Elements of a Short Story

• Protagonist• The main character of the story• The hero or heroine• The character we are rooting for

• Antagonist• A character, group of characters or institution that the protagonist

fights against• Sometimes a villian or enemy• Anyone or anything that opposes the protagonist

Characters

• Conflict• A struggle between opposing forces in a story. The Conflict is the

central problem that drives the story forward• Character vs Character

• External struggle between two or more individuals

• Character vs Self• Internal struggle involving emotions or decisions

• Character vs Nature• External struggle between a character and an element of nature

• Character vs Society• Internal or External struggle between a character and social rules or institutions

Plot

• Complications• Mini conflicts that contribute to the rise of the main conflict

• Climax• The turning point in the story for the character• The emotional High Point

• Resolution• The outcome of the conflict

Plot (Continued)

• Time• when it happens

• Place• where it happens

• Mood• the atmosphere or feeling

Setting

• Literal Language• Means what the words actually say• Sensory details – words that appeal to the senses (sight, sound, smell,

touch, taste)

• Figurative Language• Means something more or deeper than the actual words

• Simile• Comparison using like or as (eg. Life is like a box of chocolates)

• Metaphor• Direct Comparison (eg. Life is a highway)

Descriptive Language

• Figurative Language (Continued)• Personification

• Giving Human Qualities to objects or animals (eg. a smiling moon)

• Symbols• An object or image that may stand for something greater than itself

Descriptive Language

• Point of view describes the narrator’s position in the story.• First Person

• The story is told from the perspective of a character in the story

• Example: “I walked along the shore of the river, my best friend Finn next to me.”

• Second person• The narrator refers to the reader as “you”

• Least common form in literature (but very common in songs)

• Example: Choose Your Own Adventure – “You walk along the shore of the river, your

best friend Finn next to you.”

Point of View

• Third Person• The narrator is not part of the story but is seeing it from outside• All characters are referred to as he/she/it/they

• Example: “Steven walked along the shore of the river, his best friend Finn next

to him.”

• Two Main Types of Third Person• Omniscient (means all-knowing)

• Knows everything about every character, including what all characters are thinking

and/or feeling.

• Limited Omniscient

• Knows everything about one (sometimes more than one) character but is limited in

what they know about other characters, especially what they think/feel

Point of View (Continued)

• What the story is really about

• The message the author wants to communicate through the story

• Some Common Themes:• The struggle between good and evil• The difference between nature and civilized society• The struggle between the individual and community• Love is the worthiest of pursuits• Human beings are all basically the same and all have the same needs

Theme