We analyze fiction in order to:

enjoy the art of reading
understand subtle meaning
learn to form an opinion
gain knowledge
become a better reader

To become adept at analyzing a story, long or short, the reader needs to become familiar with

The Elements of Story making:
structure plot setting character characterization	theme point of view social and economic factors symbolism irony

structure - the "shape" of the plot line. The way the action is organized. The structure gives the internal and external framework for each story.

internal framework - marked by change of seasons, passage of time, yearly cycle, time of day, life cycle, changes in weather, phases of social relationships, and changes in location.
external framework - marked by chapter divisions or sections with numbers or subtitles.

plot - The sequence of action or events in the story. There are four basic components to plot:

introduction - this is the beginning of the story, where information is given to the reader about the story's characters, location and time period.
conflict - this is generally introduced near the beginning of the story we learn that the major character has a problem or conflict, either personal (internal) or with someone or something else (external).
climax - this occurs when the conflict is pushed to its limits, something intense, important, or climactic occurs, usually near the end of the story.
resolution - this is the continuation of the story after the climax. The resolution may answer questions you are left with after the climax, or it may leave questions intentionally unanswered.

setting - describes the scene for you by telling you where and when the story's action occurs. Setting generally includes the time, place and social environment that frames the action. The setting can be useful in creating a mood or evoking an emotion that will prepare the reader for what is to come (Meyer 113). In this way, the setting helps you to gain insight into the character's emotions, conflicts and motives.

Example:

Young Goodman Brown
"He had taken a dreary road, darkened by all the gloomiest trees of the forest, which barely stood aside to let the narrow path creep through, and closed immediately behind. It was all as lonely as could be..."
(Nathaniel Hawthorne)

This description is in the beginning of the story; the reader does not yet know where Goodman Brown is going. Although Hawthorne does not specify an exact location in the setting, it is clear that this action takes place at night in the forest. More importantly, there is a definite sense of evil and foreboding in his description. The fact that it is a "dreary road" and the trees are "gloomy" leads the reader to believe that this road will likely lead to a dangerous or evil place.

character - the character(s) is the person (or people) presented by the writer. There are two main types of characters:

protagonist - the hero or heroine, the main character in the story.
antagonist - the character who opposes the protagonist, the person that helps cause conflict for the protagonist.

Example:

In the classic fairy tale, Cinderella, Cinderella is the protagonist and her wicked step-mother is the antagonist. In other words, Cinderella is the main character, and her step-mother is the character who causes conflicts for Cinderella (i.e. conflicts such as not allowing Cinderella to go to the ball).

characterization - the way that the author makes that character seem real; the way the author presents the character's personality, behavior, motives, values and conflicts. It is the author's characterization, or how the author characterizes a specific character, that tells the reader which character is the protagonist and which is the antagonist.

theme - the central idea of the story. The theme is the unifying element of the story; the rest of the literary aspects are organized in a way that supports and defines the theme. The theme can be plainly written, or implied.

Example:

The theme of the book and movie, The Wizard of Oz could be stated as: The problem solving techniques and resources that you need in order to defeat adversity are already within your reach and control. If you believe that you have the strength and ability to accomplish a goal, then you do have that strength and ability.

point of view - the perspective from which a story is told, i.e who tells the story and how it is told. What we know and how we react to the action and events in the story is directly influenced by the perspective of the narrative voice, or point of view. Some common points of view are:

first person - the narrator uses I to tell the story and can either be a major or minor participant in the action.
third person - the narrator uses he, she, or they to tell the story and does not participate in the action. This narrator can have different levels of information regarding the characters' inner thoughts.
- third person omniscient - the narrator uses third person view point, but knows all of the characters' thoughts.
- third person limited - third person view point, but the narrator only has access to the thoughts of one or a few of the characters.
- objective - this is still the third person view point (uses he, she, or they), but the narrator does not see into the mind of any particular character. The narrator reports action impartially, without telling us what the characters think or feel.

social and economic factors - these factors include gender, age, class, race and ethnicity. They influence the way a character behaves and may be the source of conflict in a story.

Example:

In Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman, for example, the main character, Willie Loman, is a lower-middle class man who spends his life trying to succeed in business. His behavior is shaped by his attempt to attain the "American Dream" of success. A reader who is sensitive to sociological (having to do with society/ social structure) factors might determine that the characters' preoccupation with success indicates a deep competitiveness among Americans in the 1900s (Meyer 1413).

symbolism - a device that evokes more than a literal meaning from a person, object, image or word. When something stands for a concept or idea that is deeper than its original meaning. For example, a rose can be a symbol of love. If the rose is white, the love is pure. If the rose is damaged, the love is damaged.

Below is a list of some common symbols. However, it is important to remember that these same objects can be used in many different stories and can symbolize something different in each one, depending on how the author uses them.

Examples:

A flag can symbolize patriotism.
Apple pie and motherhood commonly symbolize America up to the 1950s.
A gold band usually symbolizes marriage.
Eyeglasses can symbolized intelligence.
A Rolls Royce can symbolize wealth.
A standard sedan (Honda, Ford, etc.) may symbolize middle-class America.

irony - a device that develops meaning by putting together seemingly contrasting concepts or ideas. Irony occurs when there is a difference between what is asserted or believed, and what is actually the truth. There are many types of irony; below are examples of the most common forms of irony:

verbal irony - something is said that is the opposite of its intended meaning.

Example:

"Susan wrecked her car and then exclaimed, 'I am having a wonderful night!'"

Susan did not mean that she was having a great evening. She actually meant the opposite of that, that her night was not going well.
situational irony - occurs when events turn out opposite than what is expected or desired due to circumstances beyond human control.

Example:

John stayed up all night working on his paper. It was going to be his best work yet. However, at 8:00 a.m., just before the paper was due, his computer crashed and he lost all of his work.

Here, John and the reader expect for the passage to end with John turning in his paper and getting a good grade. However, the situation is ironic because it ends opposite what was expected.
dramatic irony - when the reader or audience knows information that the character does not know, and thereby witnesses the impact of what the character says or does. There is a discrepancy between what the reader knows, and what the character believes to be true.

Example:

In Sophocles' Greek tragedy, Oedipus the King, Oedipus puts a curse on his father's murderer. The audience is aware at the time that Oedipus himself is actually the murderer, but Oedipus does not yet know this fact.

* It is important to remember that nothing is inherently ironic. The author must write in a way that can be interpreted as ironic, and the reader must be skilled enough to pick up on it.

Reading Fiction:

Now that you have some idea of what a story is made of and have learned the basics of analyzing what you read, let's practice your new skills. Read the story below and answer the questions at the end.

The North Wind and the Sun

The North Wind and the Sun disputed as to which was the most powerful. They agreed that he should be declared the victor who could first strip a wayfaring man of his clothes. The North Wind first tried his power and blew with all his might, but the keener his blasts, the closer the Traveler wrapped his cloak around himself, until at last, resigning all hope of victory, the Wind called upon the Sun to see what he could do. The Sun suddenly shone out with all his warmth. The Traveler no sooner felt his genial rays than he took off one garment after another, and at last, fairly overcome with heat, undressed and bathed in a stream that lay in his path. Persuasion, the Sun had learned, is better than force.

Questions:

What is the basic plot of the story?

Sample response: (Please note that answers will differ). The North Wind and the Sun competed to see which was the most powerful. The Wind tried to win by force, but the Sun used persuasion. The sun won by using his warmth to convince a man to take off his clothes.
Tell me something about these three elements:
1. characters
2. setting
3. theme
Sample responses: (Please note that answers will differ). A) There are three characters, the Sun, the North Wind, and the Traveler. B) It is in a natural setting. The Traveler is walking down a path that leads him to a stream. This tells the reader that it takes place in the outdoors. It does not matter if it is summer or winter, because the Sun and Wind change the temperature throughout the story. C) The theme is that persuasion is better than force. It is plainly stated in the last sentence.
What type of story is this?

Sample response: (Please note that answers will differ). This is a folk tale. It is a story that originated in the past, and it has a clear and simple moral message.
Does this story have a moral message? If so, what is it?

Sample response: (Please note that answers will differ). It has a clear moral message. Like its theme, its moral message could be stated as: persuasion is better than force. It is clear that the author was trying to teach the reader how to use positive persuasion to accomplish goals. You can compel people to do things better through encouragement than through coercion and force.

Source : Meyer, Michael. The Compact Bedford Introduction to Literature. Boston: Bedford Books, 1997.

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