Do you think first responders rushing to the scene of a tragedy to help victims? Maybe you’re reading this before lunch, and the first thing you think of is a hero sandwich.

While both of these are legitimate types of heroes, they aren’t today’s focus. This article focuses on tragic heroes.

Specifically, we’re going to look at the difference between your average, run-of-the-mill hero and a tragic hero. And because you’re probably here because you need to write an essay about a tragic hero, we’re going to cover that too.

Without further ado, here’s (almost) everything you need to know about tragic heroes.

What Is a Tragic Hero?

Of course, in order to be a tragic hero, one must first be a hero.

A hero is generally a courageous warrior type who is admired by many and who is ready to rush into harm’s way to save individuals (or the entire planet).

So what makes a tragic hero tragic?

The one-sentence definition: Tragic heroes are literary characters (often the protagonist) who make a crucial judgment error that ultimately leads to their downfall.

Of course, there’s more to a tragic hero than a hero who makes a mistake.

Tragic heroes generally possess the following characteristics:

• Tragic heroes are imperfect. The audience sees the character as flawed, and they can relate to and empathize with the hero.
• Tragic heroes are prideful and often suffer more than necessary.
• Tragic heroes are generally someone of high status who experiences a drastic change in fortune (from good to bad).
• The downfall of a tragic hero is evident from the start, but the hero can do nothing to stop it.
• Tragic heroes discover their impending fate and accept it.
• Tragic heroes are harmed (emotionally and/or physically) throughout their lives.
• While tragic heroes learn from their mistakes, they are powerless to control their ultimate fate.
• Tragic heroes must face an important decision. It is often an error in judgment regarding the decision that causes their downfall.

NOTE: While the classic tragic hero was a male from a wealthy and/or powerful family, modern tragic heroes may be any gender and from any background.

How to Write About a Tragic Hero

Writing about a tragic hero is like writing about any other topic in the sense that there are a ton of ways to approach the subject. But unless your assignment specifically states that your essay should list and/or describe a handful of tragic heroes in literature, your essay should do more than merely list examples.

You need to find a focus, and you need to analyze.

Before you do anything, though, you need to decide who you want to write about.

Choose your hero

One of the first steps in writing about a tragic hero is to consider which hero (or heroes) you’ll focus on. This may already be dictated by your assignment, but if you have a choice, consider which heroes speak to you.

Do you want to write about classic Shakespearean tragic heroes like Hamlet or Romeo (from Romeo and Juliet), or will you focus on a more modern tragic hero like Severus Snape from Harry Potter?

If you’re still not sure which hero to select, check out 6 Tragic Hero Examples for a Heroic Essay for inspiration.

Decide your approach

Once you’ve selected your hero(es), decide what type of essay you’ll write.

Not sure how to approach your essay? Here are three ideas.

Character analysis essay

You may choose to develop a character analysis within another type of essay, or you may want to write an entire essay that analyzes your hero’s character.

In this case, the focus of the literary analysis is often to explain how and why your hero fits the definition of a tragic hero.

For instance, let’s say you’re writing about Batman.

Batman fits the classic definition of a tragic hero for the reasons below:

• He’s an educated, intelligent man who comes from a wealthy, powerful family.
• He suffers because his parents were tragically murdered.
• His life becomes more difficult after the death of his parents as he chooses to avenge their deaths and fight crime.
• He is a (relatively) normal person who the audience can relate to and empathize with.
• He possesses a character flaw in that he vows not to kill others. While some may, of course, not see this as an actual flaw, it is what causes Batman to experience more hardships as he does not kill villains when given the chance (which leads to even more crime, hardship, and destruction).

Once you’ve hit the key points to highlight how and why the character fits the definition of a tragic hero, use specific examples from the story to fill in the details and support your claims.

Check out how one student handled a character analysis in Macbeth: A Nihilistic, Self-Loathing Tragic Hero.

Alternatively, your character analysis might conclude that a character is not a tragic hero. To see an example of this strategy in action, read Why Okonkwo in Things Fall Apart Is Not a Tragic Hero.

Compare and contrast essay

If you’re comparing and contrasting two (or more) tragic heroes, don’t simply write a list of similarities and differences. While creating this type of list is a great prewriting strategy, your compare and contrast essay needs to do more than simply identify character traits.

The essay needs a focus. Think about the point you’re trying to make by comparing and contrasting the tragic heroes.

Here’s what I mean.

Imagine you’re writing a compare and contrast essay about the tragic heroes of Shakespeare.

Your paper wouldn’t simply list tragic heroes and identify character traits that are the same or different.

Instead, you would need to develop a clear thesis to let your readers know what exactly you’ll be discussing about Shakespeare’s tragic heroes.

For example, when developing your thesis, you might consider the following questions:

• Does Shakespeare use the same types of tragic heroes in a number of plays? Do Romeo, Hamlet, and Macbeth share more than the basic elements that define a traditional tragic hero?
• Or does Shakespeare mix it up and develop unique characters that portray a tragic hero differently in each play?

Another approach is to compare and contrast two tragic heroes who, on the surface, don’t seem to have much in common but who are ultimately more alike than many would imagine.

Take, for example, Macbeth and Willy Loman (from Death of a Salesman). On the surface, Loman, a salesman trying to provide for his family, and Macbeth, a general who wants nothing more than to be king, seem to have little in common.

Both, however, share a common fatal flaw: ambition. Both men want more out of life and want to move beyond their current stations in life.

Want more ideas of tragic heroes to compare? Check out these essay examples for inspiration:

• Christopher Marlowe’s Dr. Faustus and Breaking Bad’s Walter White
• Willy Loman from Death of a Salesman and Nora Helmer from A Doll’s House
• Oedipus and Hamlet

Persuasive essay

The goal of a persuasive essay is to convince your audience. One common tragic hero essay assignment is to convince your reader that the real tragic hero in a work is someone aside from the obvious choice.

Here are a few examples

• Creon instead of Antigone
• Brutus instead of Julius Caesar
• Jason instead of Medea

If your professor allows you to be a little more creative in your approach, you might try to convince your readers why you should be considered a tragic hero.

Remember, modern tragic heroes don’t need to be nobility or male, so consider how you might fit the definition of a tragic hero (aside from that whole part about your tragic flaw leading to your demise, of course).

Perhaps your character flaw is lack of self-control, pride, or ambition. Perhaps you’ve suffered in some way because of this flaw, and it has caused hardships in your life.

You might even include some elements of comparison and contrast to illustrate how you compare to a tragic hero on film or in classic literature.

Ready to Write?

Now that you have a better understanding of tragic heroes and are ready to begin writing, take a look at these resources to help you get started:

• 7 Essay Outline Templates to Get Your Essay Going
• How to Write a Thesis Statement in 5 Simple Steps
• 12 Examples of Good Topic Sentences (and Why They Work)

Not sure your paper is the best it can be? Don’t let a poorly written essay be your tragic flaw. Let the editors at Kibin help you improve your writing.

When it comes to The Hunger Games, the characters feel in-depth and relatable—even in a place and time readers can’t necessarily relate to. But because the characters in The Hunger Games do have depth, your essay about them can’t just talk about the basics.

Fortunately, I’m here to help you explore three different characters—a major character, a minor character, and one that’s in between—and show you different ways you can write about them in your essay.

Analyzing Katniss Everdeen

Katniss is the protagonist of The Hunger Games and the narrator. Because the novel is written in first-person, you get an in-depth look into Katniss’s mind (which gives you plenty of content for your essay).

Her love for family & friends

Katniss has a few main traits, including her talent with a bow and her reluctant attitude toward fame, but it’s her intense love for her family that drives many of her actions.

Her father died when she was younger, and her mother basically went comatose during that time. So it was up to Katniss to provide for her younger sister, Prim. Katniss’s love for her family, specifically for her sister, drove Katniss to volunteer as a tribute for the Hunger Games in the first place.

Katniss’s intense love also extends to her friends—Gale, Peeta, Cinna, and Rue. She sees these individuals for who they are—not their statuses or their districts.

Her hatred of the Capitol

Katniss’s other main defining trait throughout The Hunger Games is her distaste for fame and the Capitol in general.

She comes from District 12, where people die in the mines and get beaten by Peace Keepers—all while people in the Capitol live in the lap of luxury. The people in District 12 also don’t have to send their children to die in the Hunger Games, so they view it almost the same way we view the Super Bowl.

Katniss is reluctant to wear frilly dresses and play nice for the sponsors. Because of this, she has a hard time making friends and allies in the arena. But the ones she does make are true friends—they’re not just playing the game.

Tips for a Hunger Games essay about Katniss

Katniss may seem like one of the easiest Hunger Games characters to write about because you do get to see what’s going through her head. However, that also presents some challenges.

My advice (unless otherwise instructed by your teacher) is to focus on just one of these characteristics and really go in-depth about it. That will give your essay a clearer focus.

Interested in how other students have written about Katniss? Check out these example essays:

• Katniss Everdeen as a Role Model in The Hunger Games
• A Comparison of Beowulf and Katniss Everdeen
• Why Katniss Hides Her Emotions in The Hunger Games

Analyzing Haymitch Abernathy

Several other districts have a few mentors to choose from when new tributes need to prepare for the Hunger Games. But Haymitch is the only surviving victor in District 12. He’s also one of my favorite Hunger Games characters. He’s almost always drunk and rude, but there’s sadness and compassion behind his gruff facade.

Haymitch won one of the Hunger Games years ago, and his life since then has been a living hell. As Haymitch is the only living victor in the district, no one else can relate to the pain he had to endure. He’s lost loved ones because of the Games. Because of this, he tries not to get too close to Katniss and Peeta.

But Haymitch knows how to play the game. He knows what it takes to win—not just the lethal skills but also what to avoid, what traps to look out for, and what the audience likes to see in terms of emotions.

How you can approach your essay about Haymitch

Haymitch’s full background isn’t laid out until later in the series, but there’s still plenty to write about if your essay is only covering the events in the first book. Here are a few ideas on what you could write about:

1. The ways in which Haymitch helps Katniss survive.
2. How Haymitch’s past has affected his personality.
3. Haymitch’s character development over the course of the series (if you’re focusing on more than just the first book).

You could also consider writing an essay from the perspective of Haymitch—or another character.

Analyzing Cato

I know, I know. Cato isn’t exactly a main character. However, he’s both interesting and important. Plus, I figured if everyone else in your class is writing about Katniss and Peeta, you might find it fun to focus on one of the Hunger Games characters no one else will.

Cato is a career tribute from District 2. The districts closest to the Capitol have more wealth and view being a tribute as a great honor. Career tributes train for years, so their strength, speed, and skill are leagues above most of the other tributes.

Cato is no exception. He’s a beast of a man, strong enough (and vicious enough) to break someone’s neck with one swift motion. It’s no surprise that he’s one of the last ones standing.

It’s not until the fight before his death that we see the interesting side of Cato. Because he grew up training for the Hunger Games, he’s expected to be the best. That pressure from his family and his district made him a killer.

He was used to being the favorite, being the best. He felt right at home being favored among the sponsors. So when Katniss stole the show in the ceremony before the Games, she moved to the top of his kill list.

Cato was truly a pawn in the Games. His whole life was centered around being a tribute. But the people sponsoring and betting on the Games didn’t care. He was there for their entertainment. Even his death was drawn out simply to make for a more entertaining show.

How to write about Cato

As with writing about any character, it’s easiest to write about Cato if you pay special attention to him while you read.

Focus on his dialogue during the fight before his death—and with that in mind, read through the other scenes he’s in. This will give you much more insight into why he does what he does and why he’s so focused on winning.

It’s not about survival to him—it’s about making his district proud.

(Need to write about themes in The Hunger Games? Jump over to 4 Hunger Games Themes for a Killer Analysis.)

Before You Write: Don’t Forget to Outline

These are just a few of the many Hunger Games characters you can write about. No matter which one you choose, an outline will definitely help you stay focused when writing your essay.

It’s easy to get so caught up in the psychology of a character that you ramble on and forget your thesis. An outline makes sure you stay on point and that each item you address relates to your thesis.

Need some help with analyzing the character you selected? Try these posts:

• How to Write a Character Analysis That Works
• 2 Character Analysis Essay Examples With Character

And if you’re having trouble diving deep enough into the character or just need to make sure your writing is error-free, you can always turn to Kibin’s editors. They’ll not only make sure you don’t have any typos but also ensure your writing is focused and flows well.

Stuck on Your Analytical Essay?

Check Out These Example Analytical Essays

Yes! Show me examples.

While meeting a whole bunch of new people is great, it can be a mental challenge to try to remember people’s names, what they do, or even if they’re the people hosting what has now turned into a pretty awesome party.

Reading a novel filled with tons of characters can feel just like walking into a party of strangers.

In both instances, it can be hard to keep names and stories straight.

It’s probably not a big deal if you see Andria at the party later and call her Arianna. But it probably is a big deal (at least to your professor) if you’re analyzing a novel, such as The Handmaid’s Tale, and you refer to the protagonist as Ofglen rather than Offred.

If you’re still trying get to know everyone in The Handmaid’s Tale, let me be your host, and I’ll introduce you to four key characters.

(Need to write about themes in the novel? Head over to 3 The Handmaid’s Tale Themes to Analyze in Your Essay.)

How to Analyze 4 Important Handmaid’s Tale Characters

The Handmaid’s Tale is filled with a variety of characters, so I won’t be introducing you to everyone. Instead, let’s stick to four important characters in the novel: Offred, Serena Joy, Aunt Lydia, and the Commander.

Handmaid’s Tale Character #1: Offred

Offred is the narrator and protagonist of The Handmaid’s Tale. She tells the story of her life as a Handmaid: a woman who is forced to bear the children of infertile, elite couples.

While she sometimes reflects back on her life in the United States (before the rebellion and before it became Gilead), Offred is essentially complacent with her current existence.

Analyzing Offred

Offred’s complacency is an important aspect of her character. She’s a prime example of how people learn to accept their lives, no matter what they’re like. She’s willing to accept (at least on some level) that the new society of Gilead is actually of benefit to women.

Like many others, she’s also willing give up her freedoms and does little to fight for herself. As a result, she (and others) loses all freedom, allowing the government (who, by no coincidence is composed of men) to have complete control.

Because Offred has given up control of her freedom, her identify, and her body, it’s clear that she can’t be labeled a feminist. Men control every aspect of her existence, and she allows men (including Nick, with whom she ends up having an affair) to control her.

Essay idea:

Analyze one or more themes (such as feminism or complacency) in The Handmaid’s Tale.

Want to read an example essay that focuses on the theme of feminism in The Handmaid’s Tale? Check out Feminism in The Handmaid’s Tale, a Novel by Margaret Atwood.

Handmaid’s Tale Character #2: Serena Joy

When Gilead was still the United States, Serena Joy was an anti-feminist who advocated for traditional, conservative family values. In Gilead, she holds a high social ranking as she is the Commander’s wife.

Serena Joy, however, doesn’t live up to the name she has chosen for herself and is anything but serene or joyful.

She is angry because she too is completely controlled by men and is jealous of the Handmaids who are forced to have sex with her husband (and possibly bear the children she is unable to conceive).

Analyzing Serena Joy

Serena Joy is the quintessential mean girl. She’s at the top of the social ladder, so she thinks she can bully others.

Therefore, even though she too is miserable in her own life because she is controlled by men, she takes out her anger and jealousy on the Handmaids, including Offred.

The quintessential mean girl, Serena Joy takes out her anger and jealousy on the Handmaids.
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Irony is a big part of Serena Joy’s life.

Pre-Gilead, she fought against feminism and for traditional values. Ironically enough, she got what she fought for once Gilead was established.

The values she fought for, though, leave her powerless and angry rather than fulfilled and joyful.

Essay idea:

Compare and contrast the social hierarchy of Gilead to that of other dystopian novels.

Want to read more about the social structure in Gilead? Read The Social Mechanics of The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood

Handmaid’s Tale Character #3: Aunt Lydia

Aunt Lydia is part of a group of women called Aunts. Aunts work for the government and are assigned the task of essentially brainwashing women (like Offred and the other Handmaids) into accepting their new roles in society.

Aunt Lydia appears as a Handmaid’s Tale character mainly in flashbacks.

She is very much a part of Offred’s internal monologue as Offred often thinks back to what Aunt Lydia preached during the indoctrination. (Whether she believes all of Aunt Lydia’s words is debatable.)

Analyzing Aunt Lydia

In a world where women are oppressed, Aunt Lydia is certainly not a gal’s best friend or confidant—and most certainly not a Handmaid’s BFF.

Aunt Lydia works hard to convince Handmaids that they’re destined for their duties. She uses Bible verses in an attempt to illustrate that Gilead and its rules are God’s will and that the Handmaids are performing essential roles in society.

She seems to enjoy her power over the Handmaids and has little sympathy for their place in Gilead. Yet she does sometimes sympathize with the wives of the Commanders, asking the Handmaids to see life from their point of view.

Essay idea:

Analyze the use of language (including language of the Bible) in The Handmaid’s Tale to illustrate how the government asserts power and control over its citizens.

Read the example essayanalyzes the author’s use of Biblical verses in the novel.

Handmaid’s Tale Character #4: The Commander

The Commander is the head of the household in which Offred is the Handmaid. Though at times he feels trapped in society, he’s a powerful man who actually helped construct Gilead.

(I imagine at least one Handmaid saying things like, “You feel trapped? Ha! Try seeing life from my point of view!” or “Really? You’re not happy with society? You’ve got no one but yourself to blame!”)

Offred doesn’t see the Commander as all good or all bad. At times she even likes him because he actually shows some compassion toward her. They can sometimes even seem more like friends or lovers as they talk or play Scrabble together.

Analyzing the Commander

There is no doubt that the Commander holds the power. He is the head of the household and even helped construct the social order of Gilead. (It’s no coincidence that his title is actually “Commander.”)

The Commander appears to feel compassion for Offred as he allows her to play Scrabble and read. He also suggests that he enjoys her company and enjoys their conversations.

On the surface, this all seems well and good, but it can be argued that his motives are personal.

He treats Offred like a mistress. He tells her that his wife doesn’t understand him and asks Offred to dress up so that he can show her off at Jezebel’s (which is no more than a glorified brothel).

And he does all of this for his own satisfaction and doesn’t care if there are any consequences for Offred if she is caught breaking the rules.

Essay idea:

Examine the Commander’s motives. Is he being compassionate by letting Offred break the rules with him? Or is he being selfish by not caring about her feelings or what might happen if she’s caught?

Read more about the Commander and his motives in the example essay The Key Role of the Commander in The Handmaid’s Tale, a Novel by Margaret Atwood.

Now That You Know Everyone…

Now that you’ve been officially introduced to a few of the key Handmaid’s Tale characters, you’re ready to turn your analysis into an essay.

If you’re still looking for essay topic ideas, check out these additional example essays:

• The Meaning of the Phrase “Don’t Let the Bastards Get You Down” in The Handmaid’s Tale, a Novel by Margaret Atwood
• The Eyes, the Watched, and the Watcher in a Surveillance Society in The Handmaid’s Tale, a Novel by Margaret Atwood
• An Analysis of the Portrayal of Women in Frankenstein and The Handmaid’s Tale

Ready to turn your ideas into an essay? Use these resources to put your paper in motion:

• 6 Prewriting Strategies to Get Your Essay Rolling
• 8 Components of a Smart Literary Analysis
• How to Write a Literary Analysis That Works

Don’t forget, your friends at Kibin are at the party too—and ready to help make sure your paper will make the grade.

Stuck on Your Analytical Essay?

Check Out These Example Analytical Essays

Yes! Show me examples.

Abigail and friends are found dancing naked in the forest and are accused of witchcraft. They claim to be bewitched in an attempt to avoid a possible death sentence if convicted. In a vengeful move, Abigail accuses Elizabeth of practicing witchcraft. (Elizabeth fired Abigail for having an affair with her husband, John, and Abigail still holds a grudge and still wants to be with John.) Abigail denies the affair, both Elizabeth and John fight for their lives during trial, and John ultimately admits to adultery. But it does not end well for him (and many others in the community).

Sounds like a juicy new reality TV show, right?

Though The Crucible isn’t complete reality (and what reality show is?), the play is based on the Salem Witch Trials that took place in Salem, Massachusetts, in 1692–1693.

Like with any reality TV show, you need to know the basics about the characters before you can fully understand what’s going on.

Think of tuning in mid-season to Teen Mom, The Real Housewives of Miami, or Big Brother. You’ll have to do some catching up on plot lines to know who hooked up with who, who just got out of jail, and who just got in a fight.

While you’ll have to binge-watch on your own to catch up on actual reality TV, I’m here to help you catch up on the plot lines of five important The Crucible characters in Arthur Miller’s play.

I’ll even give you a few tips to help you write a literary analysis about the play.

5 The Crucible Characters You Need to Know for Your Literary Analysis

Let me first start by saying that there are a lot of characters in this play, and I can’t possibly discuss all of The Crucible characters here. Instead, I’ll discuss five of the key players and their roles.

Character #1: John Proctor

John Proctor is like the reality show husband we love to hate. When we’re introduced to him, he seems like a nice enough guy. He’s hard working and seems to be respected by the community.

But he’s not all that.

Sure, he’s innocent of witchcraft, and sure, during trial he fights to save his wife, Elizabeth, from being sentenced to death. But his chivalrous deeds aren’t really chivalrous. He’s trying to save himself from being sentenced to death too.

And don’t let his show of love for his wife fool you into thinking he’s the perfect husband. After all, he did have an affair with Abigail, who, by the way, was only 17. (John was in his 30s.)

Spoiler alert: In the end, John ends up being convicted of witchcraft and is hanged for his crimes. (I guess there’s no chance of him returning for the reunion show.)

Example literary analysis essays about John Proctor

• The Transformation of John Proctor in The Crucible, a Play by Arthur Miller
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• Adultery and the Damaged Relationship of John and Elizabeth Proctor in the Play The Crucible by Arthur Miller

Character #3: Abigail Williams

Modern-day Abigail would spend a fair amount of time taking duck-face selfies and trying to garner more followers on Instagram. She’s a self-absorbed 17 year old who knows how to manipulate people when she needs to (and apparently, she needs to do so often).

Watching her is like driving by a car crash. You know there’s been destruction, and lots of it, but you don’t quite know how it happened. And worse yet, you can’t look away.

In the wake of Abigail’s destructive path are those who take the fall for her on the witchcraft accusations. Abigail pins the whole thing on Tituba (and a few others), but the irony of it all is that Abigail is the one who convinced the others to go out that night.

The Proctors’ marriage falls victim to Abigail’s manipulation too. She has an affair with the much older John Proctor. His wife, Elizabeth, isn’t too keen on forgiving either one of them.

After the affair ends, Abigail still wants nothing more than to be with John and wants Elizabeth out of the way. Abigail accuses people, including Elizabeth, of witchcraft, and Elizabeth is ultimately arrested.

In the end, Abigail realizes she can’t stay in the community, and she skips town, taking all of her uncle’s (Reverend Parris) money with her.

I’m guessing Abigail’s bad behavior is just bad enough for her to earn her own reality show.

Example literary analysis essays about Abigail Williams

• Arthur Miller’s The Crucible: The Evilness and Selfishness of Abigail Williams
• The Selfish, Deceitful, and Manipulative Traits of Abigail Williams in The Crucible, a Play by Arthur Miller
• Abigail Williams Representing the Desires of Puritan Women in The Crucible by Arthur Miller

Character #4: Reverend Samuel Parris

Though Reverend Parris is a reverend, he serves himself more than he serves the Lord.

He’s happy to have the spotlight on him, so starring in a reality show would be right up his alley. While he preaches hellfire and brimstone to his parishioners, his sermons often fall on deaf ears.

He pretty much knows how people feel about him. Yet because he’s so self-absorbed and concerned about creating his own place in the town, he makes things worse by continually believing that everyone’s out to get him.

And for a reverend, he’s not too honest, either. He lies about seeing the women dancing naked to save himself and his reputation. (After all, what would it look like if his own niece, Abigail, was convicted of witchcraft?)

Another not-so-redeeming quality about Parris is his sheer greed. He does anything he can for more money and never thinks he’s paid what he’s worth. (He probably wouldn’t return for a second season unless he could negotiate a much higher salary.)

Example literary analysis essays about Reverend Parris

• The Materialistic and Controlling Characteristics of Reverend Parris in The Crucible, a Play by Arthur Miller
• The Traits of Selfishness and Greed in Reverend Parris From The Crucible by Arthur Miller

Bonus: Example historical essay about Reverend Samuel Parris

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  Character #5: Reverend John Hale

  Reverend Hale is the resident expert. He’s intellectual. He’s a trained witch-hunter. And he thinks he’s all that.

  He’s kind of like the mid-season replacement reality star who joins the show and claims he knows how to play the game better than everyone else. In the end, however, he’s no better than the rest of the cast.

  Hale begins by wanting to do good and to expose those who are practicing witchcraft. The trial, however, leaves him broken. Compared to the beginning of the story, Hale no longer has the same beliefs in witchcraft, in the legal system, or perhaps, even in God.

  In the end, he too believes that lying is the best route—if only to save one’s life.

  Because Hale is so disillusioned, he has my vote for the cast member who would refuse to return for the next season.

  Example literary analysis essays about Reverend John Hale

  • An Analysis of the Character of John Hale in The Crucible
  • The Internal Conflicts and Trials of Rev. John Hale in The Crucible, a Play by Arthur Miller

  Writing Your Literary Analysis Essay

  When it comes to writing about literature, there are all sorts angles to write about. Here are a few general ideas to consider when writing about The Crucible.

  (Of course, make sure to check the assignment guidelines before you choose a topic):

  • Character analysis: Writing a character analysis means that you’ll focus your entire paper on one or two important aspects of a character, such as the manipulative nature of Abigail. To learn more about writing a character analysis, read How to Write a Character Analysis That Works.
  • Analyze the genre: The Crucible is an allegory for McCarthyism in the United States. Look for examples of how the witch hunts and witch trials parallel the hunt for communists.
  • Analyze theme: A theme is the underlying meaning of a work. It’s not necessarily what the piece is about. For example, The Crucible is about witch trials, but the themes of the play include good vs. evil, deceit, and the paranoia surrounding the witch trials.

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  The Crucible is about witch trials, but embedded themes include good vs. evil, deceit, and paranoia.
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  You might also want to write your analysis focusing on another literary technique. Not sure which literary term to work with? Read 15 Literary Terms You Need to Know to Write Better Essays.

  Of course, your analysis might take a different path. You might want to write a compare and contrast essay to compare The Crucible to another literary work, such as The Scarlet Letter. Or you might even compare The Crucible characters to characters in other works.

  You could also compare The Crucible to its film adaptation. Of course, don’t forget that The Crucible is based on the real Salem Witch Trials, so you might compare the play to the actual historical events.

  Stuck in Reruns?

  

  If you feel like you’ve written the same type of essay a few times and can’t seem to figure out how to improve your literary analysis skills, here are two posts to provide some additional guidance:

  • 8 Components of a Smart Literary Analysis
  • How to Write a Literary Analysis That Works

  Once you’ve written the best essay you think you can possibly write, set it aside for a day or two and binge on your favorite show (or maybe do something else to take your mind off essay writing).

  Stepping away from your paper for a while will allow you to see what works and, perhaps, what doesn’t work so well in your essay on The Crucible characters. It will also help you see where you need to revise your paper.

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  ]]> https://www.kibin.com/essay-writing-blog/the-crucible-characters-literary-analysis/feed/ 0 https://www.kibin.com/essay-writing-blog/fahrenheit-451-characters/ https://www.kibin.com/essay-writing-blog/fahrenheit-451-characters/#respond Tue, 30 Jan 2018 01:00:16 +0000 https://www.kibin.com/blog/?post_type=essay-writing-blog&p=5821 Read more "Everything You Need to Know About 4 Fahrenheit 451 Characters"]]> Fahrenheit 451 is a favorite book for teachers to assign—and a favorite for students to read. It’s a classic dystopian novel written in the ‘50s and set in the 24th century.

  Even though it’s not quite the 24th century yet, Ray Bradbury did get a few things scarily right about the future, technology-wise.

  What’s even more surprising is that no matter when you read Fahrenheit 451, it always feels relevant, at least in some way. Themes of escapism, censorship, and media all play big roles in that. But it’s the characters that bring us here today.

  Great characters = a great story—but you can’t write a great essay if you don’t know much about them.

  So I’m here to tell you what you need to know about the four main Fahrenheit 451 characters.

  (Need to write about themes in Fahrenheit 451 instead? Read 4 Important Fahrenheit 451 Themes That Are Worth Analyzing.)

  Guy Montag: The Phoenix

  

  Guy Montag starts out as a pretty proud fireman. He’s not like the firefighters we know today, of course. Because buildings are now basically fireproof, firemen set fire to books. Not just some books—all books.

  Our main man Montag starts feeling a bit bad about his life.

  After a conversation with the neighbor girl, Clarisse, he realizes just how empty his life is. To him, everyone he’s surrounded himself with now seems, to him, to have this false sense of happiness that he was buying into too.

  He realizes that he’s in this loveless relationship with a woman he can’t even remember meeting for the first time. To top that all off, he and his crew have to burn a lady alive when she refuses to part ways with her beloved books.

  What would make someone choose death over living without books?

  He has to find out, so he starts hoarding books in his house. He reaches out to a retired professor named Faber, who agrees to help Montag in his studies and even hatches a scheme to start printing books again.

  Of course, Beatty and Mildred (Montag’s wife) catch on to his budding literary curiosity. Mildred even goes as far as turning her husband in. But as the firemen prepare to burn down Montag’s house, Montag turns the fire hose on Beatty and sets him ablaze.

  Montag flees the scene and gets Faber’s help to escape the city. Once Montag’s out, he meets up with some rebel intellectuals. The city gets bombed, and Montag joins the rebels to start a new society.

  Of course, there’s much more nuance to the narrative.

  But this isn’t about what Montag did as much as it is about Montag himself. He’s certainly got the most development out of any of the Fahrenheit 451 characters. But he is the main character, so that’s fitting.

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  Great characters=great story, but you can’t write a great essay if you don’t know much about them.
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  So what do we know about Montag?

  Montag starts off as any other drone of this futuristic society. It’s not until he meets a young, idealistic girl who exposes him to philosophy and the joys of nature that he starts questioning things. Once he starts on that path, he can’t stop.

  Montag is characterized by his extreme emotions. Once they awaken inside of him, he can’t control himself. He reads poetry (illegally) in front of Mildred and her friends. And then he lights his boss on fire.

  It’s like he had been living in this gray, dull society, was reborn, and then had no idea how to navigate through society. But it works out for him in the end. You can see how it’s fitting that he wears the phoenix insignia of the firemen.

  Essay Idea #1: Explain the importance of Clarisse in Montag’s life.

  Essay Idea #2: Analyze the phoenix symbol and how it characterizes Montag.

  Bonus read: How to Identify and Write About Literary Symbols With Confidence

  Captain Beatty: Beatty the Baddy

  

  Captain Beatty is one of the most unlikeable Fahrenheit 451 characters.

  He’s cruel, manipulative, and hypocritical. He’s everything wrong with the society Bradbury created. He hates everything books represent, but he is oddly in tune with what books actually have to say.

  What’s that all about?

  Beatty tells Montag that every fireman gets curious about books at one point or another. It’s here, you might guess, that Beatty himself gets curious about books. He even starts yelling contradictory literary quotes at Montag, showing that Beatty has read quite a bit.

  Bradbury uses Beatty to show the reader what the leaders of society think. It’s through this character that we learn that books are banned because they lead to too much confusion.

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  He also admits that, although he once quested for knowledge, he now enjoys the simple, instantaneous pleasures in life. Moreover, Beatty tries to control Montag, which represents the authoritarian society they all share.

  Beatty encourages Montag to read the books he hoarded for 24 hours and then return them, which gets Montag hooked on books. Then, Beatty tells Montag to return to a later shift at work, only to drive Montag to burn down his own house.

  Captain Beatty’s power-hunger is ultimately his downfall. He goads Montag into setting him ablaze, and Montag obliges.

  Essay Idea #3: Write a backstory for Captain Beatty that explains his personality in the book.

  Essay Idea #4: How does Beatty represent Bradbury’s fictional society as a whole?

  Mildred Montag: The Zombie

  

  If Beatty represents the authoritarian side of this society, Mildred Montag represents the common citizen. With her pale skin, she resembles someone who’s dead. And really, with the escapism she displays, she might as well be.

  Mildred escapes to the comfort of her three television screens. She even calls the characters her family. She longs for a fourth wall of televisions, which just points further to her need to drown out her real life with fantasy.

  Mildred is so lifeless that, when she overdoses, she doesn’t really seem to care. It’s also not stated explicitly whether the overdose is on purpose or an accident.

  If it isn’t, she just mindlessly downed pills the same way she mindlessly consumes everything else in her life. If it is on purpose, it leads the reader to wonder if Mildred really does have emotions deep down that she just can’t handle.

  In the end, she turns in her own husband and drives away.

  Essay Idea #5: Is Mildred’s overdose an attempted suicide?

  Essay Idea #6: Describe the role Mildred plays in Guy’s life.

  Clarisse McClellan: The Hippy

  

  I call Clarisse a hippy because she’s the only one in the story who seems to love nature at all. She rejoices in its beauty and all the sensations of the natural world. She’s the opposite of everything and everyone around her, especially Mildred.

  Clarisse’s role in Fahrenheit 451 is that of a catalyst.

  She sets everything in motion by asking Guy questions and opening his eyes to the fact that he’s unhappy. Her joy for life makes him want to have the same.

  

  She ends up getting run over by a car—a tragic end to one of my favorite Fahrenheit 451 characters. Her death highlights the inhumanity of society—not only in how she dies, but also in how Mildred tells the news to Guy.

  Essay Idea #7: Describe Clarisse’s role in Fahrenheit 451.

  Essay Idea #8: Compare and contrast Clarisse McClellan and Mildred Montag.

  Bonus read: Compare and Contrast Essay Tips from a Kibin Editor

  Next Steps for Writing About Your Favorite Fahrenheit 451 Characters

  And there you have it—four of the most important Fahrenheit 451 characters and a few essay ideas to get you started.

  If you need to see some examples for inspiration, look at what some other students have written:

  • An Analysis of the Influence of Literature in Empowering Guy Montag
  • A Psychiatric Evaluation of Guy Montag
  • The Power of Influence in Fahrenheit 451
  • The Effect of Clarisse McClellan in Fahrenheit 451
  • The Demise of Clarisse in Fahrenheit 451

  Make sure to check out these two annotated character analysis examples too.

  If this is your first go-round (or even if you’re a semi-pro) with writing a character analysis or a literary analysis, here are a few resources to help you write an A+ analysis:

  • 8 Components of a Smart Literary Analysis
  • Literary Present Tense: Everything You Need to Know
  • 15 Literary Terms You Need to Know to Write Better Essays

  And as always, if you need a second set of eyes to look over your essay after writing it, Kibin’s editing team is available 24/7.

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