Q&A for How to Write a Character Analysis

Show HOW the character grows. Describe how he was before, what happened to make him change, and what he's like now.

No. Since you are talking about someone who is not you, first person is not the right way to go.

To write a character analysis, you need to write an essay outlining the following: the character's name, personal information, hobbies/interests, personality, role in the book, relationships with other characters, major conflicts, and overall change throughout the course of the story.

For a character analysis, you can generally assume that your reader has read the text. You can do a bit of plot exposition in your supporting statements and the context of the character's actions, but you do not have to set up the plot.

Yes! This type of analysis would be a character relationship analysis. While a character analysis would include all relationships with other characters, a character relationship analysis would focus on just one.

You should have at least 5 paragraphs, but the sky is the limit. I would not recommend using fewer than 3 paragraphs.

You could say how a character changes is similar to how a human changes. Or begin your conclusion with starters like "That's how you know" or "Now you know".

The structure of the analysis should remain the same, even if you are the writer of the story. Just don't use information that only you as the writer would know, such as your thoughts while writing the story.

A character analysis is concerned with who the character is and why he/she makes the choices he/she makes. It is not a book summary. Focus on the motivations of the character and go in depth.

You would do it basically the same way. Talk about their character traits (nice, honest, funny, talented, etc.), their achievements, what they value most, etc. If they have changed a lot, or overcome something really difficult, you could also talk about that.

Just follow the same guidelines, and perhaps you can research more about the author if you'd like.

You don't have to follow a particular format, just be sure to have the right content.

Sometimes headings can make the paper/essay appear more organized and help it to flow better. You can ask your teacher if headings are allowed.

Make a list of all the traits you can think of for the two characters and compare them. See what they have in common and how they are different.

Use indirect characterization if you're writing a poem about this character. if you're using a poem and trying to make a character analysis of whomever the poem's about or someone in the poem, do the same as you would for a novel.

Talk about their personality or an experience they overcame in the story. Explain what this might suggest about the character

It sounds like it could be considered both.

A two-person analysis would probably involve a "compare and contrast" approach. You would pick various character traits (one at a time) and compare and contrast how each trait manifests in the characters (and perhaps how they affect their lives).

The character analysis isn't just describing their apperance, so the lack of physical description should not be too much of an issue. Just write about personality traits, motivations, etc.

Begin with an introduction where you make your thesis statement. Start by describing where the character comes from, and go into specifics later on.

Third person is very commonly used in analysis. The only alternative is first person (if you want to focus on your own thoughts about and reactions to the book).