Elements of Short Story

 

Elements of Short Story

1.      Plot: Plot is the soul of short story. Plot means arrangement of incidents. The success of the story depends upon the plot,. It is a series of connected happenings and their results. In order to have a result, we must have an initial event, or conflict. Short story is told in an artistic manner by selecting and arranging the events into a plot with an intention. The short story writer organizes the incidents with a definite purpose to present his ideas or pictures of life or human experiences in a particular way. The short story writer has a small span and space for the development of plot. He immediately plunges into the course of plot and rapidly reaches the end. In the middle of the plot the story points to the approaching end which is surprising, shocking and sudden. Sometimes the end of plot reveals the hidden theme of short story in a flash. The end of the story is considered to be the most important characteristic of short story. The end of short story throws light back on entire structure and gives it a new meaning. There is an unexpected end coming as a shock or a surprise which is called twist ending or ironical reversal of the situation.

2.       Character: People involved in the events of the plot are the characters. Characterization is the information the author gives the reader about the character themselves. The author may reveal a character in several ways: 1. His/her physical appearance 2. What he/she says (how they speak and what they say to others – often revealed in dialogue) 3. What he / she thinks (their feelings, hopes and dreams) 4. What he/she does or does not do 5. What others say about him/her and how others react to him/her including the narrator.

• Protagonist - The main character or hero in a story.

• Antagonist – The person or force that works against the hero, or main character, of the story.

• Narrator – The person or character who tells the story, gives background information, and fills in details between dialogue.

3.      Setting: The setting is where (place) and when (time) the story occurs. Time can include not only the historical period—past, present, or future—but also a specific year, season, or time of day. Place may involve not only the geographic place—a region, country, state, or town—but also the social, economic or cultural environment. The time and location in which a story takes place is called the setting. For some stories the setting is very important, while for others it is not. There are several aspects of setting of a story. Some of them, or all, may present in a story. The plot, the character and action i. e. incidents – all these do not take place in a vacuum. There is a definite physical background to a story against which the characters move and incidents happen. This background is called setting of a short story. Compared to novel in short story the setting is brief and constant. So, the setting includes the landscape, locale, place, and the scene used as active or passive background of the action. Setting can include atmosphere, the tone and feeling of a story. Setting can vary as per the theme and situation in the story. In a number of stories the setting may just help to create the right atmosphere but in others the setting goes a long way in creating the desired effect. It leads touch of ‘reality’ to the story. The proper selection of setting, therefore, is an essential part of the story teller’s art.

4.      Point of View/ Narration: The point of view is the perspective from which the events of the story are presented to the readers. The short story writer uses some narrative techniques. He plans an order of events to create a surprise at the end. He uses different techniques of narration. He may use a flashback technique. A flash back technique is that one in which the later events leap into the past to give some meaning to the present. Occasionally a short story writer may use stream of consciousness technique. Its intention is not just to comment but to expose the state of mind of the character by bringing to surface the thoughts and emotions and everything that is floating on the stream of mind. This stream of mind is constantly moving in zig-zag manner touching the past, present and even the future. Similarly, the writer accepts a specific point of view to satisfy the need of his narration. There are two main types of point of view: first person point of view and third person point of view. In the first-person narration, a character in the story is the narrator and uses the pronoun “I”. The story is told through one character’s eyes and the events. In the third person narration, the narrator tells the story about other people and uses the pronouns “they” or “she / he” rather than “we”.

5.      Conflict: Conflict is the main struggle or opposition in a story that the protagonist has to solve or face.Conflict in stories is either:

1) External

2) Internal

There are 6 main types of conflict.

Internal Conflict:

• Character versus Self: This is an internal conflict. The character struggles with moral dilemmas, emotional challenges or desires. The conflict is with the character's own conscience or soul. It is a struggle within one’s self; a person must make some decision, overcome pain, quiet their temper, resist an urge, etc. External Conflicts:

• Character versus Character

• Character versus Society

• Character versus Nature

• Character versus Supernatural

• Character versus Technology

It is the conflict that makes the story interesting and appealing. The conflict is a struggle between two people or things in a short story. The main character is usually on one side of the central conflict. On the other side, the main character may struggle against another important character, against the forces of nature, against society, or even against something inside himself or herself (feelings, emotions, illness).

 

6.      Theme: Theme is the story’s message, unifying or central idea. The theme may be the author’s thoughts about a particular topic or view of human nature. It is the total meaning of the story. Without theme, the story lacks meaning or purpose. Sometimes the theme is stated, sometimes it is only implied. The short story writer allows the characters to move in the action of story with an intention to suggest something. His efforts may be to arrive at certain conclusion as a human experience. It may be the truth, a principle operating in human experience, some reflections, some moralizing or visions of life. The theme concerns with the final impression of the story. In short, theme is the authors’ commentary on an aspect of human nature or life in general.

7.      Dialogue: The speech of characters in a story is called a dialogue. Dialogue reveals the emotions, moods, intention and attitudes of the characters to themselves or to others. Dialogue helps us to narrate several incidents only actually happening in short story. So, dialogue is a very good device to report such events and characters’ attitudes to readers.

8.      Title: Every short story has its own title. There is no story without a title. Sometimes it is symbolic also. The title should be short and eye-catching. A story without title is like a tree without lives and flowers or a temple without a God.