Character Analysis

Our two-day, character analysis lesson involves the following steps:

1. Student-selected groups of four will be assigned a character in Brave New World.
2. In their notebooks, students create a tree map for direct and indirect characterization. Items in the direct characterization branch are found directly in Huxley's quotations and include both physical descriptions and personality traits. Indirect characterization branches include actions, thoughts, and reactions of others.
3. To extend the thinking, students will also complete a bubble map to describe the character. Some adjectives may be directly in Huxley's text, and those should be given a small line to the bubble. Other adjectives are inferred from the indirect characterization branches of the tree map. Inference adjectives should have a long line to the appropriate bubble.
4. A few key quotations should be included in the frames of both Thinking Maps. Do not use the same quotations in both maps.
5. The frame should also contain thoughts on Huxley's intent for including this character in the novel. What themes in the novel does the character help develop?
6. After extensive thinking about the assigned character, groups will create an artistic representation of the character to use as a visual aid for the presentation.
7. Character presentations will include a discussion of the visual aid, the Thinking Maps, and Huxley's intent.
8. During presentations, all class members complete a Key Word Notes chart where they summarize the presentation into one word and then write a summary sentence to capture Huxley's style of characterization and/or intent for certain characters.

The characters to be analyzed include:

• Bernard
• John
• Linda
• Lenina
• The D.H.C.
• Helmholtz
• Mustapha Mond

After the presentations, students return to their country base groups to complete a double bubble map that examines an assigned foil set. Character foils to be analyzed include:

• Bernard vs. Linda
• Bernard vs. Helmholtz
• Bernard vs. John
• Bernard vs. Lenina
• Bernard vs. DHC
• Bernard vs. Mustapha Mond
• Linda vs. Lenina

Review this definition of foil from Cummings Study Guides.

Foil: (1) A secondary or minor character in a literary work who contrasts or clashes with the main character; (2) a secondary or minor character with personal qualities that are the opposite of, or markedly different from those of another character; (3) the antagonist in a play or another literary work.

A foil sometimes resembles his or her contrasting character in many respects, such as age, dress, social class, and educational background. But he or she is different in other respects, including personality, moral outlook, and decisiveness.