Docile?  Cunning?  Removed?  Inquisitive?  How would you describe her affect on the other characters?

Here’s the hard part—keeping that information in mind and comparing it to what you see as the outcome of the work, what can you say about Isabel as a character in this story?  What strikes you most about her and the position she holds in this work?  The best place to go looking for that answer will come from the area where you’ve generated the most information.  Perhaps you see her actions—or lack of them—as a controlling element in the struggle between Maurice and Bertie.  Word that sentiment to form your working thesis for your character analysis. 

Each writer develops these various elements—physical characteristics, actions, language, choice, personality traits, changes, and comparison—to form the character(s) working in their work of fiction.  What you see as the most significant part of that characterization will help you word your thesis and decide the manner in which you organize your paper. 

You may decide the progression of the story gives you the best backdrop.  Or you may see that specific actions create the primary effect Isabel has on Maurice and Bertie.  If so, place those actions in order of significance, weakest to strongest, and use that organization to present your ideas.  But you may think that working chronologically will give the best avenue for your ideas.  Again, don't fall into retelling the story, but stay focused on your central idea (thesis) and use the story as a guide to reveal your essay analysis. 

Remember that your paper needs to have a clear focus and should, in the intro. paragraph, identify the work and its author as well as introduce YOUR thesis. 

MLA format (pg. 388 in LBH) with clear documentation of quotes/ideas is a MUST, not an option.  Let me know if you have any questions!  Minimum length is 3 pages in 12 pt. font.