In the short stories, “The Good Corn” written by H.E. Bates and “The Great Leapfrog Contest” by William Saroyan techniques such as characters, point of view, setting and structure work together to explore the issue of personal conflict and establish tension between the main characters in each story. An examination of these techniques allow a more enhanced reading of the texts and in turn evoke a particular response from the reader. In the short story “The Good Corn” there are three main characters which are portrayed in such a way as to allow a tension and personal conflict to be created but only after the reader is positioned to respond favourably to the characters initially. Joe Mortimer and his …show more content…
This conjures images of a peaceful and thriving natural environment with no invasion of manmade inventions. However, as the personal conflict of Mrs. Mortimer’s sterility is developed the setting complements her feelings of worthlessness and loneliness as the reader becomes aware that the farm is in fact isolated and any outside contact with people is welcomed. This is demonstrated through the passage “Whenever the Mortimer’s caught sight of them [the children on the train] there was a sudden brightness on their faces.” Similarly, in “The Great Leap Frog Contest” the setting enhances the portrayal of Rosie as the underdog. The fact that the contest takes place on a highway that is made out of “dirt and asphalt” conveys an atmosphere of a fast-paced competition and it is painstakingly obvious that Rosie’s gender does not complement this setting. Hence, she is portrayed as an outsider not only because she is fighting a boy, but also because of the nature of her surroundings. Both short stories employ third person point of view to enable the reader to see into the lives of all the characters presented. While this doesn’t allow a more personalized insight into the main characters mind it does give the authors freedom to explore all of the
Authors of great stories often use good technical writing skills. The purpose of this essay is to compare and contrast two short stories: Where Are you going, Where Have You Been by Joyce Carol Oates and Hills Like White Elephants by Earnest Hemingway. The comparison and contrast will be done based on their use of plot, point of view and character development.
while the first story related to only a slim few. Although these stories related to one another, they did not reach out to the same audience. There are only a few readers who can relate to both at the same time.
"Stories that show all too clearly how airily Faulkner can reproduce the manipulation of the reader's emotions is the real aim of the commercial short story. (Kazin 162) . "The total story says what has been said in so much successful literature." (Lewis 157) . "Man's plight is tragic, but that there is heroism in an attempt to rise above it."(Lewis 157) .
In short stories, often an author can find him/herself limited on space to develop one or more of the story’s characters. A skilled author can use small vignettes to relate instances of character development that can be used to infer a relationship with the character. These passages can be a line or two, but can carry the weight of a full chapter if executed properly. Will Weaver paints an idyllic farm scene in “A Gravestone Made of Wheat,” featuring a full cast of traditional characters. Nevertheless, through glimpses into specific instances in Olaf and Inge’s respective lives together, the audience can appreciate their nontraditional nature.
Although the stories’ main components mirror each other, they still differentiate. For example, in “The Devil and Tom Walker,” everyone believes Tom has made a deal with the devil, whereas in “Young Goodman Brown,” the author questions the actuality of the night’s events: “Had Goodman Brown fallen asleep in the forest and only dreamed a wild dream of a witch-meaning?” Even if the incidents never did transpire, Goodman Brown could not return to his Christian life. On the other hand, Tom Walker tried living a Christian life again, but the devil still carried him off. The protagonists’ relationship with their wives also varied between the stories. Goodman Brown loved his seemingly innocent wife, Faith; while Tom Walker hated his termagant wife and though he
In the short stories, “The Destructors” by Graham Greene and “Young Goodman Brown” by Nathaniel Hawthorne, these stories though have drastically different settings and time frames, the character’s deal with similar inner turmoil from their exterior circumstances. Each short story seems to reveal an interesting outcome and turn of events as the character’s personalities unfold. Not only does one see the personalities of the characters unfold, but the settings are revealed, to set the stage for what drives the plot.
Having each story been written in a third-person narrative form, the reader knows the innermost feelings of the
A strong essay goes beyond the explicit and makes logical inferences about the psychological and literary elements of the stories
In this paper, I will be comparing and contrasting three works that we have studied this semester. I will be writing about A Rose for Emily by William Faulkner, The Hairy Ape by Eugene O’Neill, and The Open Boat by Stephen Crane. All of these authors’ stories use setting to encompass the idea of freedom. Each author has a different perspective on liberty and they all express it differently through their writing. In each story the main character is trapped, either literally or metaphorically. They can all achieve freedom from their situations, but there are obstacles that stop them from reaching their goal. In A Rose for Emily, the main character is trapped in her house. In The Hairy Ape, the main character is stuck in
“A Rose for Emily,” “A Worn Path,” and “The Lottery” by William Faulkner, Eudora Welty, and Shirley Jackson all have similar writing styles in their literature. In these three short stories the authors all use contrasting nature within their literature to predict the outcome and to learn for the upcoming events in the readings. The authors take subliminal phrases and subliminal symbolic text to have the reader become more attached and understand more of what the characters, setting and theme of the story has to offer. Using these three stories the reader of this essay will understand and grasp the symbolic meanings in text of each these short stories.
To conclude, Animal Farm and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn both employ the use of characters to symbolize malice, devotion, and vulnerability because these symbols can be used as tools to criticize society as well as individuals; however, Orwell chooses to use a third person narrative and a collective protagonist so that a caution to a wider audience can be offered by exploring multiple viewpoints while Twain chooses to use an outsider as his narrator and protagonist so that a lighter satire can be offered. By exploring these two works it is clear that literary pieces can have very versatile purposes which can be reached through the use of various literary devices. Through literacy some of the greatest stories have been told making remarks
Ever since the invention of language, humans have been obsessed and intrigued with the aspect of storytelling. Each story, whether written or spoken, holds an important theme within its creative words and exciting plot. While each story is special and unique, over the course of history, different periods of literature have formed where authors tend to focus on similar themes and messages. One of which was the American Romantic era, where authors used their stories to challenge the boundaries of society, and delve deeper into what makes people inherently human, both the flaws and perfections. Some of America’s greatest works of literature were born in this period, like those of Poe, and Hawthorne. A very common literary theme during the romantic period was that of good versus evil, in both individual characters and society as a whole; this theme is especially evident in works such as The Tell Tale Heart, The Raven, and Young Goodman Brown.
Short stories have fully developed themes but appear significantly shorter and less elaborate than novels. A similar theme found in short stories “Winter Dreams” written by Scott F. Fitzgerald and “A Rose for Emily” by William Faulkner included the social and environmental influences that encouraged and controlled the character’s life and decisions. In “Winter Dreams”, the main protagonist-- Dexter-- fell into a fixation over a young, whimsical blueblood, Judy Jones. His obsession led him to believe that Judy Jones reciprocated his feelings for her, leaving him bare and mortal-- despite prior beliefs. Following her father’s death, Miss Emily fell into a dark obscurity due to the pressure and compulsion of having to carry on the honorable family name. While using a unique point of view (first person peripheral), “A Rose for Emily” followed a mysterious and desirable woman named Miss Emily as her hometown tried to understand her peculiar ways and began to find her disgraceful. By comparing and contrasting these two literary pieces, a similar organization-- including the writers’ purpose and themes-- should become clear. By using literary devices-- such as point of view, dramatic irony, detail, and figurative language-- Scott F. Fitzgerald and William Faulkner conducted two short stories similar in aim and reasoning, probable for contrasting and comparing elements within the parallel writings.
3. What similarities and differences do these stories have in common, considering where and when they take place
Short stories can share themes, motifs, symbols, consequences, and plot lines, even if there is never any intention to share a common element between the stories. The stories can be written close together or in different decades and still be linked to the one another. They can also be worlds apart with different meanings in the end, but that does not stop them from having similar ideas expressed within them. The following three stories, “Lagoon” by Joseph Conrad, “The Rocking Horse Winner” by DH Lawrence, and “The Lady in the Looking Glass” by Virginia Woolf, are three totally different stories that share common threads that make them the stories that they are.