Complex characters have mixed feelings, conflicting motives and flaws. They change over a text, often through a key moment of conflict or realisation.
In a dystopian story where everyone wears a Feed that tells them what to do, Ada's malfunction forces her to choose for the first time. Her shaking hands are “not from fear exactly”: the writer shows a mixture of fear and excitement.
When you analyse a character, track what they want, what stops them, how they change and what that change suggests about the writer's ideas. Use evidence from different points in the text.
Worked example
What does Ada's final choice to keep the book and walk away suggest?
- She rejects the Feed's guidance.
- Her action shows a new value placed on freedom.
Answer:She has changed from obeying the system to valuing independent choice.
Key words
- complex character
- a character with mixed traits and motives
- dystopian
- set in a controlled, nightmarish society
- realisation
- a moment of understanding
New questions every time.
Common Core-referenced: RL.9-10.3