character evolution essay examples

How to Write a Character Analysis Essay

character evolution essay examples

A character analysis essay is a challenging type of essay students usually write for literature or English courses. In this article, we will explain the definition of character analysis and how to approach it. We will also touch on how to analyze characters and guide you through writing character analysis essays.

Typically, this kind of writing requires students to describe the character in the story's context. This can be fulfilled by analyzing the relationship between the character in question and other personas. Although, sometimes, giving your personal opinion and analysis of a specific character is also appropriate.

Let's explain the specifics of how to do a character analysis by getting straight to defining what is a character analysis. Our term paper writers will have you covered with a thorough guide!

What Is a Character Analysis Essay?

The character analysis definition explains the in-depth personality traits and analyzes characteristics of a certain hero. Mostly, the characters are from literature, but sometimes other art forms, such as cinematography. In a character analysis essay, your main job is to tell the reader who the character is and what role they play in the story. Therefore, despite your personal opinion and preferences, it is really important to use your critical thinking skills and be objective toward the character you are analyzing. A character analysis essay usually involves the character's relationship with others, their behavior, manner of speaking, how they look, and many other characteristics.

Although it's not a section about your job experience or education on a resume, sometimes it is appropriate to give your personal opinion and analysis of a particular character.

What Is the Purpose of a Character Analysis Essay

More than fulfilling a requirement, this type of essay mainly helps the reader understand the character and their world. One of the essential purposes of a character analysis essay is to look at the anatomy of a character in the story and dissect who they are. We must be able to study how the character was shaped and then learn from their life. 

A good example of a character for a character analysis essay is Daisy Buchanan from 'The Great Gatsby.' The essay starts off by explaining who Daisy is and how she relates to the main character, Jay Gatsby. Depending on your audience, you need to decide how much of the plot should be included. If the entire class writes an essay on Daisy Buchanan, it is logical to assume everyone has read the book. Although, if you know for certain that your audience has little to no knowledge of who she is, it is crucial to include as much background information as possible. 

After that, you must explain the character through certain situations involving her and what she said or did. Make sure to explain to the reader why you included certain episodes and how they have showcased the character. Finally, summarize everything by clearly stating the character's purpose and role in the story. 

We also highly recommend reading how to write a hook for an essay .

Still Need Help with Your Character Analysis Essay?

Different types of characters.

To make it clear how a reader learns about a character in the story, you should note that several characters are based on their behaviors, traits, and roles within a story. We have gathered some of them, along with vivid examples from famous literature and cinema pieces:

How to Write a Character Analysis Essay

Types of Characters

  • Major : These are the main characters; they run the story. Regularly, there are only one or two major characters. Major characters are usually of two types: the protagonist – the good guy, and the antagonist: the bad guy or the villain. 
  • Protagonist (s) (heroes): The main character around whom most of the plot revolves. 

For example, Othello from Shakespeare's play, Frodo from The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien, Harry Potter from the Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling, and Elizabeth Bennet from 'Pride and Prejudice' by Jane Austen.

  • Antagonist (s): This is the person that is in opposition to the protagonist. This is usually the villain, but it could also be a natural power, set of circumstances, majestic being, etc. 

For example, Darth Vader from the Star Wars series by George Lucas, King Joffrey from Game of Thrones, or the Wicked Queen from 'Snow White and Seven Dwarfs.'

  • Minor : These characters help tell the major character's tale by letting them interact and reveal their personalities, situations, and/or stories. They are commonly static (unchanging). The minor characters in The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien would be the whole Fellowship of the ring. In their own way, each member of the Fellowship helps Frodo get the ring to Mordor; without them, the protagonist would not be a protagonist and would not be able to succeed. In the Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling, minor characters are Ronald Weasley and Hermione Granger. They consistently help Harry Potter on his quests against Voldemort, and, like Frodo, he wouldn't have succeeded without them.

On top of being categorized as a protagonist, antagonist, or minor character, a character can also be dynamic, static, or foil.

  • Dynamic (changing): Very often, the main character is dynamic.
An example would also be Harry Potter from the book series by J.K. Rowling. Throughout the series, we see Harry Potter noticing his likeness to Voldemort. Nevertheless, Harry resists these traits because, unlike Voldemort, he is a good person and resists any desire to become a dark wizard.
  • Static (unchanging): Someone who does not change throughout the story is static.
A good example of a static character is Atticus Finch from “How to Kill a Mockingbird” by Harper Lee. His character and views do not change throughout the book. He is firm and steady in his beliefs despite controversial circumstances. 
  • Foils : These characters' job is to draw attention to the main character(s) to enhance the protagonist's role.
‍ A great example of a foil charact e r is Dr. Watson from the Sherlock Holmes series by Arthur Conan Doyle.

How to Analyze a Character 

While preparing to analyze your character, make sure to read the story carefully.

  • Pay attention to the situations where the character is involved, their dialogues, and their role in the plot.
  • Make sure you include information about what your character achieves on a big scale and how they influence other characters.
  • Despite the categories above, try thinking outside the box and explore your character from around.
  • Avoid general statements and being too basic. Instead, focus on exploring the complexities and details of your character(s).

How to Write a Character Analysis Essay?

To learn how to write a character analysis essay and gather a more profound sense of truly understanding these characters, one must completely immerse themself in the story or literary piece.

  • Take note of the setting, climax, and other important academic parts.
  • You must be able to feel and see through the characters. Observe how analysis essay writer shaped these characters into life.
  • Notice how little or how vast the character identities were described.
  • Look at the characters' morals and behaviors and how they have affected situations and other characters throughout the story.
  • Finally, observe the characters whom you find interesting. 

Meanwhile, if you need help writing a paper, leave us a message ' write my paper .'

How Do You Start a Character Analysis Essay

When writing a character analysis essay, first, you have to choose a character you'd like to write about. Sometimes a character will be readily assigned to you. It's wise to consider characters who play a dynamic role in the story. This will captivate the reader as there will be much information about these personas.

Read the Story

You might think that if you already have read the book, there is no need to do so again; however, now that you know the character you would like to focus on, reading it again will have plenty of benefits. It will give you an opportunity to be more precise while reading the scenes that relate directly to your character and are important for his/her analysis. While reading the book, pay attention to every tiny detail to make sure you grasp the whole array of your character's traits. 

Consider the following things:

  • What specific descriptions does the author provide for each character?

For example, when J.K. Rowling describes Harry Potter for the first time, she describes his clothes as old and oversized, his hair untidy, and his glasses as broken. It might seem just like a simple description, but she expresses compassion and pity for an orphan neglected by his only relatives. 

  • What kinds of relationships does your character have with others?

Think about how Harry builds up his friendships with others. First, he and Ron do not like Hermione because she acts like a know-it-all, but when she gets stuck in the dungeons with a horrendous troll, he rushes to save her regardless. 

  • How do the actions of the character move the plot forward?

In 'The Philosopher's Stone,' Harry is very observant of any events taking place at school. He analyzes people's actions, which builds up the plot around the stone and its importance for the magical world.

Get help with your character analysis from our experts.

Choose a Dynamic Character

Choosing a dynamic character is a great idea. This does not necessarily have to be the protagonist, but a character that undergoes many changes has grown throughout the story and is not boring and/or static. This gives you a perfect advantage to fully show the character and make your paper entertaining and engaging for the reader. If you choose a character that is not very dynamic, your essay might seem monotonous because your character will not end up doing much and will not be very involved in the story.

While you are reading, it is useful to take notes or highlight/underline any of the critical elements of the story. This will add depth to your character description(s). By providing vivid and specific examples, you connect your reader to the character, and the character comes alive in their eyes. Review your notes and formulate the main idea about your character when you're finished reading with your character in mind.

Make an initial draft while taking note of the character analysis essay outline provided by your instructor. You may follow the recommended character analysis essay format if you have not been provided with a sample.

Choose a Main Idea

While reading the story, make sure you keep track of your notes. It is a good idea to look at them, choose the ones that are the most representative of your character and find patterns. This will be your thesis. Then, you must support this idea with examples and situations involving your character. 

If your character were Jem Finch from 'To Kill a Mockingbird' by Harper Lee, the main idea would be how his personal character is shaped through racial conflicts, social inequalities, and internal struggles between public opinion, his own views, and what is actually right. Essaypro offers you history essay help. Leave us a notice if you need to proofread, edit, or write your essay.

Character Analysis Questions

Now that you have jotted down some main concepts about your character, here is a list of questions that can help you fill in the blanks you might still have:

character analysis quesions

  • Where do the events involving your character take place?
  • What are the relationships between your character and other significant characters?
  • What is the primary change your character has gone through throughout the story?
  • What is your character's background?
  • What is your character's occupation?
  • What kind of emotions does your character go through?
  • What are your character's values?
  • What is your character's value?
  • Does your character have friends?
  • Is there a lesson your character has learned by the end of the story?
  • Does the character achieve the goals he/she has set for himself/herself?

Make a Character Analysis Essay Outline

When you're unsure how to write a character synopsis, remember that creating a literary analysis outline is one of the most critical steps. A well-constructed character analysis outline will keep your thoughts and ideas organized.

Character Analysis Essay Introduction:

Make the introduction to your paper brief and meaningful. It should hold together your entire essay and spark your audience's interest. Write a short description of the character in question. Don't forget to include a character analysis thesis statement which should make a case for the character's relevance within the narrative context.

Character Analysis Essay Body:

Subdivide your body paragraphs into different ideas or areas regarding the character. Look at your professor's rubric and ensure you'll be able to tackle all the requirements. You should also be provided with questions to be answered to formulate your analysis better. The body should answer the following questions:

  • What is the character's physical appearance, personality, and background?
  • What are the conflicts the character experiences, and how did he/she overcome them?
  • What can we learn from this character?
  • What is the meaning behind the character's actions? What motivates him/her?
  • What does the character do? How does he/she treat others? Is he/she fair or unjust?
  • What does the character say? What is his/her choice of words? Does he/she have a rich vocabulary?
  • How does the character describe themself? How do others describe him/her?
  • What words do you associate with the character? Perhaps a word like 'hope,' 'bravery,' or maybe even 'freedom'?

Character Analysis Essay Conclusion:

It's time to master the secrets of how to write character analysis essay conclusions. Your ending should also hold your ideas together and shape a final analysis statement. Mention things about the character's conflicts that we could experience in real life. Additionally, you can write about how a character should've reacted to a certain situation.

Character Analysis Essay Example

Read our blogs ‘Character Analysis of Jem Finch', 'The Great Gatsby Book Through Daisy Buchanan Character,' 'Analysis of Characters in Beowulf,' or simply use these character analysis essay examples to reference your paper. You might also be interested in a synthesis essay example .

Now that you know what is character analysis, it might be time to choose a character to write about. If you find yourself in a situation where you need to type ' do my homework for me ,' you should contact our writers. You also get a free plagiarism report, formatting, and citing when  buying an essay from us!

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How To Write A Character Analysis Essay?

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Writing a Character Analysis Essay | Step-by-Step Guide

I’m also going to give you a ton of examples.

This post is split into four parts for easy navigation:

  • What is a Character Analysis Essay?
  • What is the best Format to Use?
  • 11 Character Analysis Example Ideas
  • Template, Checklist and Outline for Your own Piece

character analysis essay example

In this post, I’m going to explain to you clearly and in a step-by-step way how to conduct a character analysis.

1. What is a Character Analysis Essay?

Let’s get you started with some really simple details about what a character analysis is:

  • A Quick Definition: A character analysis essay zooms-in on a character in a book, movie or even real life. It provides what we sometimes call a ‘sketch’ of a character.
  • The Purpose of a Character Analysis: The purpose of a character analysis is to reveal interesting details about the character that might contain a broader moral message about the human condition. For example, Atticus Finch is not just a lawyer in To Kill a Mockingbird. Rather, he provides us with a moral message about the importance of doing what you believe is right even though you know you will likely fail.

2. What is the best Character Analysis Essay Format?

Character analysis essays do not have just one format.

However, let me offer some advice that might act as a character analysis essay outline or ‘checklist’ of possible things you could discuss:

1. Start with the Simple Details.

You can start a character analysis by providing a simple, clear description of who your character is. Look at some basic identity traits such as:

  • Race (if relevant)
  • Social class (if relevant)
  • Protagonist or Antagonist? A protagonist is the character who is our central character in the plot; the antagonist is often the protagonist’s opponent or challenger.
  • Major or minor character?

2. What are the character’s distinctive personality features?

Your character might have some really clearly identifiable character traits. It’s best to highlight in your character analysis the exact traits that this character possesses. Some common character traits include:

I recommend you take a moment to write down what you think the top 3 to 5 words are that you’d use to explain your character’s personality traits. These will be important to discuss throughout your character analysis.

Sometimes a character may start out with some personality traits, but change over the course of the text. This is quite common; and one clear example of this is Lady Macbeth she deteriorates from a cutthroat power player to a guilt ridden shell of a person roaming the halls of the castle. This dramatic character change is something that makes her very interesting, and is worthy of discussion!

3. What are the character’s key relationships?

Does your character have a close relationship with a certain person in the storyline?

You might want to discuss the character’s relationships as a part of your character analysis. These relationships may reveal some key personality traits of your character.

For example, in Shakespeare’s play Hamlet, Horatio is the loyal offsider to Hamlet. Through his actions in staying by Hamlet through thick and thin, we learn that he is a deeply loyal character.

Examining the character’s relationships with their friends and foes therefore is very useful for digging deeper into who this character actually is, and what personality traits they have when they are put to the test within the narrative.

4. What are the character’s motivations?

Another thing you might want to examine are the character’s motivations . What do they desire most in the world? Some common motivations for characters in stories are:

  • A simple life
  • To serve others

This list really could be endless, but I hope the above examples give you a bit of an idea of the sorts of traits to look out for. By mentioning and examining the motivations of the character, we will come closer and closer to learning exactly what moral message this character might be able to tell us.

5. What are the character’s key conflicts?

Stories tend to have a beginning, a complication, and a resolution.

The complication involves conflicts and challenges that need to be overcome. For Edmund in Narnia, it’s cowardice. For Romeo and Juliet, it’s the conflict between love and family loyalty. Here’s some other common conflicts for characters:

  • Whether to stay loyal to a friend;
  • To overcome obstacles to love;
  • To seek a way out of a challenging situation;
  • To escape war or poverty;
  • To persevere through imprisonment;
  • To overcome personal fear

Again, this list is endless.

Knowing the character’s core conflict gets us even closer to knowing the moral that the character is trying to teach us.

For example, in Romeo and Juliet, the challenge of Romeo and Juliet being together despite their families’ objections teaches us something. Personally, I believe it teaches us the importance of letting go of old grudges in order to let love bloom.

This moral lesson was taught to us through conflict: namely, the conflict that Romeo and Juliet were right in the center of.

6. What are the character’s epiphanies?

Sometimes a character has an epiphany. This often happens towards the end of the story and helps the character overcome the challenge or conflict that we discussed in the point above.

Here’s an example of an epiphany:

  • In the Lion King, Simba runs away from his tribe to live in exile. After a chance encounter with his childhood friend Nala, he has an epiphany that he has a duty to his tribe. This leads him back home to fight Scar and return freedom to Pride Rock.

Not all characters have an epiphany. But, if they do, I strongly encourage you to write about it in your character analysis.

7. Examine the moral message the character teaches us.

Finally, conclude by examining the moral message behind the character. Nearly every character has something to teach the reader. Authors put a lot of thought into creating complex characters with whom we can relate. We relate to the character and say “wow, they taught me a lesson about something!”

The lesson might be something like:

  • Money doesn’t buy happiness;
  • Loyalty to family comes above all else;
  • Love gives life meaning;
  • Honesty is always the best policy

This is the core of your character analysis essay. If you can pick out exactly what moral message the character teaches you, you’ll be well on your way to writing a strong character analysis.

Below I’m going to give you some examples to help you out. I know it can be hard to really get your head around a character, so sometimes the best thing is to look at some samples!

3. Here’s 13 Example Character Analysis Essay Ideas.

Most times when we create a character analysis, we’re exploring the deeper moral stories / aspects of humanity. Here’s some example ideas. I’ve tried to outline in less than a paragraph exactly what your key point will be about each character:

  • Atticus Finch from To Kill a Mockingbird: A character who teaches us a lesson about standing up for what’s right, even if you know you’re likely to lose.
  • Huckleberry Finn from Huckleberry Finn: A character who reveals our inner desire for freedom from the elements of society that constrain us.
  • Dudley from Harry Potter: A character whose personality tells us a cautionary tale of the perils of middle-class narcissism, parents’ desire to wrap their children in cotton wool, and the lack of discipline we perceive in contemporary childhoods.
  • Jack from Lord of the Flies: A character who represents the innate desire for power that seems to lurk not too far from the surface of the human condition. When social structures are stripped away, he quickly reverts to violence and superstition to assert control over his peers.
  • Lady Macbeth from Macbeth: Lady Macbeth teaches us a valuable lesson about the perils of contravening our own morality. She starts out a cutthroat killer but is increasingly consumed by the guilt of her own actions. While we may be able to escape full punishment from outside forces, it is the inner guilt that might eat us away to our last.
  • The Boy who Cried Wolf: The boy who cried wolf is a character whose fatal flaw is his desire for attention and adulation. His repeated attempts at gaining the attention of others leads the townspeople to no longer take him seriously, which causes him harm when he actually needs the villagers to take him seriously to save his life. He teaches us the virtue of honest and humility.
  • Nick Carraway from the Great Gatsby: Nick shows us all the inner conflict between the trappings of wealth, glamor and spectacle; and the desire for simplicity, honesty and community. He is drawn by the dazzling world of East Egg, New York, but by the end of the novel sees live in East Egg as shallow and lacking the moral depth of his former life in small town Minnesota.
  • Alice from Alice in Wonderland: In many ways, Alice represents the child within all of us. She is a character of goodwill to all and who looks upon the world (or, rather, Wonderland) with awe. Travelling with a cadre of flawed characters, she learns with them the importance of seeking strength from within.
  • The Nurse in Romeo and Juliet: Like many Shakespearian characters, the nurse’s role is both as loyal confidante to a central character and comic relief. Shakespeare uses minor characters to regale his crowd and sustain viewer interest between scenes.
  • Lucy in The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe: Lucy represents a surprising character whose youthfulness and small stature make her an underrated character by all around her. Nonetheless, she possesses within the bravery and loyalty necessary to carry out the quest for Aslan. Lucy represents the goodness in children and, by extension, all of mankind.
  • Anne in Anne of Green Gables: Anne occupies the typical literary role of young girls in many classical novels: she represents innocence and wonder, and her contraventions of rules are seen through a prism of childhood innocence. This frames Anne not as a deviant but as a precious soul.
  • Simba from The Lion King: Simba’s story follows his struggle with growing up, embracing his destiny and duty to his family, or fleeing towards freedom and a ‘no worries’ lifestyle. Simba flees Pride Rock and goes through an existential crisis with his existentialist friends Timon and Pumba. When he runs into an old childhood friend, he realizes how shallow his new carefree life has become and reflects upon his obligation to his community back home.
  • Woody from Toy Story: Woody starts out Andy’s favorite toy, but when Andy gets a new flashier toy, Woody’s status amongst the toys falls apart. Woody’s key character challenge is to learn to be humble and inclusive living within the group. By the end of the movie, Woody realizes his duty to love and serve Andy is more important than his own status within the group.

4. Here’s an Example Template for your own Character Analysis Essay

Feel free to use this brainstorming template to get you started with your character analysis essay. I recommend filling out as many of these key points as you can, but remember sometimes you might have to skip some of these points if they’re not relevant to your character.

Once you’ve brainstormed the ideas in Table 1, follow the character analysis essay outline in Table 2 to stay on track for your character analysis essay. Do remember though that each assignment will be different and you should adjust it based on your teacher’s requirements.

Here’s Table 1, which is a brainstorming template for your character analysis essay:

And here’s Table 2, which is an example character analysis essay outline. This is for a 1500 word character analysis essay. Change the word count according to how long your essay should be:

Read Also: 39 Better Ways to Write ‘In Conclusion’ in an Essay

Character analyses can be really tough. You need to know your character really well. You might even need to re-read (or watch) your book or movie a few times over to get to know the character really well.

I recommend when you re-read or re-watch the text before you write your character analysis, have the checklist I provided above handy and take notes. Then, use the essay outline I provided above to put all of those notes together into a clear and thorough final character analysis essay.

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Dr. Chris Drew is the founder of the Helpful Professor. He holds a PhD in education and has published over 20 articles in scholarly journals. He is the former editor of the Journal of Learning Development in Higher Education. [Image Descriptor: Photo of Chris]

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character evolution essay examples

A Writer's Handbook

  • Introduction
  • Purpose & Audience
  • Opening Sentences
  • Linking Sentences
  • Finished Introduction
  • Topic Sentences
  • Development
  • Conclusion Sentences
  • Conclusion Paragraphs for Essays
  • Essay Writing Organization: The Outline
  • Annotating Readings
  • General Writing Idea Development
  • Rhetorical and Visual Analysis Idea Development
  • Character Analysis Idea Development

Literary Character Analysis

Overall tips for literary analysis essays.

  • Theme Analysis Idea Development
  • Theory Analysis
  • Using the Library
  • Using Sources for Illustration or Support
  • Using Research for Essays
  • Writing About Research
  • MLA Handbook Summary for Citations
  • Final Thoughts on Essays
  • Literary Element Index
  • Appendix of Example Papers

A literary analysis on a character can do several things:

  • tell the reader what a character is or is not
  • show how a character changes throughout a story
  • compare a character with another similar or dissimilar character, or
  • create a picture of a character for the reader.  This type of analysis falls under the notion of argument because you are synthesizing information to prove an idea to the reader.
  • Make a list of all the characters ( Harry, Hermione, Ron, Luna Lovegood, Albus Dumbledore, Professor Snape…et. al)
  • Choose a character big enough to have a role in the story or characters that will work together in an argument and choose what you will analyze (Harry as a single character evolution or Comparison of Hermione and Luna Lovegood)
  • From a list of characters, question what the author has directly told you about the character(s) you are interested in – has the author directly mentioned personality traits or issues with the character?
  • Speech:  What does the character say and how does he or she say it?  What are the meanings of what the character says?
  • Thought:  What does this character believe about the way life is?  What are these beliefs based on?  How do these beliefs affect the choices this character makes?  How do those beliefs change through the story?
  • Effect on other characters:  How does this character get along with other characters in the story?  Who does this character choose for friends and why does this character choose them?  Where does this character stand in the social order?  How does this character's social standing affect events in the story?
  • Actions:  What choices does the character make during the course of the story?  Does the character change how he or she acts?  How?  What affect does this change have on the character or others around the character?
  • Looks:  What does the character look like?  How does the character's physical attributes play a role in the story?  How does the character change physically during the story?  How does these changes affect the character's experience?
  • After you have looked into your character, decide what you would like to prove:  character traits, character evolution, character relationships and create your thesis
  • State what you are going to prove about the character(s) in the body of the paper
  • EX:  Over the course of the Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter evolves from a weak, dependent character to one of commanding independence. **Note:  This thesis is put into a general thesis format, not X,Y, Z
  • EX:  As evinced by his strength in speaking, his actions, and his ability to handle conflict, Harry Potter makes an evolution in character throughout the Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling. **Note:  This would be an example of an X, Y, Z thesis
  • EX: In J.K. Rowling’s series Harry Potter, the characters of Hermione Granger and Luna Lovegood illustrate a parallel to a powerful feminist ideal. **Note:  This would be a general thesis
  • Put evidence within the work to illustrate your points
  • Find secondary sources as needed that help you prove your points
  • Harry Potter Literature Writing Guide

Exercise 9:  Brainstorm some possible character analysis ideas with Harry Potter; start with the following – what could you do with these:

  • Professor Snape character analysis
  • Hermione Granger as a heroine
  • Muggles vs. Magical folk
  • Draco Malfoy and Dudley as spoiled or as road blocks to success
  • Friendship evolution into romance
  • Mrs. Malfoy’s evolution from bad to good
  • Exercise 9: Brainstorming for Character Analysis
  • Be careful not to summarize the story – this is not an analysis
  • Find connections and be original in your synthesis
  • When using secondary sources, proof of your exact idea may not be readily available – what you will do is use support of individual elements to then address your main thesis idea
  • Never use just the author’s first name – use the last name only or both names when discussing the author
  • Always use present tense when talking about literature unless something directly happened “in the past” in the literary piece
  • << Previous: Rhetorical and Visual Analysis Idea Development
  • Next: Theme Analysis Idea Development >>
  • Last Updated: Jan 3, 2023 9:01 AM
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How to Write a Character Analysis Essay in Simple Steps

Character analysis of Romeo

  • DESCRIPTION Character analysis of Romeo
  • SOURCE DianaHirsch / Getty

A character analysis is a common school assignment where you break down a character from a novel or other story to get to know them better. If you've got a character to analyze, walk through the simple steps on how to write an in-depth character analysis right here. Examples of a character study of Romeo from the William Shakespeare classic Romeo and Juliet help illustrate each step.

Step One: Choose a Dynamic Character

In most cases, either your teacher will assign a character for you to analyze or you’ll be allowed to choose your own. If you’re able to choose your own, try to select the most dynamic character. This doesn’t have to be the protagonist , or the main character. Just make sure there’s enough substance for you to work with. If you choose a less-prominent character, it’ll be more difficult to produce an in-depth analysis.

To illustrate these steps, let’s choose Romeo for our sample character study. He’s one of the main characters, so he’s naturally dynamic.

Step Two: Take Notes While Reading

If you choose your character before you start reading, you can simply take notes about that character as you read. If you choose your character after reading the text, you can re-read it quickly with a focus on your character and take notes.

Note Pertinent Childhood Facts

Make note of important childhood facts or other useful information about the character’s background. Before you get into the “meat” of the study, it’s important to understand where your character came from. Note what you can talk about with respect to their place of birth, their family structure, and any impactful childhood moments.

An example of a note from Romeo’s childhood could be that it was instilled in him at a young age that the Capulet family was an enemy or rival. You might also note that he is 16 years old at the beginning of the play.

Record Physical and Character Traits

Jot down any physical attributes and character traits the author highlights. Notice how your character interacts with other characters. This interpersonal study will make for a nice addition to your character analysis.

As you read about Romeo, you might jot down that he is handsome and smart. He could be characterized as immature, impulsive, passionate, and idealistic too. He is also a devoted friend.

Follow the Elements of the Plot

Write down how your character fits into the five elements of the plot . This includes the introduction, rising action, climax, falling action, and resolution. What did your character do to help the plot achieve any of these elements? How did your character overcome any challenges or struggles? How did your character change or grow over the course of the story?

Since Romeo is a main character, he fits into all parts of the plot. His actions of falling in love with Juliet, marrying her, killing Tybalt, and killing himself are all important plot elements.

Step Three: Choose a Thesis Statement

It may seem out of order, but you’ll want to choose your thesis statement long before you sit down to write. A thesis statement frames your main idea and illustrates what the essay is about. Make a specific statement about the character and then support that statement with the wealth of notes you’ve accumulated.

One thesis statement for an analysis of Romeo could be:

When faced with adversity, Romeo has the tenacity to overcome an array of obstacles and still be with his one true love. He demonstrates an iron will that grants him one wish - time with Juliet, as well as one curse - premature death.

Step Four: Draft an Outline

Once your thesis statement is framed in your mind, you can mold the direction of your analysis to amplify your thesis statement. In this manner, you won’t just be fumbling about, listing random facts about your chosen character.

With an essay outline , you’ll have a clear direction. You’ll highlight important character traits in an organized way that illustrates and supports your thesis. In a standard outline, you’d write your introduction, note each section you plan to cover, then write your conclusion.

Sample Character Analysis Outline

If you take all the information gathered about Romeo so far, you could make a basic outline like this example. This character analysis example PDF is completely editable so you can use it as a template. Check out the troubleshooting guide if you need help downloading the printable.

Character analysis Worksheet

Click Image to View and Download PDF

  • DESCRIPTION Character analysis worksheet
  • SOURCE Created by Beth Wiggins for LTK

Step Five: Write Your Essay

Use your notes, thesis statement, and outline to finish writing your character analysis. It should follow a standard essay format.

The Introduction

Begin with “Why?” Draft an introduction that introduces the audience to your character, perhaps indicating why this character is worth examining. This is also where you’ll place your thesis statement. Highlight something of intrigue about him and indicate the direction of your upcoming analysis in a short paragraph.

Background Information

Most people, fictional or real, are shaped by their childhood and their environment. Before you get into character traits, offer up what you know about the character’s background in one or two paragraphs.

Where were they born? What was their upbringing like? Were they raised in prestige, like Romeo, or did they witness their parents struggle to put food on the table? Whatever you can glean about their upbringing will most likely tie into their present-day personality.

Character and Personality Traits

Now it’s time to have fun with an in-depth description of your character at present. This is where you’ll mention that your character is fiercely independent or ferociously shy. Offer up a few specific examples of the character’s interaction with other characters. This will highlight their character traits and support what you have to say about them.

Character traits and personality traits are often intertwined, even though there is a difference between the two. Character traits pertain to a person’s morality and purpose. Personality traits, however, deal with the exterior.

Character Growth

Earlier, we mentioned that no storyline is complete without conflict. Conflict in literature isn’t always literal. You don’t have to have a swordfight on a battlefield for there to be conflict. Sometimes the conflict is interior. The character might be wondering if they should stay somewhere, go somewhere, tell someone something.

The Conclusion

Once you’ve crafted an in-depth analysis of the character from childhood to the end of their growth period, it’s time to draw a conclusion. This is your moment to summarize everything you offered as a means to supporting your thesis statement. Conclusions are endlessly important. These are the final thoughts you’ll leave your reader with. As such, here are some tips on how to write a conclusion .

Say Goodbye to Your Character

You’ll want to proofread and edit your analysis before turning it in. Then, it’s time to say goodbye to the character you’ve gotten to know. When you’ve done a great character analysis, you’ll feel like you got to know someone new and might even think of them as a fictional friend. For more on how authors develop their characters, review examples of characterization .

How to Write a Character Analysis Essay: Examples & Outline

A character analysis is an examination of the personalities and actions of protagonists and antagonists that make up a story. It discusses their role in the story, evaluates their traits, and looks at their conflicts and experiences. You might need to write this assignment in school or college. Like any other essay, your character analysis should contain an introduction, a conclusion, and a thesis.

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Want to know how to write a character analysis essay? Not sure how to start? We understand. Whichever piece you choose – Lady Macbeth, A Rose for Emily, or something else, – analyzing a character for the first time might be challenging. No worries, we are here to help! In this guide by our custom writing experts, you will find a step-by-step guide, outlining and writing tips, as well as a number of character analysis examples.

  • 📔 Character Analysis Definition
  • 🧙 Types of Characters
  • 📝 Writing Guide
  • 🖥️ Formatting Tips

📑 Character Analysis Essay Examples

📔 what is a character analysis essay.

A character analysis essay is an assignment where you evaluate a character’s traits, behaviors, and motivations. It requires critical thinking and attention to detail. Unlike descriptions, analyses focus on a character’s personality and internal drives. It explains how those factors shape the narrated events.

The picture shows the definition of character analysis.

So, what you need to do is to see the characters as if they were real people who feel and act just as we do. Ensure there are no baseless assumptions and interpretations: the ideas you present should be supported by quotes from the text.

Character: Definition (Literature)

How do you define a character? It is a person, a creature, or an animal that makes up the story’s world. A character can be based on a real-life person, or it can be entirely fictional. It is someone who thinks, feels, and acts.

We use the word “character” in many different contexts. For instance, it can denote someone eccentric or worthy of our admiration. In both contexts, the term “character” means a distinctive personality. Similarly, in an analysis, your task is to show what makes a character stand out.

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Characterization: Literary Definition & Examples

Characterization is the process by which a character’s personality is revealed. It presents characters’ traits, feelings, and motives to the reader. For this reason, characterization is closely connected to character analysis. It helps us to understand the characters better throughout the reading process.

Characterization can be direct and indirect .

  • Direct characterization is when the narrator directly tells the audience what the personality of a character is.
  • In contrast, indirect characterization shows things that hint at a character’s nature.

Here are some examples of direct characterization taken from Patti Smith’s Just Kids :

“But he always suppressed his real feelings, mimicking the stoic nature of his father.”

Here we see a direct description of a character. The author straightforwardly talks about Robert’s feelings. In comparison, look at the description of a woman taken from John Steinbeck’s The Snake :

“He looked around at her again. Her dark eyes seemed veiled with dust. She looked without expression at the cat’s open throat.”

These lines don’t directly reveal anything about the woman, but the reader can understand that she is cold and dangerous. It’s an indirect characterization that focuses on looks and actions to convey the message to the reader.

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🧙 Types of Characters for Your Essay

When it comes to characters, they can be divided into several groups. For example, characters can be:

  • Protagonists or antagonists,
  • Static or dynamic,
  • Flat or round.

These types define how much the characters change through the course of the story and their role in it.

Character Type: Definition

In psychology, a character type is defined by a combination of personality traits that coexist in an individual. Authors incorporate different types of characters into their works to convey the message and make the story more exciting or relatable to the reader.

There are three ways to categorize a character type:

  • by archetypes,
  • by their role in the narrative,
  • by their ability to change throughout the story.

If you are about to write a character analysis essay, being familiar with character archetypes is essential. They have been categorized by a generation of writers, including the Swiss psychologist Carl Jung and the American literary theorist Joseph Campbell. A lot of characters we see in today’s literary works are rooted in them.

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Archetypes include the Trickster, the Ruler, the Lover, the Sage, and others. The Hero is one of the most notable archetypes. Hercules or Achilles can be good examples of heroic protagonists. They are strong and courageous; they meet challenges and save the day by helping others.

Main Character: Definition & Examples

The main character and the protagonist often get mixed up. Most narratives also have the figure of the antagonist , whose actions affect the plot and stimulate change. Let’s have a look at the similarities and differences between these types.

The main character is central in the narrative. We experience the story through their eyes. They don’t necessarily have to be protagonists, though it happens in many cases.

The crucial difference between the main character and the protagonist is that the protagonist goes through changes throughout the story. The main character, however, is there to guide the reader through the experience. Often they help to show a different, darker side of the protagonist.

To understand the difference better, let’s turn to some examples.

What’s a Static Character?

Now that we’ve learned about the main character and the protagonist, we will closely look at other types of character classifications. One of the ways to categorize a character is by their ability to change throughout the story.

A static or simple character is someone who undergoes little or no significant changes. They often exist for comedic purposes. Here are some examples:

Complex Character: Definition & Examples

Complex or dynamic characters are the opposite of static characters. Characters of this type change as the book progresses. They display different qualities, emotions, and motives. They become more complicated and interesting to the reader as the story unfolds.

Check out these examples of dynamic characters:

Other Kinds of Characters

You already know about several ways to define a type of character. Now, let’s go over some other types, starting with flat and round characters.

Similar to dynamic and static ones, round and flat characters represent two different ends of a spectrum. Round characters usually come with an in-depth background. They are traditionally protagonists, antagonists, or those close to them. In contrast, flat characters are two-dimensional, and there is not much depth to them.

For the examples, we will turn to the novel Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen.

Finally, here are some bonus character types for you:

  • Stock characters have a fixed set of traits and are flat. Most of the time, they exist for comical relief.
  • Symbolic characters represent a concept or a theme that goes beyond them. They can be round and flat as long as they symbolize a particular notion or phenomena.
  • Sidekick is a secondary character who supports the protagonist.
  • The love interest is someone with whom the main character is infatuated.
  • Foil is someone who’s set in contrast with the protagonist, thus putting more emphasis on the latter’s qualities.

Characterization Essay: Which Character Type to Choose

Before you start writing a paper, it essential to decide on the character you’re going to analyze. There are different types of characters in every story, so you need to choose which one suits your essay topic the best.

Usually, it’s best to choose a dynamic and round character . With static and flat ones, there may not be enough substance for you to analyze. However, some such personalities can be interesting to work with. For instance, a flat character such as Mr. Collins can be symbolic of something. Then, you can talk about how it embodies a specific idea or notion. You can also look at how they affect other characters in the story.

📝 How to Write a Character Analysis Step by Step

Now, we’re going to discuss how to write your paper step-by-step. But first, here are some pre-writing steps for you to consider:

  • Choose a character for analysis.
  • Take notes while reading;
  • Define the type of the character and their role in the story;
  • Pay attention to their descriptions and actions.

How to Analyze a Character: Description Examples

Knowing how to organize your work is an essential skill. Certain things need special attention if you are describing a character:

  • physical appearance,
  • emotional state,
  • how the character speaks,
  • behavior and personality traits,
  • relationships with other characters.

When you analyze a character, try to look at them as if they were a real-life person. You want to know their motive, learn about how they feel, and understand why they think in a certain way. Ask yourself:

  • How did the character change throughout the story (if at all)?
  • What do other characters say about them? Can their words be trusted?
  • Where is the character physically and emotionally? What brought them here?
  • What is the character ready to do to achieve their goal?

Now, let’s look at the character of Franklin from the short story Just Before the War with the Eskimos by J.D. Salinger:

Character Profile Template for Writing

When writing your essay, use this character analysis template:

The picture shows the main steps in writing a character analysis essay.

In the following sections, we’ll discuss each step in detail.

Character Analysis Outline: How to Start a Character Analysis

The beginning of your essay is its crucial part. It sets the mood and grabs the reader’s attention. There are many different ways to write a character analysis introduction, but here are the most effective ones:

  • Use a quotation. It’s a great way to make a catchy hook. If it relates to the character and reflects their nature, it can also help to set the tone for analysis. In case you are using a quotation from somewhere else, mention the source in parentheses.
  • Talk about the book or story. Mention the author, the name of the story, and the genre. Briefly describe the main events that are taking place in the story.
  • Introduce the character. State their role in the story (define whether they are a protagonist, an antagonist, etc.) Then, explain whether the character is static or dynamic. Finally, describe them in 2-3 sentences.

The final part of an introduction is a thesis statement.Read on to learn how to write one!

Character Analysis Thesis Statement & Examples

A thesis is the key component of every essay, and character analysis is not an exception. It’s crucial to develop a good and clear thesis statement that includes all the aspects of your paper. For instance, if you plan to write a 4-paragraph body, including 4 points in your thesis.

What should a character analysis thesis include? Well, try to think of any trait that the character possesses that has to do with their downfall or somehow influences the story. Think about how this trait affects the character’s relationship with others or how it contributes to their motive or aspiration.

Take a look at the following examples:

How to Write Character Analysis Paragraphs for the Main Body

The main body of your essay can include as many paragraphs as you need. In this part, you introduce the character and analyze them. We have already talked in this article about what kind of questions should be answered in these paragraphs. The most important points are:

  • Describe the character and their role within the story.
  • Give the audience an explanation of the character’s motives.
  • Show what message the author wanted to convey through this character.

Keep in mind that every paragraph should have a topic sentence that captures its main idea.

Tsukuru Tazaki’s spiritual rebirth also affects his physical appearance.

Character Analysis Conclusion: How to Write

The conclusion part of your essay summarizes all the information you have mentioned and restates the thesis. Here is some advice for your conclusion paragraph:

🖥️ Character Analysis Essay Format

Most college assignments and essays are written according to the APA or MLA format. Both styles have the same formatting, which requires:

  • a double-spaced paper with 1-inch margins,
  • a page header with page numbers flush right,
  • an 11-12-point font.

While writing an essay on characters, pay special attention to quotations. Here are some tips for APA in-text citations:

  • When you summarize or paraphrase the information, mention the author’s name and publication date in brackets. Example: According to Collins (1997.)
  • When you quote directly from the source, add the number of the page, as well. Example: “There is a view that…” (Collins, 1997, pp. 134-135.)
  • If the source includes three or more authors, use the abbreviation “et al.” after the first author’s name. Example: (Collins et al., 1997)

As for MLA format:

  • You can write the author’s name in the sentence. Example: As Collins mentions in his essay<…>.
  • You can mention the author’s name in the parentheses at the end of the sentence. Example: (Collins, J.K.)
  • The last option is to use either footnotes or endnotes.

Below you’ll find a collection of character analysis essay examples and a downloadable sample to inspire you even more.

  • The Grandmother in A Good Man Is Hard to Find: Character Analysis
  • Willy Loman in Death of a Salesman: Character Analysis
  • Jay Gatsby and Nick Carraway: Character Analysis
  • Prospero in The Tempest: Character Analysis
  • Agamemnon in the Iliad: Character Analysis
  • Lord Pococurante in Candide: Character Analysis
  • Andromache in the Iliad: Character Analysis
  • Character Analysis of the Knight from The Canterbury Tales
  • Essay on Soldier’s Home: Analysis of the Characters

Character Analysis Example (Downloadable)

Roald Dahl’s  Matilda  is one of the most famous children’s novels of the 20th century. The protagonist of this tale is Matilda Wormwood, a five and a half-year-old girl with a brilliant and lively mind that distances her from the rest of the family. Matilda’s character is particularly interesting as she has a powerful personality with extraordinary mental abilities, and she manages to overcome all the obstacles that surround her.

Character Analysis Essay Topics

  • Character analysis of Abbas from A.D.: New Orleans After the Deluge .
  • Jay Gatsby in The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald.
  • Beowulf and Hamlet : similarity and diversity of the characters.
  • Personal and social failures of Willy Loman in Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller.
  • Character analysis of Othello .
  • Analyze the characters of Stanley and Blanche from A Streetcar Named Desire .
  • The tragedy of Mathilde Loisel from The Necklace by Guy de Maupassant.
  • Character analysis of Huck Finn from Mark Twain’s The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn .
  • Moral force of Kate Lipton from Double Helix by Nancy Parker. 
  • Character analysis of Thorvald and Nora in Henrik Ibsen’s A Doll’s House .
  • Discuss the character of king Creon in Antigone .
  • Analyze the personality of Lydia from Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice .
  • Compare Nick Carraway and Tom Buchanan from The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald.
  • Describe the peculiarities of Lord Pococurante in Candide .
  • Sarty Snopes in William Faulkner’s Barn Burning : character analysis.
  • Analyze the character of Biff Loman in Death of a Salesman.
  • Personality of Nora in A Doll House by Henrik Ibsen.
  • Examine the main characters of The Yellow Paper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman.
  • Personality change of the main character in Edgar Alan Poe’s The Black Cat .
  • Analyze the characters of E. Hemingway’s A Clean, Well-Lighted Place .
  • Describe the main characters of the novel The Overstory by Richard Powers.
  • Controversial personality of Vladek in Maus: A Survivor’s Tale by Art Spiegelman.
  • Character analysis of Victor Frankenstein in Frankenstein by Mary Shelley.  
  • Discuss the character of Creon in Oedipus the King .  
  • The manipulative character of Iago in Willian Shakespeare’s Othello .
  • Analyze the characters of Nil and Kristine in A Doll’s House .
  • Eccentricity of Grendel’s character in Beowulf .  
  • Describe the main characters of Four Summers by Joyce Carol Oates.
  • Examine the characters of Harold Krebs and his mother in Ernest Hemingway’s Soldier’s Home .
  • Analyze common and different traits of the characters in The Monkey’s Paw .
  • Character peculiarities of Rostam and Sohrab in Shahnameh by Ferdowsi Tousi.
  • How does the character of Elizabeth Bennet in Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen differ from the rest of her family?
  • The behavior and meaning of the characters in Nicholas Rowe’s The Tragedy of Jane Shore.
  • Compare the characters of Victor Frankenstein and the monster in Frankenstein or the Modern Prometheus by Mary Shelley.
  • Discuss the differences of main characters in Everyday Use by Alice Walker.
  • Examine the character of Connie in Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been by Joyce Carol Oates.
  • The influence of social pressure on the characters of Chopin’s Desirée’s Baby and Sedaris’ A Modest Proposal .
  • Dynamic feminist characters of Delia and Jig in Sweat by Z. Hurston and Hills Like White Elephants by E. Hemingway. 
  • Analyze the personality traits of Emily in William Faulkner’s A Rose for Emily .
  • Examine the characters of The Quiet American by Graham Greene.
  • Henry ΙV by William Shakespeare : analysis of main characters.

Now you know everything necessary for writing an excellent character analysis. What character would you like to analyze? Let us know in the comments!

Further reading:

  • How to Write a Literary Analysis Essay Step by Step
  • Literature Review Outline: Examples, Approaches, & Templates
  • Library Research Paper: Example & Writing Guide [2024]
  • How to Write a Critique Paper: Tips + Critique Essay Examples
  • 435 Literary Analysis Essay Topics and Prompts [2024 Upd]
  • How to Write a Literature Review: Actionable Tips & Links

❓ Character Analysis FAQ

A character analysis involves:

1. description of a character; 2. explanation of how they change throughout the story; 3. their role in the narrative; 4. relationships with other characters; 5. what idea the author wanted to convey through the character.

A character analysis creates a description that contains their most important qualities. It provides a new perspective of a character that reveals more about what it’s like to be human. It can also point to a moral or a lesson.

Literary analysis uses the technique of tracing the character development. This technique is usually used to understand the theme of the work better. Through tracing a character’s development, we can learn more about the story’s message and how it’s conveyed.

A summary paragraph in a character study should include answers to the questions “what,” “who,” “where,” and “why.” You should mention who narrates the story, where the story is set, its theme, and the message it conveys.

  • Critical Concepts: Character and Characterization: Kansas State University
  • Analyzing Novels & Short Stories: Texas A&M University
  • Guidelines for Writing a Character Analysis Essay: Tidewater Communite College
  • Literary Criticism: Thesis Examples: The University of Texas at Arlington
  • Writing a Literary Analysis Paper: Germanna Community College
  • Flat and Round Characters: Encyclopedia Britannica
  • Literature: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
  • How to Write a Book Analysis: Kean University
  • Elements of Literary Analysis: Alamo Colleges District
  • Defining Characterization: Read Write Think
  • APA Style: General Format: Purdue University
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Character analysis essay: informative writing guide with topic ideas.

character analysis essay

Many students find a character analysis essay challenging to write. That’s because the task requires them to study a character from a story or a novel, break them down, and analyze them. Ideally, you select the character to focus on and then stroll through their basic strides. That way, you can come up with a detailed essay that presents their thorough character examination.

What Is Character Analysis?

Many students ask this question when their educators assign them this academic task for the first time. Well, different websites and blogs define character analysis differently. But the general definition is:

Character analysis is a process of examining and highlighting the attributes and qualities of a character in a story.

Your educator can ask you to analyze a character from any artistic work, including a novel and cinematography.

It’s a kind of character study in which you tell the audience who the person is and their role in a story. No matter how strong your inclinations and convictions are, you must use reasoning aptitudes while maintaining objectivity towards the character during the examination process. From this character analysis definition, you must be impartial when examining and explaining the relationships a character has with other players. And this includes their different qualities, how they look and talk.

Here’s an example of a character analysis essay to get an idea of what it is:

Character Analysis Example

Character Analysis: Evolution of Mattie Mattie is the main character of “True Grit” – a novel by Charles Portis. It is a story of a strong-willed, independent girl living in the 1920s. Mattie’s experience is a demonstration of how internal conflicts affect the formation of one’s self and contribute to personal evolution. The death of her father, as well as the true grit in her character, is what makes the story of Mattie both strained and inspiring. Regardless of being a fourteen-year-old girl, she is a shining example of courage, independence, and spiritual strength. Mattie’s story is fascinating because of the constant change happening to the girl. It can be traced from several different perspectives. The first one is her relationship with LaBoeuf, whom she found ignorant and hated at the beginning of the story (Portis 47). Later, she opened her heart to him demonstrating kindness. Another storyline pointing to her evolution is courage. At the beginning of the story, she was driven to take vengeance on Tom Chaney for killing her father. But this strive was nothing but a quest, while she was terrified by the sound of shots. However, by the end of the story, nothing could scare her. Another outstanding Mattie’s quality is independence. Keeping in mind that she lived in the 1920s, her worldview differs from that of ordinary women. She loved the idea of being unique and strong-willed and hated the idea of following a common life pattern – marrying and forgetting about self-development. Mattie could not understand why a woman with a frank tongue and brains is perceived as a leper (Portis 149). All in all, Mattie’s story is a story of true grit – a unique combination of inner strength, courage, invincibility, and perseverance, which made her even more powerful than men, regardless of common mockery regarding her sex and age.

Why Writing a Character Analysis Essay Matters

Perhaps, the question bothering you right now is, “what is the purpose of writing a character analysis paper?” Well, this task does more than helping a learner fulfill a graduation requirement. Writing this essay enables the audience to understand a character and their world.

A fundamental motivation for analyzing or examining a character is to understand their life structures within a story. Ideally, the learner analyzes who a character is in the story’s context. Thus, your educator expects you to reveal exciting details about a character that may have a moral message.

Perhaps, one ideal character analysis example is that of Atticus Finch in To Kill a Mockingbird . Atticus is more than a lawyer because he provides a moral message regarding the essence of doing the right thing even when knowing you can fail.

How to Analyze a Character

Before you analyze a character, ensure that you have read and understood the story. And this means paying keen attention to different situations that a character ends up in, their dialogues with the other players, and the role they play in a plot. Also, gather all information regarding themselves on a larger scale and their influences on the others.

Ideally, think outside the box when reading the story and analyzing a character. That way, you can explore the character’s personality or traits from all angles. Your analysis should be devoid of general statements. Instead, it should explore the details and complexities of the literary work’s character.

How to Write a Character Analysis

To have a profound sense of understanding a character, you must immerse yourself in a literary piece or story. That means taking character notes, understanding the settings and climax of the story. Ideally, take your time to understand all essential academic parts before writing. And this includes seeing and feeling through the character that you want to analyze.

Also, consider how the author shaped the character and brought them to life. Notice how the writer described the character’s identity vastly or undersized. Additionally, consider the character’s behaviors and morals and how they affect other characters and situations in the story. Finally, consider exciting characters in the story.

A Step-by-Step Guide on How to Do a Character Analysis Essay

Your teacher or professor may select the character to analyze and write about while assigning you this academic task. Alternatively, they can allow you to pick your character. In this case, choose a character that plays a dramatic role in a novel or story. That way, your character description will most likely captivate your educator or reader. Here’s how to write your character analysis, step-by-step:

  • Read or study the story Even if you’ve already read a book and know the character you want to analyze, reread it. That way, you’ll explore the explicit scenes where the character appears keenly. Pay keen attention to tiny details of the literary character to understand their traits. For instance, consider the author’s description of a person in their work, their relationships with others, and how their actions propel the plot.
  • Take notes Underline, highlight, or take note of critical elements in the story. Providing specific and vivid examples connects the audience to the character. That way, you bring the character into life in your readers’ eyes. Once you’ve read the story while focusing on the literary work’s person, review the notes to develop the main idea about them. At this point, you can make the first draft using a character analysis essay outline from your educator.
  • Select the main idea When reading or studying the story, you will notice an idea that represents your preferred character better. Once you’ve found it, use it to formulate a thesis that you’ll support throughout the essay. Make sure that you have good situations and examples to support your main idea. For example, if you choose Jem Finch in To Kill a Mockingbird as your character, how racial conflicts, internal struggles with public opinions and personal views, and social inequalities shape his character can be your main idea.
  • What relationships do the character has with other characters in the story?
  • Where do most events involving the character occur?
  • What’s the background of the character?
  • What are the values of your character?
  • Who are your character’s friends?
  • Create a character analysis outline Creating an outline for this essay is a critical step that will enable you to organize ideas and thoughts. Therefore, make an overview highlighting the information that will go to your essay’s introduction, body, and conclusion sections.For instance, the introduction should describe the character while sparking interest in the audience. The body should present different areas or ideas about the literary character. For example, answer questions about the physical appearance, background, and personality of the character in the body. Also, tell your readers how the character overcomes different conflicts and what to learn from them.

In conclusion, hold ideas together and make a final statement for the analysis. Here, you can tell the audience how the character’s conflicts compare to those of real life. What’s more, hint at how the character should have reacted better to certain situations. Essentially, your character analysis essay format can compare to other essays, only that you focus on describing their traits and roles in the story.

Sample Character Analysis Topics

Now that you’ve known how to write a character study, you might want to proceed and handle this task. If your educator has not assigned you a topic, consider the following ideas.

  • Describe the primary character in A Tale of Two Cities
  • Explain The Godfather traits
  • Analyze the primary character in Vikings
  • Analyze Morgana traits in Merlin
  • What are the common characteristics of literary characters in Shakespeare’s work?
  • Compare Magical folks and Muggles
  • Describe your best static character
  • State variations between antagonist and protagonist
  • Describe the main character’s role in Daisy Miller
  • Explain why Superman has a significant influence on the kinds
  • Describe the most irritating character in the best book you’ve ever read
  • How do characters in most novels compare to real-life people?
  • Describe Holden Caulfield’s wrong sides in The Catcher in the Rye
  • Do most authors create characters resembling them?
  • Explain the Madame Bovary
  • Explain Evalina’s contribution to the story climax
  • With an example, explain how the setting affects a character in a story
  • Explain how the writer uses metaphors to describe a specific literary character in The Metamorphosis
  • Analyze traits that make a character evil- Use examples
  • Highlight Charles Dickens’ characters standard features
  • How authors create compelling characters- Illustrating with examples
  • Why Socrates’ work has so many characters
  • How effective has Mark Twain created attractive characters?
  • Explain the standard features of characters in Jane Austen’s novel
  • Describe the protagonist in A Clockwork Orange
  • Analysis of the main character in The Sorrows of Young Werther
  • Describe the struggles that motivate a character in an epic poem
  • How Gilgamesh organization contributes to the main character’s development
  • Compare the main characters in Buffy Summers and Harry Potter
  • Describe the essential feature of Othello as a character
  • How Charles Dickens criticizes public policy through Oliver Twist’s description
  • What can you say about Jay Gatsby?
  • Why is King Arthur so famous?
  • With examples, explain how flashback brings out the traits of a character
  • With a character as your example, explain how a TV series brings out the friendship concept
  • Explain how Mrs. Malfoy changes into a good person
  • Evaluate Hermione Granger’s qualities as a heroine
  • Why Frida Kahio is so attractive in the literary world
  • Describe the character traits of Madame Bovary
  • With examples, explain how evil characters affect the audiences

Even when you know how to write a character study and have sample topics, you may have difficulties completing your task. That’s because you might lack adequate time to study the literary work and analyze your preferred character. However, this shouldn’t hinder you from scoring the top grade. Instead, seek affordable writing help from experts with a good reputation for helping college students with their essays. That way, you’ll complete this task without breaking a sweat

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How to Write a Thesis Statement for a Character Analysis Paper

Dynamic characters fuel fiction. A character analysis paper analyzes a character’s personality and behavior to draw conclusions about her motivations. The thesis statement of a character analysis paper presents an argument about the significance of the character in relation to the story. A writer gathers evidence for a character analysis thesis not only from the way a narrator describes a character but through the narrator’s portrayal of a character’s actions.

Brainstorm a rough sketch of the character, describing his personality, appearance, preferences, tendencies, beliefs, values and actions.

Consider if any of the character traits you brainstormed are tragic flaws, character traits that lead to a character’s downfall. Think about how the character’s traits affect her relationships with others. Delineate the various relationships the character has with others in the story. Decide what motives contribute to the character’s behavior.

Assess the character’s role or function in the story, based on the evidence you have gathered so far. The answer to this question is your thesis. Perhaps you could argue that the character serves as a foil, a character that brings into relief the traits or motivations of another character. Your thesis should answer the question “Why?” or “To what effect?” in an attempt to reveal something about the significance of the character, ideological assumptions in the story or the extent to which the character’s worldview influences his behavior.

Formulate your thesis in one sentence. State your observations and then give your reasoning. Tidewater Community College suggests the following character analysis thesis about Sherwood Anderson’s “Death in the Woods:” “Mrs. Jack Grimes is a woman who has been denied any love or tenderness; she exists only to be used.” In this thesis, the writer describes the relationships the character has with others, and then proposes why these relationships are the way they are.

  • Wharton County Junior College: How to Write a Character Analysis
  • Tidewater Community College: Guidelines for Writing a Character Analysis Essay

Nadine Smith has been writing since 2010. She teaches college writing and ESL courses and has several years experience tutoring all ages in English, ESL and literature. Nadine holds a Master of Arts in English language and literature from McMaster University in Ontario, Canada, where she led seminars as a teaching assistant.

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Imagery and Character Evolution in "The Purple Hibiscus"

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Amir’s Character Evolution in The Kite Runner Essay Sample

In Khaled Hosseini’s novel The Kite Runner, Amir wrestles with the idea of growing up and accepting responsibilities. When children grow up and explore the world of adulthood, they tend to arrive at the realization of self-identity. However, while growing up it is common to make mistakes, or in this unusual case Amir’s introduction to a life that was filled with sin. Although Amir begins the novel as an immoral monster by selfishly putting himself before others, over the course of the novel, he becomes honorable and righteously understanding. Through Amir’s character evolution, Hosseini suggests that after accepting the wrongdoing of oneself, positive growth will occur. 

Amir begins the novel by exhibiting his low morals and treating those around him with a sense of superiority and egocentricity. This represents the low ethics of Amir in the starting stages of adolescence. At the beginning of the novel, Hassan is raped by Assef. While this horrendous event happens, Amir does nothing to stop it; he states, “In the end, I ran. I ran because I was a coward” (77). While his friend who always defends him is suffering and getting ripped of his dignity, Amir decides the best choice at the moment is to flee the scene. His sick consciousness of this situation is breathtakingly terrifying. He does not care at all about the wellbeing of Hassan, both mentally and physically. After Amir frames Hassan for stealing luxurious items from him, Ali tells Baba that both he and Hassan will be leaving the household for good. It is hinted that the reason is because of Amir’s constant oppression. Amir does not show any sympathy when he thinks, “I was sorry, but I didn’t cry and I didn’t chase the car” (109). Amir does not think thoroughly about the consequences his actions have on Hassan. His lack of emotional presence shows how much he does not care about the ones that have treated him well. He does not seem to care if Hassan leaves because he is just trying to catch a grain of Baba’s love and praise as a child. As his appalling behavior continues, Amir thinks of his only friend as only an inferior animal: “Maybe Hassan was the price I had to pay, the lamb I had to slay, to win Baba. Was it a fair price? The answer floated to my conscious mind before I could thwart it: He was just a Hazara, wasn’t he?” (77). Amir believes that Hassan means nothing more to him than a mere lamb just waiting to be sacrificed. His selfishness causes him to not care about anyone else except for himself, which affects his relationship with Hassan because his greed for his father’s approval takes over the wellbeing of an actual person. 

As the book progresses, Amir starts to comprehend the maturity of growing up. He begins to realize the morals he believes in, which makes him into a more honorable person. Even in the possibility of dire consequences, Amir starts to stand up for those that he loves. This happens when Soraya’s father, the General, refers to Sohrab as a ‘Hazara boy’, Amir sternly says that, “You will never refer to him as ‘Hazara boy’ in my presence. He has a name and it’s Sohrab” (361). As a child, Amir looked down and made racist assumptions about Hazaras, even thinking that they would “never be anything but a cook” (34). However, after Amir decides to adopt Sohrab, a Hazara, he fights for the respect of Sohrab by standing up to a well-respected figure. Amir also shows honorability when he rushes to Sohrab’s rescue after he attempted to commit suicide. Amir prays for the health of Sohrab as he struggles with his mental health: “I throw my makeshift jai-namaz, my prayer rug, on the floor and I get on my knees, lower my forehead to the ground, my tears soaking through the sheet. I bow to the west” (345). Amir does everything in his power to try and save Sohrab from his self-inflicted injuries. He is very 

dedicated towards Sohrab by showing his love and compassion to him. Amir even decides to pray after fifteen years of not doing so, showing how much he now cares for those around him despite their ethnic backgrounds. Amir also shows his honorability with his generosity. After Amir visits Wahid’s family and eats at their house, he leaves money for the family to pay for their hospitality because their family is not wealthy. He treats them with kindness and the host expresses his gratitude by exclaiming, “You are an honorable man, Amir agha. A true Afghan” (238). Amir has become more ethically principled from his younger self and has learned to show honor. Amir is truly honorable and treats those that he loves with much compassion.

As the book starts to arrive towards the conclusion, it becomes explicit to Amir that after he pays for his unatoned sins, “there is a way to be good again” (192). After the tragedies that have happened to Amir and his family, he revisits his childhood home even though the Taliban takes over their area. He is reminiscing on his past and decides that he does not “want to forget anymore” (263). He is coming to terms with his past mistakes and has started to repay for his sins by facing his past horrors and trying his best to mend what has been broken. These attempts and realizations of his past represent his growth throughout the novel and explore his willingness to atone for his sins. When Amir is trying to save Sohrab from the horrible conditions he had to face at Assef’s house, he comes face to face with his old tormenter, Assef. However, Amir felt lighter and even explained, “What was so funny was that, for the first time since the winter of 1975, I felt at peace” (289). Amir’s attempts at repaying for his sins are paying off as he feels lighter and is carrying less burdened weight on his back. He saves Sohrab and ultimately pays the price of oppressing Hassan from his childhood years. After Amir attempted to fight Assef off when protecting Sohrab, he was badly beaten in the process. “My body was broken-just how badly I wouldn’t find out until later-but I felt healed. Healed at last” (289). His “body was broken” badly, but he “felt healed. Healed at last” (289). Amir sacrificed his own body and dignity to save a kid he has never physically met in his life before. He risks the safety of himself and is willing to give his life to repay for his past sins. Although he was beaten to the point of near-death, it is clear that he has paid for the debts of his past. 

Amir has embodied the definition of coming of age by being self-sacrificing. Although Amir struggles to grasp the concept of good principles as the novel progresses, he ends the book with righteous morals, repaying for his past mistakes. He shows how he embodies the definition of coming of age when he continually decides to sacrifice his safety to protect those around him. He does not give up in the face of obstacles and has grown tremendously from his younger self. By doing all of these tasks, Khaled Hosseini shows the readers that coming of age means to grow out of past mistakes and to regain a sense of self-identity. We, along with Amir, learn that coming of age means to become better people and to make up for the wrongs created in the past. The evolution of morality and righteousness becomes built into the foundation of one’s coming of age story. As Amir expresses himself throughout the story it is shown that making mistakes is okay, as long as one can make up for them.

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Raymond Hunter: Crafting Genre-Defying Literary Adventures

Character Evolution: 7 Best Examples from Sci-Fi Novels

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  • Post published: August 23, 2023
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Character evolution is a fundamental aspect of storytelling, and it takes on a whole new dimension within the realm of science fiction. This blog will delve into the fascinating world of character development and transformation. We’d focus on seven remarkable examples from science fiction novels. These characters undergo profound changes, facing challenges that force them to adapt, evolve, and ultimately redefine themselves.

7 Best Character Evolution Examples from Sci-Fi Novels

Character evolution is the core of a well-written novel. In sci-fi books, various external events force the characters to reassess their traits and minimize their flaws. Hence, the internal growth makes the story and the character more relatable for the readers.

Here are the seven best character evolution to date found in sci-fi novels.

1.     Luke Skywalker from “Star Wars”

Our first stop in the galaxy of character evolution takes us to a galaxy far, far away with Luke Skywalker. In the original “Star Wars” trilogy, Luke evolves from a farm boy with dreams of adventure into a Jedi Knight who confronts the Dark Side. His journey is one of self-discovery as he grapples with the legacy of his family and learns to harness the Force.

Luke’s evolution is a testament to the hero’s journey archetype. Moreover, it showcases his growth from a naive and idealistic youth to a wise and powerful leader.

2.     Stella from “Planet Saviors”

In “Planet Saviors” by Raymond Hunter, Stella begins as a discontented but beautiful figure in a utopian society. She believes her world is on the brink of extinction and hatches a plan involving Earth, admiring human creativity.

Throughout the story, Stella’s character evolves from a dissatisfied observer to a determined leader who embraces Earth as central to her mission’s success. This evolution showcases her growth and deep convictions, making “Planet Saviors” an engaging tale of transformation.

3.     Katniss Everdeen from “The Hunger Games”

In Suzanne Collins’s dystopian masterpiece, Katniss Everdeen undergoes a profound transformation. Initially, she’s a survivor, doing whatever it takes to provide for her family in District 12. However, when she becomes the symbol of hope in the oppressive Capitol’s games, her evolution intensifies.

Katniss evolves from a reluctant heroine into a symbol of rebellion, challenging the corrupt system and inspiring others to do the same. Her journey explores themes of resistance, sacrifice, and the consequences of standing up for what’s right. Collins’ exceptional depiction of each scene, layering Katniss’s complex character, makes her evolution more authentic.

4.     Ender Wiggin from “Ender’s Game”

Orson Scott Card’s “Ender’s Game” introduces us to Ender Wiggin, a brilliant young strategist chosen to train at Battle School to defend Earth against an alien threat. Ender’s character evolution is a tumultuous one, marked by isolation, intense training, and moral dilemmas. He starts as a gifted but isolated child and grows into a compassionate and empathetic leader.

His transformation illustrates the consequences of immense responsibility and the toll it can take on one’s psyche.

5.     Avasarala from “The Expanse” Series

In the sprawling and politically charged universe of “The Expanse” series, Avasarala’s character evolution is compelling and profound. Avasarala’s character undergoes a remarkable transformation, grappling with moral dilemmas, shifting alliances, and personal losses. These events challenge her previously unshakable resolve.

Her evolution from a pragmatic diplomat to a justice-driven character is a testament to the intricacies of character development.

6.     Aloy from “Horizon Zero Dawn”

In the world of graphic sci-fi novels, Aloy from “Horizon Zero Dawn” stands out as a remarkable character. Aloy is a skilled hunter in a post-apocalyptic world overrun by robotic creatures. Her evolution from an outcast to a formidable warrior and seeker of truth is a testament to her resilience and determination.

Aloy’s character development emphasizes the importance of adaptability and learning from the challenges she faces in her quest for answers to her world’s mysteries.

7.     Paul Atreides from “Dune”

Frank Herbert’s epic novel “Dune” introduces us to Paul Atreides, whose character evolution is deeply entwined with prophecy, politics, and power. Paul begins as the son of the Duke of House Atreides. However, he soon finds himself entangled in the complex politics of the desert planet Arrakis.

As he adapts to the harsh environment and embraces his destiny, Paul transforms into a charismatic and enigmatic leader, challenging the established order. His journey is a masterclass in character evolution within a richly detailed sci-fi world.

Wrapping Up

Character evolution is a dynamic and essential element of storytelling, and science fiction provides a fertile ground for exploring this concept in unique and imaginative ways. From Luke Skywalker’s heroic journey to Stella’s transformation, these examples demonstrate the power of character growth in the sci-fi genre. Ready to explore the limitless worlds of science fiction with interesting characters and adult comedy? Planet Saviors by Raymond Hunter is the book for you. Grab your copy today and join Stella’s laughter-filled journey to save her planet.

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What Are Some Good Examples Of Character Development In Literature?

August 7, 2020

Every character has thoughts, opinions and a past that has shaped them into who they are.

Character development is the process of creating this persona, then changing and adapting it in correlation to the events of a story.

As readers we get to know and understand characters, watching them deal with a multitude of situations. It wouldn’t be realistic if they stayed perfectly the same from beginning to end.

A character doesn’t necessarily need to change much; just in a natural way that relates to the story.

They can grow and better themselves, or see things in a new perspective. Or they may succumb to arrogance, hatred or madness.

I’ve put together a list of flawed, well-developed characters in famous literature, all of whom came out the other end of a story with new personas and new perspectives (or didn’t make it out the other end at all).

Read on for some good examples of good character development.

1. Mr Darcy – Pride and Prejudice

Let’s start with one of Jane Austen’s most famous leading men, Mr Darcy.

We see him primarily from the perspective of Elizabeth Bennet, who doesn’t exactly view him as her potential future husband after their first meeting.

‘…he was looked at with great admiration for about half the evening, till his manners gave a disgust which turned the tide of his popularity; for he was discovered to be proud, to be above his company, and above being pleased…’

Both the reader and Elizabeth get to know and understand that Mr Darcy is the way he is largely because of social awkwardness.

Mr Darcy also defends his character in a letter later on in the story, showing Elizabeth that he isn’t the man she once believed him to be.

Austen could have easily only shown Mr Darcy’s change through the point of view of Elizabeth and how her feelings for him grow, but instead, she shows an actual change and development in Mr Darcy’s persona through his proposals.

Below is an excerpt from Darcy’s first proposal, and from Elizabeth’s reaction to it:

‘In vain I have struggled. It will not do. My feeling will not be repressed. You must allow me to tell you how ardently I admire and love you…’ His sense of her inferiority – of its being a degradation – of the family obstacles which judgement has always opposed to inclination…

In this disastrous proposal, Mr Darcy demonstrates his ignorance of Elizabeth’s feelings for him, and insults her family to boot.

Even though he had no reason to suspect that Elizabeth cared for him, and despite the insulting nature of some of his words, he’s surprised by her rejection, never considering that this would be her response.

character evolution essay examples

Later, once Elizabeth has read his letter and knows of his actions to protect her family’s reputation, we see a true change in Darcy during his second proposal:

‘You are too generous to trifle with me. If your feelings are still what they were last April, tell me so at once. My affections and wishes are unchanged, but one word from you will silence me on this subject for ever.’

Instead of simply reiterating his feelings for Elizabeth, he asks about her feelings. He doesn’t force anything on her, but lets her lead this interaction.

Mr Darcy listened to what Elizabeth said the first time, took it on, and learned from his mistakes.

It’s no wonder that after 200 years he’s still one of the most famous and favourite love interests in literature.

2. Dorian Gray – The Picture of Dorian Gray

The character development in The Picture of Dorian Gray is one of succumbing to madness and pride.

When the reader is first introduced to Dorian Gray, he is a young, naïve, beautiful man, who is very aware of his beauty. He’s a shallow person who’s never given much thought to anything meaningful in life.

He even weeps over his portrait when he realises he’ll never look like it again.

‘If it were only the other way! If it were I who was always young, and the picture that was to grow old!’

This is, of course, the moment Dorian promises his soul away. From here he delves more into a destructive lifestyle, breaking women’s hearts and ruining others’ reputations.

He’s free from repercussions as his portrait ages and bears the strain of his lifestyle.

Though Dorian remains young and beautiful, the idea of the portrait being seen, and his truth being outed, haunts him.

He becomes obsessed, hiding the portrait away – paranoid that people will judge him for it, but also because he doesn’t want to accept the facts.

It haunts him so much that, in a moment of madness, he kills the painter of the portrait, his dear friend Basil Hallward.

‘His beauty had been to him but a mask, his youth but a mockery. What was youth at best? A green, unripe time, a time of shallow moods and sickly thoughts.’

Dorian is more disgusted by his portrait than his vile acts, until, in a fit of despair, he destroys the painting – in turn accidentally killing himself, taking the face of the person he truly was.

Oscar Wilde not only portrays the toxicity of vanity, but also shows how a life without consequence is destructive.

Dorian Gray is plagued by the portrait, understanding that it reflects his true self, yet he never actually repents for his actions.

He (like another on this list – see number x below) feels no guilt for anything. He only wants his own pleasure; he even admits to not caring for anything less.

His pride, vanity, carelessness and conceitedness are a part of his character before the reader is introduced to him.

These characteristics lead him through a natural descent into self-destruction – all because he wanted to remain beautiful forever.

character evolution essay examples

3. The Hobbits – The Lord of the Rings

Specifically, I’ll be referring to Merry and Pippin here.

These two don’t really have much to them at first. They’re the average hobbits: they love food and drink and are quite happy to stay in the Shire.

They are so similar that it’s hard to imagine one without the other. They’re not heroes; they just happen upon the situation while helping Frodo move house, and go along for the ride.

They do show signs of bravery and loyalty within The Fellowship of the Ring , as they pledge themselves to the fellowship and set off to Mordor to destroy the Ring. This plants the seeds for how they’ll grow.

‘If you have to go, then it will be a punishment for any of us to be left behind, even in Rivendell. We have come a long way with you and been through some stiff times. We want to go.’

Their bravery and loyalty are explored more after they are separated from one another, as Pippin pledges himself to Denethor and Merry fights in the final battle, protecting Eowyn.

Despite their small size, both take charge and have enough courage to do what’s right: Pippin by saving Faramir from his father, and Merry by fighting the Witch-king.

Their growth isn’t over, though.

In the epilogue, when they return to the Shire to discover that Saruman has taken over, they decide to fight back without hesitation, and lead a small army of hobbits to take back their home.

‘The sword glinted in the westering sun. Merry and Sam drew their swords also and rode up to support Pippin… Fearless Hobbits with bright swords and grim faces were a great surprise. And there was a note in the voices of these newcomers that they had not heard before. It chilled them with fear.’

If Merry or Pippin had stayed in or returned to the Shire in the first novel, they might have become one of the helpless enslaved hobbits.

But because they took the leap into the quest, experiencing war and befriending kings, they became brave and heroic, earning themselves the titles of Captains Meriadoc Brandybuck and Peregrin Took.

They may have longed for home, and both may still love a strong drink, but now they have a story to tell and a sword to display.

Despite having such an epic fantasy scope, the  Lord of the Rings series still manages to explore immense natural growth in even its supporting characters .

4. Allie Montgomery-Taylor/Mother Eve – The Power

In Naomi Alderman’s The Power , the character Allie grows up abused physically and sexually by her foster father, while her foster mother ignores it.

This affects the way she sees the world for the rest of the novel, as she start to believe that men are cruel while women are victims.

‘She is afraid. She is not safe. She knows what she has to do. The only way to be safe is to own the place.’

After she kills her foster father and escapes to a nunnery, she takes on the name ‘Eve’. Here begins the Christianity part of Allie’s journey.

character evolution essay examples

She believes the voice in her head is God, guiding her way, setting her up to be a religious leader.

‘Someone asks Allie what happened to her, and she knows she can’t give her real name. She calls herself Eve and the voice says: Good choice, the first woman; excellent choice .’

She’s given the name of Mother Eve. Women respect and look up to her, believing that because she is able to fix women with broken steins (the part of the body that gives them their power), she is in some way is a messiah.

Through the years she works her way up in society, watching as jealous, cruel men torture and kill women, backing the worldview she had already developed at the start of the novel.

Her friend Roxy’s attack cements her mindset even further, putting into motion her future plan.

‘And then there will be five thousand years of rebuilding, five thousand years where the only thing that matters is: can you hurt more, can you do more damage, can you instil fear?’ ‘Yeah?’ ‘And then women will win.’

She uses her position to start a world war and end civilisation as we know it – one where men hold the majority of power.

Her aim is for women to take it back and start a whole new society where righteous women are the presiding power.

Allie may realise that women can be just as cruel as men, but that just furthers her decision. She’s not a power-hungry leader, nor is she vindictive or cruel.

She is just someone who has experienced too much pain to see the good things in her world. Her plan works, and not only are her actions understandable, in her eyes, they are justifiable.

5. Mortimer ‘Mo’ Folchart – Inkheart Trilogy

Mo is a selfless father, a lover of books and a bookbinder by trade, but he has a secret.

He can read characters out of books – a power that sounds pretty good until you think of all the villainous characters within those books.

In Inkheart , Mo is a normal man, not heroic in nature. To protect his daughter, Maggie, he runs away from danger rather than to it.

He and Maggie have a close bond and a shared joy in reading:

‘He often stayed up reading late into the night. Maggie had inherited her love of books from her father. When she took refuge from a bad dream with him, nothing could lull her to sleep better than Mo’s calm breathing beside her and the sound of the pages turning.’

During the second book, he enters the world of Inkheart and is forced to take the name of Bluejay. Bluejay is a hero of the people, written by Fenoglio, the original writer of Inkheart .

He doesn’t acknowledge that title or the persona that comes with it until the end of the second book.

The identity is fully realised in the third book when he accepts his fate and tries to help the people in the world against Adderhead.

‘…Mo felt it again, just as he had on Mount Adder when he had killed Basta – that coldness of the blood. Cold as the hoarfrost at his feet. The only fear he felt was fear of himself.’

As he becomes one with the world of Inkheart, his personality transforms so much from the beginning of the series. He no longer runs from danger but towards it.

His wife and loved ones question if he’ll ever be able to leave, or if he is even still the man they knew.

‘What about Maggie?’ Love was written all over his face. No, he hadn’t changed, whatever anyone said.’

They had nothing to worry about: he may have become the Bluejay, but at his core, Mo is still the caring book lover who will do anything to protect the ones he loves.

Even with all that change, he still has the same heart and priorities as before.

His change is forced upon him, but Funke makes it seem like a natural arc, which is why Mo is on this list.

character evolution essay examples

6. Phillip ‘Pip’ Pirrip – Great Expectations

In Dickens’ famous novel, Pip is a young man who grows up poor, orphaned and looked after by his sister and her husband.

As a child, he meets Miss Havisham and Estella, who are upper-class and show Pip what he didn’t know he wanted.

As his relationship with them grows, so does his ideal of the life he wants: to be rich, have class, and not be ignorant.

‘… pondering, as I went along, on all I had seen, and deeply resolving that I was a common labouring-boy; that my hands were coarse; that my boots were thick; that I had fallen into a despicable habit of calling knaves Jacks; that I was much more ignorant than I had considered myself last night, and generally that I was in a low-lived bad way.’

Pip looks down on the life and the world he was brought up in, seeing himself as deserving of something more –an affluent, well-educated life.

Though his brother-in-law, Joe, is a hard-working, caring man, all Pip sees is his lack of class. Because of this, when Pip does become a gentleman, he ends up hurting those he holds dear.

‘I had neither the good sense nor the good feeling to know that this was all my fault, and that if I had been easier with Joe, Joe would have been easier with me. I felt impatient of him and out of temper with him; in which condition he heaped coals of fire on my head.’

Pip keeps this idea of how the world works and how the upper class should behave throughout the novel. It’s not until he finds out who his mysterious benefactor is that his view of the world is shattered.

He finally realises that one’s social position isn’t as important as other things in life, including his loved ones, who have always tried to help him.

‘No wisdom on earth could have given me the comfort that I should have derived from their simplicity and fidelity: but I could never, never, never, undo what I had done.’

He makes amends while he can and works to better himself, treating Joe and Biddy with the gratitude he had long withheld from them.

Through years of development, Pip goes from an ungrateful child who looked down at those who taught and protected him, to a man who accepts his faults and strives to become a better person.

7. Jack Torrance – The Shining

In Stephen King’s novel, Jack struggles with his anger, his alcoholism and the trauma of his past, but he desires and tries to be a better person. His goal is to be a better father, husband and writer.

‘The wanting, the needing to get drunk had never been so bad. His hand shook. He knocked things over. And he kept wanting to take it out on Wendy and Danny. His temper was like a vicious animal on a frayed leash. He had left the house in terror that he might strike them. Had ended up outside a bar, and the only thing that had kept him from going in was the knowledge that if he did, Wendy would leave him at last, and take Danny with her. He would be dead from the day they left.’

character evolution essay examples

Jack is flawed and aggressive. His only redeeming feature is the fact that he really does love his family, and that he wholeheartedly tries not to hurt them and strives to be better.

This is a man who needs help, but instead of getting any, he takes the job at the Overlook Hotel and fools himself into believing that being there can change him. Of course, that isn’t what happens.

Over the course of his time there, he slowly descends into madness as the isolation weighs on his mental health, and he is entrapped by the evil within the hotel.

Jack loses everything good in him. Only his connection with Danny keeps him from hurting his son – though the same can’t be said for his wife.

‘”Gotcha!” he said, and began to grin. There was a stale odor of gin and olives about him that seemed to set off an old terror in her, a worse terror than any hotel could provide by itself. A distant part of her thought that the worst thing was that it had all come back to this, she and her drunken husband.’

Readers are left with the question of whether Jack would have succumbed to his urges and violence even without the influence of evil at the hotel.

The circumstances around the character feel very real, and his insanity isn’t out of the blue or developed too fast. It comes in slow, allowing readers to see the gradual difference in his behaviour and attitude.

8. Marianne – Normal People

Marianne starts Sally Rooney’s novel as an unhappy teen who has no self-confidence or pride in herself. Yet when it comes to her peers, she seems to have too much.

She doesn’t make friends easily and it seems overall that she doesn’t really feel the need to. She looks down on those around her for not being as intelligent or put together as she is.

‘She exercises an open content for people in school. She has no friends and spends her lunchtimes alone reading her novels. A lot of people really hate her.’

We see Marianne gain outright confidence as she enters college, though she still has none when it comes to relationships.

She listens too much to any negative comments that her partners have, and allows them to do whatever they want to her, whether she likes it or not.

From the way her brother and past lovers have treated her, Marianne seems to believe that she doesn’t deserve love.

She doesn’t believe that anyone, even the novel’s main love interest, Connell, ever loved or cared for her.

‘He tells her bad things about herself. It’s hard to know whether Marianne likes to hear those things: she desires to hear them, but she’s conscious by now of being able to desire in some sense what she does not want.’

Eventually, though, Marianne accepts that she deserves better, and trusts in her relationship with Connell.

Even when he moves away, she is confident that they’ll still end up together, no matter what happens.

‘You should go, she says. I’ll always be here. You know that.’

Marianne becomes more selfless and confident, ending the novel with friends and people around her who actually care for and treat her well.

Though Connell and their relationship help Marianne get to this point, it is ultimately the positive change within herself that leads to her development, with her bettering herself and no longer allowing anyone to mistreat her with the excuse of love.

character evolution essay examples

9. Libby Day – Dark Places

Libby Day has to be my favourite of Gillian Flynn’s protagonists, as she’s the one I understand the most. Even though we are nothing alike, I can relate to her.

She’s haunted by her past, unable to move on from her family’s murder, and yet never really allows herself to acknowledge what happened.

She’s unstable and unable to make friends, and distances herself from anyone who gets too close, including the aunt who raised her.

‘I have a meanness inside me, real as an organ. Slit me at my belly and it might slide out, meaty and dark, drop on the floor so you could stomp on it. It’s Day blood. Something’s wrong with it. I was never a good girl, and I got worse after the murders.’

Libby doesn’t see herself in a good light – she’s just the one who survived a night of bloodshed and then pointed her finger at her brother.

This never really changes, though she does realise the mistake she made and decides to help prove her brother’s innocence.

After finding out the truth about her family’s murder, she doesn’t change into a new, upbeat person, but does go through a state of acceptance and allows herself to move on.

She takes one last look at her old home and notices how things have changed, and the novel ends with hope for her future.

‘I studied it all for a few minutes, keeping my brain steady, staying away from Darkplace. No screams, no shotguns, no wild bluejay cries. Just listen to the quiet.’

She also starts rebuilding her relationships. She makes peace with her aunt, gets close to Lyle, the person who helped her with the case, and even grows closer to her brother, whom she hadn’t seen since he went to prison.

We can see the difference in her first and last time visiting her brother.

‘I put one tip of my finger near the bottom of the glass window…’ ‘Ben pressed his hand against the glass, and my brother and I matched palms.’

As Libby touches him through the glass, she’s allowing her brother back into her life and heart, and both forgive one another.

She may still have some problems in her life, but she’s no longer alone or in torment, and the story ends with hope.

Mr Darcy, Merry and Pippin, and Mo all change for the better, becoming heroes or worthy partners.

Dorian Gray, Allie/Eve and Jack all change for the worse: they are dragged down by whatever negative force is around them.

Pip, Marianne, and Libby Day change more of their perspective rather than their outright personality, all gaining some hope for their future.

Though these stories and characters are all different, all explore character growth and/or development in intriguing and realistic ways.

Character development happens over time. It shouldn’t be surprising or sudden; it’s teased out, built upon and explored by the author until its natural conclusion.

What’s your favourite example of strong character development in a novel?

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This post was written by Rebecca Jean

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Essays About Character: Top 5 Examples and 9 Prompts

If you’re writing an essay about character, below are helpful examples of essays about character with prompts to inspire you further.

When we say that a person has character, we usually refer to one’s positive qualities such as moral fiber, spiritual backbone, social attitudes, mental strength, and beliefs. But not to be mistaken with mere personality, character goes beyond the sum of all good traits. Instead, it demonstrates and applies these qualities in interacting with people, acting on responsibilities, and responding to challenges. 

Character, hence, cannot be evaluated by a single action or event. Instead, it manifests in a pattern and through consistency.

Read on to find essays and prompts to help you create an essay with rich insights. 

1. How 5 CEOs Hire For Character by Chris Fields

2. the character of leadership by brian k. cooper et. al, 3. when proof of good moral character helps an immigration application—or doesn’t by ilona bray, j.d., 4. what are the 24 character strengths by sherri gordon, 5. the five character traits the best investors share by richard thalheimer , 9 writing prompts for essays about character, 1. what are your character strengths, 2. the importance of character, 3. how household chores develop a child’s character, 4. how challenges shape your character, 5. character education in schools, 6. character analysis, 7. character vs. personality , 8. why psychologists study character, 9. choosing people for your character reference  .

“You have to be a good person with a good heart. Of course, you have to be qualified, educated and skilled, that goes without saying – or it should – but your next candidate can’t be a bad person because CEOs are looking for character.”

The essay compiles insights from famous billionaire CEOs who underscore the importance of recruiting people with good character. It shows the upward trend among companies seeking qualifications beyond education and professional experience and looking more into the heart of people. You might also be interested in these essays about courage .

“…[L]eadership that achieves results goes beyond how to be, and becomes how to do; this type of leadership is all about character. So in other words, in order to get things done personally and organizationally, one first needs to get in touch with his or her character.”

Character in leadership could translate to benefits beyond the organization, society, or the world. The essay is based on a study of the three underlying dimensions of leadership character: universalism, transformation, and benevolence. 

“Demonstrating good moral character is an extremely important part of many immigration cases, but it is not required in all of them. In fact, providing proof of your accomplishments to the court could hurt your immigration case in some instances.”

Showing good moral character is a common requirement for immigrants seeking to be naturalized citizens in a different country. This article gets into the nitty gritty on how one can best prove good moral character when facing immigration officers.

“Knowing a person’s character strengths provides a lens through which psychologists, educators, and even parents can see not only what makes a person unique, but also understand how to help that person build on those strengths to improve situations or outcomes.”

The concept of character strengths aims to help people focus on their strengths to lead healthy and happy life. Understanding character strengths meant being more equipped to use these strengths to one’s advantage, whether toward academic access or overcoming adversities.

“… [Y]ou have to be able to pick the right stocks. That’s where talent, intellect, knowledge and common sense come in. Of course, if you can’t control your emotions, and you get fearful and sell every time the market drops, all that talent, knowledge, intellect and common sense go out the window.”

Having an eye for the right stocks requires developing five character traits: talent, intellect, knowledge, common sense, and a bias to action. All these could be honed by sharpening one’s knowledge of the current news and financial trends. Developing character as a stock investor also requires a daily routine that allows one to exercise analytical skills.

Check out these great prompts about character:

What are the positive character traits you think you have that many people also see in you? List down these strengths and dive deep into each one. To start, you may look into the 24 strengths highlighted in one of the essay examples. Then, identify which ones best suit you. Finally, elaborate on how you or the people around you have benefitted from each.

In a world where many are motivated by fame and fortune, how can you convince people that being kind, honest, and courageous trump all life’s material, fleeting desires? Turn this essay into an opportunity to call more people to build good character and keep out of bad habits and actions. 

Essays About Character: How household chores develop a child’s character

Tasking children doing household chores can offer benefits beyond enjoying a sparkly clean home. In the long-term, it builds children’s character that can help them lead healthy and happy life. For this prompt, lay down the top benefits children will gain from performing their chores and responsibilities in the household.

Our best selves reveal themselves in the darkest times. You can easily say that obstacles are the actual test of our character. So, first, narrate a challenging experience you had in your life. Then, describe how you turned this bad period around to your advantage to strengthen your mind, character, and resilience. 

Schools play a vital role in training children to have a strong-minded character and contribute to the good of society. As such, schools integrate character education into their curriculum and structure. In your essay, narrate how much your school values character building. Elaborate on how it teaches bad actions, such as bullying or cheating, and good virtues, such as respecting others’ culture, traditions, and rights. 

Pick a character you adore, whether from a novel or a book. Then, write an analysis of their traits and how these fit into their assigned role in the story. Of course, as in every character analysis, narrate their character transformation. So you have to identify key turning points and realizations that prompted the changes in their character, role, values, and beliefs. 

Both your character and personality make you a unique individual. But they have different definitions and uses that make them independent of each other. In your essay, identify these differences and answer which has the most significant impact on your life and which one you should focus on. 

Psychologists study characters to know how and why they change over time. This helps them enhance their understanding of human motivation and behavior. In your essay, answer to a greater extent how studying character drive more people to thrive in school, work, or home. Then, compile recent studies on what has been discovered about developing character and its influences on our daily lives.

A good character reference can help you secure a job you’re aiming for. So first, identify the top qualities employers look for among job seekers. Then, help the reader choose the best people for their character reference. For students, for example, you may recommend they choose their former professors who can vouch for their excellent work at school. 

To make sure your readers are hooked from beginning to end, check out our essay writing tips ! If you’re thinking about changing your essay topic, browse through our general resource of essay writing topics .

character evolution essay examples

Yna Lim is a communications specialist currently focused on policy advocacy. In her eight years of writing, she has been exposed to a variety of topics, including cryptocurrency, web hosting, agriculture, marketing, intellectual property, data privacy and international trade. A former journalist in one of the top business papers in the Philippines, Yna is currently pursuing her master's degree in economics and business.

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Character Evolution Essays

Character evolution in articles, popular essay topics.

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100 Evolution Essay Topics + Essay Writing Guide

evolution research paper topics

Even though most of us know enough about evolution, finding a good and a unique topic can quickly become a challenge! The trick here is to determine a unique framework for your future paper, so you know what structure to follow to keep up with all the essay writing rules. Looking through the countless Biology and Life Sciences essays of the actual students and reading through essay revisions of college and university professors in our time, I have made a list of 100 excellent evolution essay topics and wrote down all the “Do’s” and “Don’t’s” of evolution essay writing.

Trust me, choosing a good topic becomes much easier when you understand how the evolution works and realize that it deals with much more than explaining how we all got here. It is not only about us, human beings, as evolution also deals with all flora and fauna and the changes that take place in our society. As you read through the topics below, think of evolution as of diversity in nature that provides a framework for the determination of the ways how the species develop their distinguishable differences!

Contents (Clickable)

      What is an Evolution Essay?

Evolution essay is a paper that focuses on any aspect related to the evolution theory and diversity in nature. Since it is a scientific theory that is fundamental for the modern biological theory, an evolution essay also includes the facts, theories, hypotheses, and the history of the evolution theory among other topics. Evolution essay is first and foremost, a scientific work, therefore, it is extremely important to include verified facts, backed up with the help of academic journals and the books with a correct format and the references.

      Evolution and Theory of Evolution

A bit more theory that will help you to understand the topics in a better way! Trust me; I’ll keep it short!

Evolution refers to changes in heritable characteristics in species over successive generations. This process ultimately results in the occurrence of biodiversity (this is the reason why the presence of Biodiversity in your research paper is so important!). In basic terms, evolution is a process that occurs in all species on Earth, which are currently estimated at mind-blowing 2 million . In other words, it means all the species, starting with miniscule bacteria and up to the evolution of human beings.

Theory of evolution refers to a scientific theory that explains the origin of different species by evolution. Charles Darwin is considered to be the father of the theory of evolution and the one behind the foundation of the theory explained in the famous On the Origin of Species book published in 1859.

      Actual Research Essay Examples on Topic!

Before we move on to the list of 100 evolution essay topics, I want to share four actual essay examples related to evolution, biology, and the life sciences, so you can get a better idea about how particular ideas can be implemented in practice for the best results. Looking through our vast essay database written and shared by students, I came up with these diverse examples:

  • Global Warming: Fact or Fiction? – Evolution explored through the phenomenon of global warming. Is it a fact or a fiction? This essay’s author came up with an excellent research topic and argumentation!
  • Environmental Science Q&A – Here we have an example of environmental issues related to evolution and the changes that we can observe. See how the questions are addressed and how the structure is kept.
  • Genetically Modified Food – As surprising as it may be, it is also an issue related to evolution because the microorganisms and the species go through mutation, which is, essentially, an evolution process and a relevant social issue.
  • Geographical Characteristics of the Streams in Urban Areas and Forested Areas – see how the changes of evolution impact the geographical aspect in both urban and the forested areas.

As you can see from the examples, evolution is an expansive concept and a field of research, so you do not have to limit yourself with a strict list of biology or microorganisms-related topics. Be creative and try to make your evolution essay feel interesting and inspiring!

     100 Evolution Essay Topics

Let us start with the human evolution, so we can see how broad and many-sided the evolution essay writing can be!

      Human Evolution Essay Topics

  • Why do human beings laugh?
  • Why did human species develop to be dominant on the planet?
  • What distinguishes human brain from the other species?
  • Evolution of human eye.
  • Why do human beings perceive beauty?
  • How does evolution theory explain the existence of language and speech?
  • Recent mutations the humans underwent.
  • The current mutations humans are going through.
  • Geodakyan evolutionary theory of sex.
  • Evolution of sexual reproduction.
  • Red Queen hypothesis.
  • Evolution of human intelligence.
  • Evolution of monogamy.
  • Evolutionary medicine.
  • Social effects of evolutionary theory.
  • Evolution of immunity.
  • Evolution of the human nervous system.
  • Evolution of sex differences in cognition.
  • Sexual selection.
  • Sexual conflict.
  • Host-parasite coevolution in human malaria.
  • Variation in evolution.
  • Evolutionary stance on art.
  • Why did humans start walking on two feet?
  • What is the evolutionary benefit of forming the society?
  • As you can see from these examples, evolution is not only about biology and the life sciences!

Okay, so you want something more traditional? Here we go below:

character evolution essay examples

      Evolution of Flora and Fauna Essay Topics

  • Evolution of dogs/cats/whales/ or any other species of your choice.
  • Parallel evolution in the animal kingdom.
  • Earliest life forms.
  • Cladistics in the animal kingdom.
  • Evolutionary ecology of parasites.
  • Host-parasite coevolution in animals.
  • Evolution of birds.
  • An impact of climate on evolution.
  • Evolution of fungi.
  • The hair evolution.
  • Notable cases of adaptation.
  • Evolution of mimicry.
  • Natural selection in the animal kingdom.
  • Co-operation development.
  • Early animal evolution.
  • Polyps and medusas evolution.
  • “Savannah” hypothesis of early bilateral evolution.
  • Why the invertebrates became more complex?
  • Evolution of the animal genome.
  • Early evolution of neurons.
  • Plant population genetics and evolution.
  • Reconstruction of sexual modes throughout evolution.
  • The role of chromosomal change in plant evolution.
  • Evolution during the domestication of animals.

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Let’s continue with more biology-related topics!

      Evolutionary Biology Essay Topics

  • Gene-centered view.
  • Theory of stellar evolution.
  • The social impact of evolutionary biology.
  • Evolution of multicellular organisms.
  • Genetic architecture of adaptation.
  • Evolutionary robotics.
  • Evolution of cooperation.
  • Paleobiology.
  • Bayesian inference of phylogeny and its impact on evolutionary biology.
  • Evolutionary biology of aging.
  • Neuroscience in evolutionary biology.
  • Optimality theory.
  • Morphometrics.
  • Biological conservation.
  • Evolutionary biology and ecology.
  • Evolutionary biology and immunology.
  • Conceptual issues in evolutionary biology.
  • Evolutionary biology and population genetics.
  • Evolutionary biology and phylogenetics.
  • Mathematical models in evolutionary biology.
  • The evolutionary perspective on sperm biology.
  • Plant speciation.
  • Marine speciation.
  • Morphological evolution.

      Theory of Evolution Essay Topics

  • How did Darwin come up with his theory?
  • Theories that can potentially debunk an evolution theory.
  • Common misconceptions about evolution that everyone still believes.
  • Influence of Darwin’s theory on the science.
  • History of evolutionary thought.
  • Theories about evolution that existed before Darwin’s “ The Origin of Species”
  • Essentialism.
  • Tree of Life Concept.
  • Are we all related?
  • Adaptation theory.
  • Lamarck’s theory of evolution.
  • Evolution as fact and the theory.
  • Somatic selection.
  • Synthetic theory of evolution.
  • Why is evolution still considered a theory?
  • Evolution theory of a social change.
  • Evolutionary psychology.
  • Mutation theory by De Vries.
  • Neo-Darwinism.
  • The types of evolutionary theories.
  • The contribution of Alfred Wallace in the evolution theory.
  • Who should be credited for evolution theory – Wallace or Darwin?
  • Objections to evolution theory.
  • Proof of evolution.
  • How does evolution explain morality?

      How to Write an Evolution Essay

how to write an evolution essay

1 Evolution Essay Structure

The structure of an evolution essay is what you should know even before you decide on a topic and there is a good reason for that! There are three major elements that your essay structure should include to make sure that your professor will not decrease your future grade:

  • Introduction . It provides the readers with a brief outlook on your topic, your essay structure, the elements included, and the main idea that you want to communicate. It is where your strong thesis statement or an argument go to! Make sure your introduction contains the following:
  • A strong hook sentence – an attention-grabbing element that is usually in the first 1-2 sentences of the essay. Since we have to write an essay about the evolution theory, we will choose a scientific fact or refer to an impressive discovery that refers to evolution. A reason why hook should be there is to capture your reader’s interest and attention!
  • Overview of your major argument and topic – let the readers know what they are about to find out and learn as they read your evolution essay!
  • A brief overview of the essay structure – explain how and in what order you are planning to develop each part of your paper.
  • Thesis statement – the main idea or the quintessence of your essay. Make sure to write several thesis statements and choose the one that not only sounds best but the one that you can back up and explain with the help of scientific data and credible references.
  • Body paragraph includes the consistent and logical sequence of paragraphs that reveal all the facts and arguments that you use to support your thesis statement.

Make sure to:

  • Use verified sources – evolution theory is a scientific theory that has plenty of evidence, so make sure that you include as many credible references as necessary!
  • Be logical and consistent – let your readers follow your logic easily. Remember that your audience may differ, so make sure to write a sentence or two that explains your vision and the concepts you are discussing. If it requires more work or a reference to a case study, make sure to include it in your paper.
  • Start every paragraph with a topic sentence – it will be much easier for you to write each section if you start writing them with a thesis that reflects the content of the paragraph.
  • Explain the facts included in the essay – demonstrate your understanding of the facts you use in the essay and their relevance to the main topic and thesis statement
  • Avoid plagiarism – copying someone else’s work without reference is not cool while using numerous sources to support your thought with an academic claim is entirely another thing that makes your essay look credible and professional!
  • Conclusion part is where you summarize the whole essay without the introduction of any new ideas . Remind your readers of the most important facts and the findings they should remember when they are done reading your essay. Restate your thesis statement in other words to make the essay sound logical and integrated.

2 Argumentative Essay on Evolution Writing Tricks

When you have to write an argumentative essay on evolution, there are some writing tricks that you should mind to avoid trouble with your paper and impress your college or university professor.

  • Include your own opinion on an issue that you discuss – an argumentative essay requires having your own stance on a problem or what most college professors call “a voice of the writer.” Ask yourself about how can YOU contribute to the issue since it is your paper and it has to stand out!
  • Defend your view on the issue using as many verified facts as you can!
  • Include the viewpoints that oppose yours – and prove them wrong . Do so with the facts and use strong reasoning.
  • Do not simply restate thesis statement in conclusion , but readdress it using the evidence you accumulated through the body paragraphs.
  • Use classic 5-paragraph essay format (if you are not required to do otherwise) – Introduction, 3 Body Paragraphs, and Conclusion. Such an approach will help you to see where all that information belongs!

      Evolution Essay “Do’s and Dont’s”

  • Research your facts, the background of the issue, and the case studies (if relevant) as you choose your future topic and read the list of topic examples below.
  • Include scientific facts in your essay and use professional language.
  • Start your introduction with an interesting hook by stating why is the topic of choice relevant to you and society.
  • Use strong thesis statement as your guideline to make sure that you don’t deviate from the topic.
  • Double-check your facts and always back up your paper with academic journals and credible references.
  • Do not underestimate the use of drafts as you write the paper.
  • Do not use the same wording for the thesis statement as for your hook sentence. These are two different matters where one of them is an introduction, and the other one is the reason for your research.
  • Do not simply copy scientific information without your personal comment and consideration. If it has to be there, explain how and why.
  • Do not underestimate the importance of an outline, format, and the body structure.
  • Do not ignore the importance of proofreading because it will help you to eliminate typos, grammar mistakes, and accidental repeating of the same sentence.

      Help! I’m Still Stuck!!!

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character evolution essay examples

I am sincerely hoping that my 100 evolution essay topics and the writing guide article have helped you to get an idea of how to write your paper. If not, remember what I have mentioned in a paragraph above! 🙂 In case you have something to add or want to share something important, feel free to post in the comments below! I wish you the best of luck and let us make an evolution with a truly awesome paper!

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IMAGES

  1. Sample English Essay Summary on Evolution

    character evolution essay examples

  2. Character Analysis Essay

    character evolution essay examples

  3. How to Write a Character Analysis Essay: Outline, Tips, & Character

    character evolution essay examples

  4. Essay Assignment 1 Character Evolution Instructions 2 .docx

    character evolution essay examples

  5. Character Analysis Essay

    character evolution essay examples

  6. Essay On Evolution

    character evolution essay examples

VIDEO

  1. The Evolution of Character Design in #Anime & #Manga

  2. Abstract Essay Volume 282 Evolution by Daniel Lucas

  3. Evolution of my character (Updated)

  4. Evolution of my character (1834-2024)

  5. my character evolution plz subscribe to 1k🙏🏻🙏🏻

  6. Spec evo short : Examining the 'hyper aggressive herbivore' trope

COMMENTS

  1. How to Write a Character Analysis: Outline, Examples

    One of the essential purposes of a character analysis essay is to look at the anatomy of a character in the story and dissect who they are. We must be able to study how the character was shaped and then learn from their life. A good example of a character for a character analysis essay is Daisy Buchanan from 'The Great Gatsby.'.

  2. Writing a Character Analysis Essay

    Character analysis essays do not have just one format. However, let me offer some advice that might act as a character analysis essay outline or 'checklist' of possible things you could discuss: 1. Start with the Simple Details. You can start a character analysis by providing a simple, clear description of who your character is.

  3. 2 Character Analysis Essay Examples With Character

    Character analysis essay example #1: Character Analysis of Anders in Bullet in the Brain, a Book by Tobias Wolff. The first essay is a brief analysis. It focuses on how readers see the character of Anders in the short story "Bullet in the Brain" develops. *Click images below to enlarge. In the above character analysis essay example, I noted ...

  4. Character Analysis Idea Development

    After you have looked into your character, decide what you would like to prove: character traits, character evolution, character relationships and create your thesis; Put examples into thesis/topic form State what you are going to prove about the character(s) in the body of the paper

  5. PDF Writing Center Tidewater Community College

    Guidelines for Writing a Character Analysis Essay. Characters are the essence of a work of fiction. Fictional characters are portrayed through the characters' actions and reactions as well as other characters' actions and reactions to them. You develop a character by telling the reader about that character, what he is doing or thinking.

  6. How to Write a Character Analysis Essay in Simple Steps

    If you're wondering how to get started writing a character analysis essay, look no further. Follow our simple steps to create an in-depth character analysis! ... To illustrate these steps, let's choose Romeo for our sample character study. He's one of the main characters, so he's naturally dynamic. Step Two: Take Notes While Reading.

  7. How to Write a Character Analysis Essay: A Comprehensive Guide

    Step 1: Choose Your Individual for Analysis. Character evaluation is the first step to a great analysis. The role or persona you choose for your analysis is crucial to its success. Primary characters are sometimes easier to write since they have well-defined personalities, and their motivations may be evident.

  8. How to Write a Character Analysis Essay: Examples & Outline

    If the source includes three or more authors, use the abbreviation "et al." after the first author's name. Example: (Collins et al., 1997) As for MLA format: You can write the author's name in the sentence. Example: As Collins mentions in his essay<…>.

  9. John Proctor's Evolution: A "Crucible" Character Analysis [Free Essay

    This crucible character analysis essay will focus on John Proctor, one of the central characters of the play, who is a farmer in his mid-30s and the tragic hero of the story. In Miller's dramatization of the 17th-century witch trials in Salem, Massachusetts, Proctor emerges as a man struggling with his conscience and principles.

  10. Character Analysis Essay Writing Guide

    Here's an example of a character analysis essay to get an idea of what it is: Character Analysis Example. Character Analysis: Evolution of Mattie. Mattie is the main character of "True Grit" - a novel by Charles Portis. It is a story of a strong-willed, independent girl living in the 1920s. Mattie's experience is a demonstration of ...

  11. PDF Character Evolution Reflection Essay

    Character Evolution Reflection Essay Now that you have charted the changes of your character, you will reflect on these changes in a short (1-2 page) essay. Your essay will include: An explanation of each of your character's defining moments. Explain these moments to the reader and write about how they affected your

  12. How to Write a Thesis Statement for a Character Analysis Paper

    Step 4. Formulate your thesis in one sentence. State your observations and then give your reasoning. Tidewater Community College suggests the following character analysis thesis about Sherwood Anderson's "Death in the Woods:" "Mrs. Jack Grimes is a woman who has been denied any love or tenderness; she exists only to be used.". In this ...

  13. Character Development Essay Examples

    Browse essays about Character Development and find inspiration. Learn by example and become a better writer with Kibin's suite of essay help services. > Character Development Essay Examples. 44 total results. staff pick. graded. words ... Character Development Essay Examples. 44 total results.

  14. Imagery and Character Evolution in "The Purple Hibiscus" [Free Essay

    This essay provides a thorough analysis of Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie's novel "Purple Hibiscus." The writer adeptly explores the transformation of the main characters, Kambili and Jaja, as they transition from a stifling and dictatorial environment to a more liberating one under their aunt Ifeoma's care.

  15. Amir's Character Evolution in The Kite Runner Essay Sample

    17 July 2022. Get sample for $1. In Khaled Hosseini's novel The Kite Runner, Amir wrestles with the idea of growing up and accepting responsibilities. When children grow up and explore the world of adulthood, they tend to arrive at the realization of self-identity. However, while growing up it is common to make mistakes, or in this unusual ...

  16. The Character Evolution of Guy Montag in Fahrenheit 451, a ...

    Main Character Arc in Fahrenheit 451 "The essence of an independent mind lies not only in what it thinks, but how it thinks, and what causes it to think.". In Ray Bradbury's novel, Fahrenheit 451, this quote is exemplified especially through the protagonist, Guy Montag and his trials and sub...

  17. Character Evolution: 7 Best Examples from Sci-Fi Novels

    Here are the seven best character evolution to date found in sci-fi novels. 1. Luke Skywalker from "Star Wars". Our first stop in the galaxy of character evolution takes us to a galaxy far, far away with Luke Skywalker. In the original "Star Wars" trilogy, Luke evolves from a farm boy with dreams of adventure into a Jedi Knight who ...

  18. What Are Some Good Examples Of Character Development In Literature?

    Mr Darcy listened to what Elizabeth said the first time, took it on, and learned from his mistakes. It's no wonder that after 200 years he's still one of the most famous and favourite love interests in literature. 2. Dorian Gray - The Picture of Dorian Gray. The character development in The Picture of Dorian Gray is one of succumbing to ...

  19. Essays About Character: Top 5 Examples And 9 Prompts

    1. How 5 CEOs Hire For Character by Chris Fields. "You have to be a good person with a good heart. Of course, you have to be qualified, educated and skilled, that goes without saying - or it should - but your next candidate can't be a bad person because CEOs are looking for character.".

  20. Character Evolution Essay Examples

    Character Evolution Essays. Character Evolution in Articles. This essay will compare and contrast how two characters evolve in the articles done by F Scott Fitzgerald (2004) and Miller (2003). Scott Fitzgerald's article, "The Great Gatsby", told the story of a young man named Gatsby. ... For research and sample use only. Learn more in our ...

  21. 100 Evolution Essay Topics & Writing Guide ⚛

    100 Evolution Essay Topics + Essay Writing Guide. Albert Gordy on October 30, 2018. Essay Topics. 13 min. Readers Rating. Total: 150, Average: 2.6. Even though most of us know enough about evolution, finding a good and a unique topic can quickly become a challenge! The trick here is to determine a unique framework for your future paper, so you ...

  22. Character Evolution Essay Examples

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  23. Character Evolution Essay Examples

    Character Evolution Essay Examples: 1-PAGE SUMMARY. Essays service custom writing company - The key to success. Quality is the most important aspect in our work! 96% Return clients; 4,8 out of 5 average quality score; strong quality assurance - double order checking and plagiarism checking.