Mao Dun, a famous Chinese writer, said, 'a short story mainly captures a typical segment of life to illustrate a problem or a social phenomenon that is much broader and more complex than itself.' This means that there is a limitation of the length of a short story, that its content cannot take place over a long period of time. This literary form refers to a brief fictional prose narrative that is short in length, usually involving only a few...
3 Pages
1209 Words
Short stories are known to go straight to the point, in other words there is no room for “sub-plotting,' “slowing developing tensions,' and for any kind of “byplay.” As it is stated in the Portable Literature: Reading, Reacting, and Writing, early on in history, short stories, being brief and having a theme, included anecdotes, parables, fables, folktales, and fairy tales. Within these types of stories, novelists had to use a short amount of word count to fit their whole story,...
2 Pages
1022 Words
How much can a parent sacrifice for their child? How should a person handle the gray area between right and wrong? These were just some of the questions I had in my mind as I read through the book. The Hand Bringer written by Christopher J. Penington is a story of sacrifice, family, friendship, and love entangled with time travel. The Hand Bringer started with the introduction of Peter Hadrian, a member of the police force, in the middle of...
1 Page
432 Words
Money is one of the most significant fundamental factors that influence social customs; it makes people greedy and corrupt; even worse, it causes family collapse. Due to the background of 'The Rocking-Horse Winner', it is the period of Western industrial civilization where materialism is extraordinarily prevalent and money is the symbol of social status. In the introductory paragraph, Lawrence makes it clear that the story will revolve around money or lack of it. Through the following plot, it is not...
2 Pages
1042 Words
In the story ‘How to Date a Brown Girl (Black Girl, White Girl or a Halfie)’, Diaz's statement about perceived identity is hiding one's true self from society. The narrator suggests hiding his activities’ true self from his family and his date in the story. When he says to put the cheese back into the fridge after the date is over. It shows that he returns to his true self after the date is over. He also suggests acting differently...
1 Page
430 Words
Get a unique paper that meets your instructions
800+ verified writers
can handle your paper.
place order
The short story ‘A&P’ by John Updike is about Sammy, the protagonist and a 19-year-old cashier, who observes three girls wearing bikinis when they enter the A&P grocery store and imagines details about them with only their appearances. Sammy will then be attracted to the main girl, Queenie, and will defend her and her friends after his manager, Lengel, got mad for wearing inappropriate clothes. Eventually, Sammy quits his job after his argument with Lengel. Sammy’s decision on quitting made...
1 Page
642 Words
‘The Birthmark’ was written by Nathaniel Hawthorne during the Age of Enlightenment, in which the subject of science was ridiculously prevalent, as it was believed that science could take anyone anywhere, they wanted to go just by doing their best. This caused science and the scientific method to begin to be seen by people as something magical and even began to be glorified by many. This story expresses the popularity that science came to have, as well as exposes the...
2 Pages
841 Words
Life after death, reincarnation, and past lives have been topics that are being explored by countless authors. These themes have mostly been explored through a religious lens, whether that is Christianity, Judaism, Hinduism, Buddhism, etc. While the religious influences, if there are any, aren’t immediately recognizable in Andy Weir’s short story ‘The Egg’, the narrative itself attempts to explore the idea of life after death. It also explores the interconnectedness between humans and the world they live in, through the...
3 Pages
1440 Words
‘Boys and Girls’ by Alice Munro tells an emotional story of a girl who realized about her future life as a girl in a subtle way. This story literally shows that childhood struggles with gender experiences particularly contribute to the development of maturity. The story begins when the narrator tells a girl when she says that her father is a fox farmer. The girl struggles against society’s ideas of how a girl should be, only to see her trapped in...
2 Pages
763 Words
‘Cathedral’ by Raymond Carver is a rather prolonged short story about a blind man. The blind was invited to spend some time with a long-time friend and her husband after he had experienced the loss of a loved one. The narrator of the story happens to be the wife’s husband who isn’t particularly friends the blind man named Robert. For some odd reason he isn’t named throughout the story. The narrator was blinded by prejudice, and lack of knowledge on...
2 Pages
758 Words
F. Sionil José’s ‘The God Stealer’ has to be one of the best short stories to be written since it has won the Carlos Palanca Memorial Awards for Short Story, one of the best awards to be won by a writer for his or her work. Back in 1959, José’s inspiration for writing ‘The God Stealer’ was from his own experience in Ifugao with an American cultural officer alongside his Ifugao assistant. It all started when the American’s assistant wanted...
2 Pages
738 Words
The short story ‘Cathedral’ has many different themes. These include, but aren’t limited to, jealousy, insecurity, isolation, detachment and connection. Raymond Carver’s short story ‘Cathedral’ is about prejudice and the ignorance that comes with it. The narrator’s false assumptions based off stereotypes and lack of knowledge eventually is overcome by treating others with equality and seeing things from their perspective. The main character’s narrow-mindedness is already apparent in the first few sentences when saying, “I wasn’t enthusiastic about his visit…...
1 Page
611 Words
Whileaway, the perfect all-young lady in ‘When It Changed’ supports girls with no sexual orientation limits. In their impeccable society, masculine and feminine work is performed evenly among the ladies, and additionally, Jonna Russ uses this point to show us more about the feminist criticism of ‘When It Changed’. Janet, narrated in 'When It Changed', can be classified as the 'feminine' female in her lesbian marriage with Katy, however she also has 'masculine' characteristics. She worries about her companion, but...
2 Pages
783 Words
In this day of age, everyone is on their phone texting each other. Human interaction is being limited and texting is the new way to have a conversation. But is texting the best way to interact with someone? In the story “Cat Person” by Kristen Roupenian, Cat Person tells the story of a college student, Margot, and the relationship she has with an older man, Robert. It is through Margot and Robert’s relationship that the effects that texting can have...
4 Pages
1628 Words
The excerpt from Nectar in a Sieve and “Marriage Is a Private Affair” demonstrate the negative and the positive influences of modern ideas and modern ways on traditional cultures. To begin with, one of the pronounced positive influences of modern ways on traditional cultures in the excerpt from Nectar in a Sieve is the medical expertise that is more advanced and effective than the traditional method of seeking aid by prayers which was demonstrated unsuccessful by Rukmani herself. Kenny, an...
1 Page
534 Words
The leader of a powerful country is known to many as a very peaceful person when dealing with foreign disputes. Suddenly, an enemy nation strikes out of nowhere and destroys one of the biggest urban cities in the country. Plans of war come to mind. Conflicts like these happen all the time around the world, ranging from what food a family is having for dinner to massive global wars. They can stem from misunderstandings, frustration, and much more. According to...
2 Pages
735 Words
The Death and the Miser and Because I Could not Stop for Death Essay Death is a word that everybody might be scared or not scared of. However, no matter if you’re a good person or a bad person, nice or rude, death will always find ways to come to you. These artworks are both about two wealthy persons who end up dying for the fault of death. Both stories “The Death and the Miser”, a northern renaissance, painting by...
3 Pages
1162 Words
In Literature, symbols are used in order to produce impact and accomplish additional meaning to the story. In stories there is normally always some symbolic meaning behind the authors writing, this reflects the purpose for writing the piece. In his short story “The Chrysanthemums,” John Steinbeck uses symbols to represent the main character, Elisa Allen, who struggles in living in a ‘man’s world.’ The struggles that Elisa Allen experiences relate to the oppression of women, this is when women were...
2 Pages
858 Words
'There Will Come Soft Rains' was first released on Ray Bradbury's hit set in 1950. Set in the year 2026 and following a futuristic smart home in the aftermath of a nuclear disaster that devastated the former human population of the residence, the residence is completely self-contained in this The house, everything is mechanical, from the garage door to the cleaning, as the day's progress, the house becomes more aware of time and starts its duties at specific times. There...
2 Pages
688 Words
The belief of valuing a human’s life may be inherent and unequivocal by most people. Nevertheless, there are people in the world that do not acknowledge the importance of one’s life and choose to be careless over the fact and proceed to take advantage of anyone, regardless of the consequences. These types of people were either taught not to value humanity at birth or elect to treat others as objects or use them as pawns to further their own personal...
4 Pages
1748 Words
Oppressions in Ginu Kamani`s ‘The Smell’ “The Smell” is a short story that gives the readers the point of view of a young Indian girl, known as Rani, who lives in a household that practices vegetarianism and witnesses a tradition of an arranged marriage that occurs in her family. Ginu Kamani, the author, wrote the story based on her experience living in both Bombay and the States which allow her to explore the differences in cultures and traditions between the...
3 Pages
1382 Words
In his novel ‘Shibumi’, author Rodney William Whitaker writes, “Irony is fate's most common figure of speech”. Irony is present in almost every situation imaginable—from the small talk made while waiting in line to the foundation of some of the most well-known, acclaimed pieces of literature in history. Simply put, irony is a contrast between expectation and reality— when what is expected to happen does not. Author Shirley Jackson utilizes this concept multiple times in ‘The Possibility of Evil’, a...
2 Pages
965 Words
Pahom was a hardworking man. But nonetheless, he was a poor peasant. He and his wife seemed content living a stress-free lifestyle, and not having much. “We may never grow rich, but we will always have enough to eat”, his wife would say. Although Pahom agreed, he thought in the back of his mind that his life would be perfect and he would have nothing to fear if he only had more land. Pahom learned of a neighbor selling land,...
2 Pages
802 Words
‘The Moment Before the Gun Went Off’ is a story written by Nadine Gordimer. It is a narrative of a white farmer named Marais Van der Vyver, whose gun accidentally shoots and kills his young black man farmer, Lucas. The story's plot is strongly influenced by the apartheid policy, the segregation of whites and non-whites and the white supremacy for 50 years in South Africa. The story is about how people perceive the issue regarding the death of a young...
1 Page
678 Words
The story ‘The Swimmer’ by John Cheever is described as the swimming journey of Neddy in the neighborhood, as an active and optimistic father and husband. “It was one of those midsummer Sundays when everyone sits around saying, ‘I drank too much last night’”. Despite joining a cocktail party, he agreed that he would swim his way home through different swimming pools. Throughout his journey, it changes him from a young man to an aged, poor man whose life is...
2 Pages
912 Words
Have you ever had an impression of an individual to have it then proven wrong? In the short story, ‘The Tell-Tale Heart’, by Edgar Allan Poe, we respond to the narrative of the protagonist with a variety of emotions. As he begins his narrative, we feel alienated from him because we cannot identify with him or his concerns. As the story develops and we understand his predicament more we begin to sympathize with him because we realize he is ill....
3 Pages
1223 Words
In Ray Bradbury’s short story, “Sound Of Thunder,” the mood is revealed through personification, irony, metaphor, and characterization. The author used irony here and there “As Eckels talks in the workplace to Time Safari official, he is recounted the threats of the Time Machine, and he remarks”. 'Makes you think, if the election had gone badly yesterday, I might be here now running away from the results. Thank God Keith won. He'll make a fine President”. But no after they...
1 Page
499 Words
Through the role of storytelling, an enduring text invites the audiences to challenge the previously held assumptions and beliefs of ourselves and the world at large whilst igniting new ideas on the true nature of the individual and collective human experiences. Anthony Doerr’s 2014 novel All the Light We Cannot See reveals the individual’s resilience in the face of collective oppression. Kate Chopin’s 1893 short story “Desiree’s Baby” highlights individual’s powerless resilience in response to the restrictive views and prejudice....
1 Page
611 Words
Franz Kafka is known to be one of the most influential writers of the 20th century. Kafka’s grim writing style is known and recognized by many. Many of his works leave the reader questioning life and often taking away a pessimistic message. The dark nature of his short stories such as “The Judgement”, “A Hunger Artist” and “In The Penal Colony”, poses the questions, why such a dark view on life and it's situations and what factors affected his writing?...
2 Pages
1121 Words
The short story, “Hills like White Elephants”, is unlike any normal story. This story lacked the typical foundation that a normal story might have: a beginning, middle, and end. This short story describes a discussion between a man and a woman, which leads to no real ending. Ernest Heminway, the author, included enough information into this story so that the reader could form their own conclusions. Hemingway's life was not a walk in the park. He had many unfortunate experiences...
2 Pages
855 Words