Short Story Analysis

CHARACTERS/CHARACTERIZATION

List each of the main characters in the story, and identify any important PHYSICAL, MENTAL and SOCIAL characteristics. Consider the following questions:


  1. What does he/she look like? How does he/she present himself/herself?
  2. How does he/she act and/or behave, both in general and towards others?
  3. What are his/her motivations? Why does he/she do what he/she does?
  4. What do other characters say and/or think about him/her?
  5. Is he/she a ROUND or FLAT character?
  6. Is he/she the PROTAGONIST? ANTAGONIST? A FOIL?


CONFLICTS

What types of conflict exist in this story? Which characters are involved in these conflicts?


  1. human vs. himself/herself
  2. human vs. human
  3. human vs. environment (nature, the government, society, etc.)
  4. human vs. the unknown (fate, God/gods, ghosts, etc.)


SETTING


  1. WHERE and WHEN does this story take place?
  2. What qualities of the setting are important to this story?


THEMES


  1. What are some of the most important topics in the story?
  2. What is the story saying about these topics? What message is it trying to put forth?


MOOD/TONE


  1. How does the story “feel” (e.g. suspenseful, exciting, secretive, optimistic, etc.)?
  2. How does the author create and develop this mood/tone?


SYMBOLISM


  1. Which objects, characters, settings, etc. may be intended to represent more than simply their literal meaning?
  2. What else (usually a concept or idea) could they represent? How?
  3. How do these symbols affect the story and potentially contribute to its themes?


NARRATIVE POINT-OF-VIEW


  1. Who is the story’s narrator?
  2. Through which point-of-view is the story told?
  • THIRD-PERSON OMNISCIENT – The narrator reveals the thoughts and feelings of two (2) or more characters (uses “he,” “she,” “they,” etc.).
  • THIRD-PERSON LIMITED OMNISCIENT – Although the narrator can see and hear anything, he/she is limited to relating only one character’s opinions and experiences (similar to first-person, but uses “he,” “she,” “they,” etc.).
  • THIRD-PERSON OBJECTIVE – As in a newspaper article, the author relates events as they occur, but does not contribute his/her thoughts or opinions (uses “he,” “she,” “they,” etc.).
  • FIRST-PERSON – The story is told through the eyes and voice of either a major or minor character (uses “I,” “we,” etc.).

How does this narrative choice affect the story?


PLOT STRUCTURE


  1. What type of plot structure is used to tell this story (basic, flashback, open-ended)?
  2. How does this decision by the author affect the story?


LITERARY DEVICES


    1. Which literary devices does the author use to tell his/her story?
    2. For what purpose are they used? What affect do they have on the story?
    3. How do they contribute to the story’s mood/tone?


FORESHADOWING


    1. Are there any examples of foreshadowing in the story that hint what may take place at the end?
    2. If so, for what purpose is foreshadowing used?