Meaning in Short Stories

Paper Summary:

Five short stories are discussed: "The Story of an Hour" by Kate Chopin, "A&P" by John Updike, "I Stand Here Ironing" by Tillie Olsen, "Barn Burning" by William Faulkner, and "The Rocking-Horse Winner" by D.H. Lawrence. Each story is used to demonstrate the use of either character, theme, plot or setting in the development of meaning.

From the Paper:

"PLOT - "THE STORY OF AN HOUR"

"The plot in this story revolves around the death of the husband, which of course makes the story possible, but at the heart of it is the woman and her feeling of freedom that she feels when she finds out her husband is dead. She feels free, and even in this very short story, Chopin makes us understand why with a few simple lines, "And yet she had loved him--sometimes. Often she had not." That is really the plot briefly -- the woman wanted more. We learn the two character's names in the story, but they, and the other minor characters do not matter, this is truly a short story with one theme, freedom, and is totally plot driven."

More papers on Meaning in Short Stories:

• Analytical Essay # 61321 : "Hemingway's Short Stories"
• Analytical Essay # 8770 : "The Short Stories of Shirley Jackson"
• Article Review # 146477 : "Analysis of the Short Story "Everyday Use" by Alice Walker"

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