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Character Analysis Assignment

Name:_________________________ Date:__________________Course:_____________

Character Analysis Assignment – Lord of the Flies

Due Date:___________

This assignment requires you to write a three page, double-spaced, analysis of one

of the principal characters (Piggy, Jack, Ralph, or Simon) in Lord of the Flies. You will

consider how this character fits into the Freudian, political, and religious allegories in the

story. You will then conclude on how this character affects the plot and deeper meaning

within the novel, as well as deepens an understanding of the common human experience

or life in general.

In other words, the question you are responding to is the following:

How does William Golding use allegory in your chosen character to reveal a

theme about people or life in general?

When analyzing the character, consider the following elements (besides his

physical attributes and surface interpretations):

 Dialogue – what the character says or how he speaks

 Physical actions – what the character does and the way he does it

 Thoughts, or mental actions – the character’s internal life and how he

thinks

 Judgment by others – what other characters say and think about the

character

 Author’s tone – the mode in which the author writes about the character

 Literary devices – what symbols, allusions, figures of speech, or sensory

descriptions “follow” the character?

How you construct your thesis and organize your essay is up to you. You may

choose to write three pages focusing on only one allegory in an exhaustive manner, or

you may comment upon each of the three in a clear and organized fashion.

You MUST use textual evidence that backs up your claims. You should have AT

LEAST three pieces of textual evidence total.

We will participate in peer editing in class, so be prepared to bring in multiple

copies of your work in progress.

Amendola 2011

Character Analysis Assignment