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Analysis Of Escapes By Gustav Freitag

Decent Essays

According to Gustav Freitag, in literature, there is a specific way in which plot develops, and it is portrayed as a pyramid of five actions. In this pyramid, there is a basic conflict which is followed by multiple complications until the conflict reaches its breaking point, and then after the conflict is clear, the issue will then either resolve or not. This method has been used for years, however, there is a method of storytelling that does not follow this pyramid, and it is known as a digital story. Digital stories do not follow Gustav’s pyramid exactly, and often tend to leave information out of the story itself. Whereas in traditional stories detail is essential to the plot, and what keeps the reader going, this lack of information present in digital stories tends to leave the readers’ interest constantly peaked since it is unknown what will occur next. In the story “Escapes”, the reader is presented with a great deal of information on Lizzie’s life. The reader is shown almost immediately the conflict in which this story surrounds, and how it will affect this young girl’s life. “My mother was a drinker. Because my father left us” (pg. 252). Short and to the point, the issue clear, and the reader knows what to expect moving forward, at least for the most part. Lizzie must deal with her mother’s drinking and how this child handles the situation. At first, the complications are innocent, the mother is seen drinking out of the same mug constantly, and will not let her daughter drink from it despite the fact it is her favorite mug. However, when Lizzie and the mother are on the way to a magic show, it becomes more clear that the mother’s drinking has progressed. “It was here where my mother put her little glass, the glass often full, never, it seemed, more than half empty” (pg. 254.) The mother arrives to the show with drink practically in hand, and from here on out the conflict keeps building until finally, as Gustav stated, the issue explodes, and we are now presented with the mother completely drunk in front of a large crowd of people pleading with her husband, who is not there, to stay for the children. In this moment, we as a reader can recognize the mother’s pain since we have followed her story,

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