Welcome to this post entitled short story analysis! Short story analysis is a fun and enjoyable activity where you will apply the literary theories we have discussed in your class. You will have a satisfying feeling as you will identify the characters and the roles that they play, the intricacies of the setting, the various layers of narration depicting the story’s point of view, the complicated conflicts you will discover, the symbolism, the theme as well as the moral the short story wants you to grasp. In short, this topic short story analysis will offer you a complete online learning experience as you immerse yourself in the study of literatures, whether Philippine literature or World literature. Hence, come and join me as well traverse this colorful world via this topic, short story analysis!
Intended learning outcomes
At the completion of this lesson, you should be able to:
- discuss what is a short story;
- explain the elements of a short story; and
- analyze a chosen Filipino author written short story.
What is a short story?
Before we can perform a short story analysis, you need to get the basic information surrounding a short story. It is helpful to know a bit of background information about short story, its origin, its elements, its growth and development, to name a few, prior to embarking on a short story analysis. In addition, you need to have an actual short story which will serve as your stepping stone in such a way that this actual short story will serve as your guide, so you can go places and ultimately, learn how to do short story analysis.
Short story is one of the most popular literary genres which readers, young and old, male and female, enjoy reading. It is one of the most indispensable and readily available source of recreation and relaxation among the lovers of the word. But what is a short story? How did it came about? Why does it became widespread and ever-popular as it is nowadays? Let us dig deeper.
Short story is a prose fiction narrative involving simple characterization and setting, an uncomplicated plot and conflict, which can be read in one sitting. Unlike novels, its plot is not that complicated and most of all, can be consumed in one instant since it is not composed of many chapters. Aesop, a Greek slave, began the tradition of relating fables which are actually short stories involving animals as characters wherein morals can be derived. Jesus Christ, in the course of His ministering duties, related series of parables, which are actually allegorical short stories to establish His main points of Faith, Hope, and Love. In the Middle Ages, Sir Geoffrey Chaucer related a series of short stories in his compilation entitled Canterbury Tales. These tales served a lot of purposes, ranging from moralizing, satirizing and entertaining. All these narrative may very well be the predecessors of the modern short story. Edgar Allan Poe, an American fictionist and poet, revolutionized the way short stories are written. He wrote series of popularly read short stories which belong to the macabre, dark and bordering the socio-psychological genre. He was deemed as “Father of Modern Short Story.”
Elements of Short Story
Setting. The setting of a short story refers to the time and place in which the events of the story occur. This includes the weather condition, the socio-economic as well as the political climate during which the story took place.
Characters. The characters are the representations of human beings in the story. They play roles and substantiate the plot. In short, they animate the short story. Characterization is the process of building a character or particular characters to suit the needs of the story. There are various techniques on how writers build their characters. As readers, we can observe these techniques by analyzing the the:
- actions of the characters
- thoughts of the characters
- descriptions of the characters
- descriptions of other characters
- descriptions of the author
After the writer has built the characters through the process of characterization, we shall now scrutinize each type of character involved in a short story.
According to character principality;
- Protagonist. This is the main character in the story.
- Antagonist. The character which opposes the main character.
According to character development;
- Dynamic. This is the character who exhibits noticeable development in the course of the story. This could be attributed to the role assigned by the writer.
- Static. This is the character who exhibits no change and development at all.
According to character personality;
- Round. This is the character who displays different/multiple personalities throughout the story.
- Flat. This is the character who reveals traits which remains the same throughout the story.
According to role being played;
- Major. These are the protagonist/s and the antagonist/s in the story.
- Foil. These are the characters who contrast other characters in terms of attitudes, beliefs, and ideologies. Batman is the foil to Superman, while Ron Weaseley and Hermione Granger are the foils to Harry Potter.
- Support. These are the characters who plays secondary roles.
- Minor. These are the characters who play a bit/cameo roles/appearances.
Conflict. This is the opposition of persons or forces in a story that give rise to the dramatic action in a literary work. It is the basic tension, predicament, or challenge that propels a story’s plot. There are different types of conflict, namely:
- External conflict
- Person vs. Person is a type of conflict where one character in a story has struggle with one or more character
- Person vs. Society is a type of conflict where one character has a conflict elements in the story such as school, community, the law, etc.
- Person vs. Nature is a type of conflict where a character has a problem with some natural phenomena found in nature such as storm, earthquake, flood, etc
- Person vs. Fate is a type of conflict where a character has to battle what seems to be an uncontrollable chain of events, whether coincidence or strange consequences of his action or inaction.
- Person vs. god is a type of conflict where a character is pitted against a god or powerful being.
- Internal conflict
- Person vs Sellf is a type of conflict where a character has a trouble with himself coming up with decisions and actions.
Point of View. This element refers to how the story is narrated. The story’s point of view determines the narrator of the story, the one who tells it from a storyteller’s perspective. The following are the different types of point f view:
- First person. This point of view is used when the narrator in the story is utilizing the “I” voice expressing his own views. He is either a major or minor character who tells the story in his own words.
- Third person omniscient. This point of view is used when a narrator tells the story from an all-knowing, all-seeing vantage point. He sees all the characters’ actions, thoughts and emotions.
- Third person limited. This point of view is used when a narrator tells only “what he can see or he can hear” inside the world of a story. This is also known as “camera technique narrator” since he does not reveal what other characters see or feel.
- Third person central. This point of view is used when a narrator limits the narration to what the central character thinks, feels, and does only.
- Third person editorial. This point of view is used when a narrator comments on the action of the characters by telling the readers its significance or when the narrator evaluates the behavior of the characters.
Plot. This element refers to the sequence of events in the story, arranged and linked in causality. There are various parts of the plot, namely:
- Exposition. This part of the plot refers to the story’s initial setup, where, variably, setting is established, characters are introduced, and conflict is initiated. This is also known as introduction.
- Complication. This part of the plot refers to the start of the major conflict or problem in the plot. This is known as the thickening of the plot.
- Crisis. This part of the plot refers to the part that establishes curiosity, uncertainty and tension; it requires a decision on the part of the characters which they cannot escape. This is also known as the rising action.
- Climax. This part of the plot refers to the peak of the story which leads to affirmation, a decision, an action or even a realization. This is the point of greatest emotional intensity, interest, as well as suspense; hence, the highest point of interest in the story.
- Denouement. This part of the plot is the finishing of things right after the climax, and shows resolution of the plot. It is also known as the falling action.
- Ending. This part of the plot is the part that brings the story back to its equilibrium. It has various types depending on the story, namely:
- Natural ending is the expected ending where all conflicts are settled and the ending simply puts a closure to the narration.
- Surprise ending is the kind of ending which is totally not expected from the readers’ point of view but nonetheless puts an end to the narration.
- Hanging/suspended ending is the kind of abrupt ending where some conflicts are not yet solved and normally used to introduce a sequel or something similar.
Theme. The theme of the story is the main idea, the moving force, or simply, what the story is all about. This is the “why” behind the “what”, a universal concept, the “big picture” the major insight and the raison d’ etre of the story. There could be numerous themes involved in a story and these are normally presented during the entire course of the story.
Symbols. This element could be any thing, object or artifact which symbolizes some concepts or ideas as depicted in the story.
Moral. The moral of the story are the important lessons we can grasp from the story. They are the “gems of thought” imparted by the story which we could use in the daily course of our lives. This element is the reason why readers continue reading and patronizing short stories since time immemorial.
Doing short story analysis
Now that you have knowledge on the elements of short story, you are now ready to embark on doing short story analysis. In this case, the short story entitled, “Children of the City,” written by Amadis Ma. Guerero will help you perform short story analysis. You may download a copy for you to read by downloading a copy in our Edmodo online class platform or by clicking here. This short story is a Carlos Palanca Memorial Awardee for the Short story category. As you read, take note or identify the elements we discussed earlier. Don’t forget to enjoy reading the story and savor its language, descriptions, conversations and imagery involved.
After reading, you are now ready to do short story analysis of your chosen Filipino writer-penned short story. A Short Story Analysis Matrix which you will use to do short story analysis is needed, a copy of which is available here. You need to download and save a copy of it for your own short story analysis later. With your own chosen short story and the short story analysis matrix ready on hand, you are now ready to do short story analysis.
In your computer with the soft copy of the short story analysis, encode the needed information and don’t forget to save. Print a copy and submit it to me before the deadline. Please don’t hesitate to message me if you have concerns. Enjoy doing your short story analysis!