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Short Story Essay Examples

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The modern short story always shows us something about how people respond to life. The method of the short story is inevitably more limited than that of a novel. A novel tries to create a world, its own reality, within which its characters developed. In some novels, we are apparently ...

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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
In the realm of literature, short stories possess a unique charm, capable of capturing complex emotions and intricate human relationships within a confined space. "The Lady's Maid" by Katherine Mansfield is no exception, offering a glimpse into the lives of characters whose hidden desires and suppressed emotions mirror the subtleties of real life. As I delved into this narrative, I found myself transported to a world of intricate human dynamics, secrets, and unspoken yearnings. The story revolves around the interactions...
1 Page 513 Words
Have you ever felt that your opinions and beliefs oppose the wider set of beliefs held by your society? In the narrative “Shakespeare In The Bush”, Laura Bohannan explores this exact topic — whether the opinions humans hold are universal. Bohannan argues human nature is universal throughout the world in Shakespeare’s ‘Hamlet’. Bohannan gets a chance to confirm this idea during her stay with the Tiv tribe in Africa, due to the society being a drastic contrast to her modern...
6 Pages 2639 Words
Through the archetypes in the short story Catch the Moon, Judith Ortiz Cofer teaches the reader that love heals all. One archetype in Catch the Moon is The Crossroads, which is a place or time of decision where a real realization is made and change or penance results. The Crossroads is a symbolic archetype for the life-changing decision that Luis makes that night because of the love he remembers from his mother. An example of this archetype is “Then Luis...
1 Page 436 Words
Rarely does an adventure revolve around the treasure hunt ahead alone or a romance relies merely on how attractive the sweethearts are. Rather any successful story instinctively acts around a latent fabric serving as a purpose that truly defines that story’s essence beyond its surface. The theme is that purpose, that sense of meaning. However, to define a theme, one must look not only beyond the critical idea itself, but how a theme adds greater dimensions to what tale it...
2 Pages 770 Words
Before this class, my personal views of literature consisted of my entire school life. Growing up and having the privilege of being able to attend school to obtain an education, I was introduced to the different types of literature at a young age. However, I was not able to fully appreciate it, seeing as how I did not have the capabilities back then to thoroughly analyze and comprehend the texts. English was always my favorite subject in school so writing...
3 Pages 1413 Words
In their lifetime, people can expect to make several choices and decisions. Some decisions may be small, simple, and to a degree, minor. However, there comes a time in one's life in which a decision must be made, significantly impacting their life. Often individuals will turn to a source of motivation that is personal, regarding their individual beliefs, perspectives, and ideologies to guide them in a certain direction. However, an individual may turn to society and find motivation there, one...
4 Pages 1833 Words
The attributes of gender roles formed by society have always held a strong influence over everyone. Based on these standards, it is expected for women to stay at home and handle all of the house chores, as well as be emotionally, physically, and financially dependent on their husbands. This expectation is heavily followed by the world at large and is reflected in many famous literary works, such as ‘Like Water for Chocolate’ by Laura Esquivel or ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’ by...
1 Page 512 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
‘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
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