This document provides guidance on analyzing characters from stories. It discusses analyzing a character's personality traits, physical appearance, speech, actions, surroundings, and how others describe them. It also addresses analyzing how a character changes over the course of a story by comparing their traits at the beginning and end, and what caused the changes. The document uses the character Mrs. Mallard from a story as an example to demonstrate analyzing a character's traits and determining if they grew in a positive or negative way.

1. What is Character? J. Santoy

2. Character Analysis can discuss: Individuals in the story. Personality of those Individuals.

3. Part II: Analysis of Character (Personality) Character Traits Active Adventurous Crafty Critical Insolent Polite Immature Lonely Happy More at http://cte.jhu.edu/techacademy/web/2000/kochan/charactertraits.html Growth of Character What they were like at the beginning compared to the end Do they change? For better? Worse? Not change? Why?

4. Determining Character Traits Physical Features—what do they look like Speech—what do they say Actions—what do they do Surroundings/Environment—how do they surround themselves What others say—opinions of others about them

5. Determining Physical Features What does the character look like? How does he dress? Is the feature natural (born with it) or imposed by the character? What do these things reveal about the person?

6. Determining Character Traits by Speech How does the character speak? What does he say? What does he say about himself? What does he say about others?

7. Determining Character Traits by Actions What does the character do? What are the character’s motivations? What are the character’s goals? How does the character treat others?

8. Determining Character Traits by Using Other Characters What do others say about character? Speech How do others react to character? Body Language

9. Determining Character Traits using Environment Where does Character live? Who are his friends? Where does he work? What is his job?

10. Character Analysis: Mrs. Mallard Determining Character Traits Actions III. What others say Interpretation A. Interpretation Evidence B. Evidence Speech IV. Environment A. Interpretation A. Interpretation B. Evidence B. Evidence

11. Analysis of Character Traits leads to. . . More in-depth character analysis Growth of Character What does the character learn? How does the character change? Does the character become a better person? Does the character become worse?

12. Determining Growth of Character using Character Traits What is character like at the beginning? What is character like at the end? What causes the change in the character?

13. Growth/Transformation of Character: Mrs. Mallard (Positive or Negative) What is Mrs. Mallard like at the beginning? Interpretation Evidence What is Mrs. Mallard like at the end? Interpretation Evidence What causes the change? Interpretation Evidence

14. Character Analysis lets you: Determine Growth of Character Traits at the beginning Event which instigates change Traits at the end Determine Complexity of Character Character Traits using speech, actions, appearance, what others say, and evironment