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Creating a Textual Analysis of a Short Story
Setting
- How is the setting created? On back country roads in the South.The family stops for barbecue sandwiches at a place called The Tower, owned by a man named Red Sammy and his wife. The family tooka detour down a countryroad after lunch to find a plantation with the mysterioustrap door their Grandmother spoke about.
- What role does setting play in the story? Is it an important part of the plot or theme? Or is it just a backdrop against which the action takes place?
- Study the time period, which is also part of the setting, and ask yourself the following:
When was the story written? Does it take place in the present, the past, or the future?
How does the time period affect the language, atmosphere or social circumstances of the short
story?
Characterization: Characterization deals with how the characters in the story are described.
- Who is the main character? The grandmother is the central character in the story “A good man is hard to find,” by Flannery O’Connor. The grandmother is a manipulative, deceitful, and self-serving woman who lives in the past.
- Are the main character and other characters described through dialogue – by the way they speak (dialect or slang for instance)? Yes,the main characters and others are described through dialogue. O’Connor gives her characters speech that reflects their age, or region (which is almost always Southern) and the children constantly say exaggerated things that sound childish.
- Has the author described the characters by physical appearance, thoughts and feelings, and interaction (the way they act towards others)?
- Are they static/flat characters who do not change or dynamic/round characters who DO change?
- What type of characters are they? What qualities stand out? Are they stereotypes?
- Are the characters believable?
Plot and Structure: The plot is the main sequence of events that make up the story. In short stories the plot is usually centered around one experience or significant moment.
- What is the most important event?
- How is the plot structured? Is it linear, chronological or does it move around?
- Is the plot believable? Why or why not?
Narrator and Point of View
- Who is the narrator or speaker in the story?
- Does the author speak through the main character?
- Is the story written in the first person “I” point of view or in a detached third person “he/she” point of view?
- Is there an “all-knowing” third person who can reveal what all the characters are thinking and doing at all times and in all places?
Conflict: Conflict or tension is usually the heart of the short story and is related to the main character.
- How would you describe the main conflict?
- Is it an internal conflict within the character or an external conflict caused by the surroundings or environment the main character finds himself/herself in?
Climax: The climax is the point of greatest tension or intensity in the short story. It can also be the point where events take a major turn as the story races towards its conclusion.
- Is there a turning point in the story?
- When does the climax take place?
Theme: The theme is the main idea, lesson, or message in the short story.
- How is the theme expressed?
- Are any elements repeated and therefore suggest a theme?
- Is there more than one theme? Explain.
Style: The author’s style has to do with his or her vocabulary, use of imagery, tone, or the feeling of the story. It has to do with the author’s attitude toward the subject. In some short stories the tone can be ironic, humorous, cold, or dramatic.
- Is the author’s language full of figurative language? If so, provide an example.
- What images are used?
- Does the author use a lot of symbolism? Metaphors (comparisons that do not use “as” or “like”) or similes (comparisons that use “as” or “like”)?
