WRITING THAT CHARACTER ANALYSIS ESSAY

Table of contents

• How to Write a Character Analysis Essay
• What is a Character Analysis Essay?
  • What is the Purpose of a Character Study Paper
  • Different Characters in Your Essays
• How to Write a Character Analysis Essay
• How to Start a Character Analysis Essay
• Writing a Character Analysis Essay Outline
  • Introductory Paragraph
  • Body Paragraphs
  • Conclusion
  • Sequencing
• Character Analysis Rough Draft
• Character Analysis Final Draft
• How to Write a Character Analysis: Writing Tips
• Professional Analysis Help

---

How to Write a Character Analysis Essay

If you are taking any course that requires you to read works of literature, plays, even view films, you may be required to write a character analysis essay. That’s because delving into the characters, their growth, conflicts, and decisions is a key activity for understanding these works as a whole.

If you find yourself struggling with writing a character analysis paper, this guide was written just for you. We’ll start with a character analysis definition, provide advice on topic selection, help you to structure and write your essay, and give you some additional tips. We’ll even help you find a character analysis essay example.

Delving into the characters, their growth, conflicts, and decisions is a key activity for understanding works of literature as a whole.

What is a Character Analysis Essay?

This is a type of analysis essay. With this particular subset, it requires the writer to develop an in-depth understanding of the character who is the subject of their essay. The goal is to develop a clear and detailed profile, then analyze the actions, thoughts, and motivations of that character fully. In other words, what makes a particular character tick? Why were they written the way that they were?

What is the Purpose of a Character Study Paper

There’s more to this than simply completing an assignment for a grade. This essay helps readers to understand the characters they encounter in literature. That leads to a greater understanding of the written work as a whole. The purpose is to dissect the character in a way that we understand them and can draw insights from them.

The character analysis essay helps readers to understand the characters they encounter in literature.

Different Characters in Your Essays

Before you choose the character you will highlight in your essay, you should understand the different types of characters you will encounter. These include:

• Protagonist - The main character and center of the plot. Usually the good guy.
• Antagonist - Also a main character and the enemy of the protagonist. It can be the villain or something more ethereal like the protagonist’s own conscience or struggles.
• Major - These are the main characters in the story. There are only a couple usually.
• Static - Characters that do not change.
• Dynamic - Characters that do change.
• Minor - Play a supporting role to the major characters.
• Foil - Characters who are the opposite of the protagonist.

How to Write a Character Analysis Essay

The first step is to immerse yourself in the assigned reading. Consume the content attentively and take notes. You may need to go through things more than once. Take notes of the plot itself. Then observe each character. Take notes that help you to understand and recall the plot and scene, and literary devices used. Next, pay attention to the character. How do they impact the story? How do they interact with the other characters? What is their personality like at the beginning and end of the story? How does their moral compass change over time? From this information, you can find the character you want to write about.

How to Start a Character Analysis Essay

Now that you’ve read the written work, you should be able to choose a character. That’s assuming one has not been assigned to you. Ideally, you should pick a character who is pivotal to the story being told. This will give you more to write about, and help you keep the reader’s interest.

Pick a character who is pivotal to the story being told, so you have a lot of details to work with.

Writing a Character Analysis Essay Outline

Once you have chosen the character, it’s time to organize your notes and write an outline. Your character analysis essay will be much better if you take this important step. As with most essays, your character reflection essay will start with the introductory paragraph.

Introductory Paragraph

Start your outline with the structure for your introductory paragraph. This will include the hook, introduction of the topic, and your thesis. An example of an outline introduction for a literary essay about a character might look like this:

I. Character analysis of Severus Snape

1. Hook: Severus Snape is a potions expert, death eater, harsh instructor, and sensitive soul?
2. While many people focus on Harry Potter and his cohorts, there’s no denying that Severus Snape plays a pivotal role in the Harry Potter series of novels. This work will analyze this character in the book, ‘The Sorcerer's Stone’.
3. Thesis: Snape made some of the largest personal sacrifices in pursuit of justice, and was unfairly characterized as a villain.

Body Paragraphs

Most essays will have at least three body paragraphs. They will contain the main idea sentence and supporting points. These should be based on examples in the written work about which you are writing. Here’s an example outline segment for a literary essay about a character:

II. Main idea supporting that snape should not be characterised as a villain

1. Example 1 from written work
2. Example 2 from written work
3. Example 3 from written work

Conclusion

There’s more to writing a conclusion than simply repeating the thesis. Instead, show that the entirety of the evidence you have introduced proves your assertions. Reference the main points you have, and close with a powerful statement.

Sequencing

This is a good time to figure out the ideal sequence of your essay. The body of your paper can be in any order that you believe is best. You could try making your points as they come up in order as the book is read. You can also start with your weakest evidence, then build up to your strongest evidence.

Character Analysis Rough Draft

Once you have your outline, you should be able to expand it into a rough draft fairly easily. Just focus on expanding the outline into sentences and paragraphs. Pay particular attention to the end and beginning of paragraphs. Your transitions will determine whether or not your essay is easy and pleasurable to read.

Character Analysis Final Draft

Your final draft should be impeccably edited. It should be written according to your assigned essay format with all citations in place. This is the paper you will turn in for a grade. So double-check your work. Most importantly, read it over again to be sure that you have done the character justice. Think of someone who is entirely unfamiliar with this written work. They should have a clear understanding of your character.

How to Write a Character Analysis: Writing Tips

Here are some tips to consider as you write your paper:

• Be objective. Don’t let your personal likes or dislikes of a character influence your analysis.
• Base your analysis on what the writer presents. This is an analysis, not fan fiction.
• Have a third party read the paper for a fresh perspective.

Professional Analysis Help

If you are facing a character analysis paper, and need additional help, don’t hesitate to contact us. In addition to this guide, writing samples, and other content, we offer professional writing assistance for students just like you.