Literary Elements of Good Short Stories Research Paper

Great short stories display relatable characters, exciting plot twists, and vivid details concisely. However, behind all the best short stories are literary elements that are essential to the plot. Literary elements are the building blocks of writing, making them a critical component in forming short stories. Good short story authors use symbolism, imagery, and point of view to develop meaningful themes. 

Good short stories use excellent symbolism, which supports strong themes. Authors accomplish this by adding additional meanings to objects, actions, or names. Beyond that, symbolism allows authors to convey themes to the audience discreetly by making the story more engaging and adding a deeper layer of meaning. Symbolism allows for authors to demonstrate universal concepts, which make writing relatable. If themes are concepts, symbolism is a ship that delivers these concepts. Symbols in a short story accurately reflect its theme and relate big ideas to ordinary objects. In "Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been," Joyce Carol Oates uses symbolism to portray the theme: a teenager's desire for independence leads to an overall sense of gullibility to life's realities. One symbol that demonstrates this theme is the entrance of Connie's home. Connie's home symbolizes a side of herself she is comfortable with, while her position at the door symbolizes her inclination to be independent and branch out from this comfort zone. For instance, the doorway of Connie's home can interpret as a symbol when she speaks to Arnold Friend. Connie first “stands on the porch steps, then she retreats when Arnold Friend becomes aggressive, yet she remains intrigued by the door, refusing to move further into the house” (Oates 4). Connie retreats into her home when Arnold becomes aggressive, but she fails to move further into her house because of her blindness towards life's harsh realities and dangers. In "The Last Rung on the Ladder," by Stephen King, the ladder, which symbolizes Katrina's unstable life, emphasizes the theme of people's failure to recognize danger. When Kitty and Larry climb the ladder, Larry recognizes the instability of the ladder, stating that he could feel it “beginning to shimmy around a little bit in the dusty barn air” as he climbed higher (King 3). Yet, Larry chooses to continue climbing with his sister, leading to Kitty almost losing her life. When the two grow up, the ladder is a direct representation of Kitty's personal life. Her life is unstable and shaky as she goes through an abusive relationship and an ugly divorce. Through all this, she continues writing letters to her older brother, Larry, who is extremely busy and does not take the time to answer. Larry might still have been alive if he had been able to recognize the danger in his younger sister's life.

The second important element that all good short story authors incorporate in their stories is imagery. "A picture is worth a thousand words" is a familiar phrase that many have heard before. An author who would like to paint a vivid picture through details and descriptions should remember this phrase. The imagery of a story makes abstract thoughts such as an emotion, or a theory easier to understand. By using imagery, authors evoke feelings in their readers. Through these emotions, authors connect people to the messages and themes in their work. Authors such as Stephen King and Eugenia Collier use imagery in their short stories "The Last Rung on the Ladder" and "Marigolds" to ensure readers can visualize the story's setting. For example, in “The Last Rung on the Ladder,” Stephen King describes the barn as "warm and mysterious" with splintered wood that creates a "cold and unpleasant sweat" (King 2). This description of Larry and Katrina's barn is mysterious, which further adds to the anticipation as readers connect to the theme of human failure to recognize danger. Furthermore, in "Marigolds" the narrator describes her hometown as covered in an “arid, sterile dust that gets into the eyes and makes them water, gets into the throat and between the toes of bare brown feet” (Collier 1). Using imagery, the narrator, Lizabeth, paints a picture of her nostalgic feelings towards her hometown. These nostalgic feelings correlate with the story's theme of maturity and the difference between compassion and innocence. 

Finally, point of view is the third literary element that is important in every short story. In short stories, point of view is crucial in controlling the interpretation of the story and its theme. Various viewpoints allow for specific freedoms in narration while also limiting others. By using a point of view, an author has control over how readers understand a story and can make the story more believable. The theme of "The Last Rung on the Ladder" by Stephen King is the human race's inability to recognize danger. The short story is in first-person point of view, and readers gain perspective on the story through Larry, Kitty's older brother. Kitty commits suicide after going through a messy divorce and having nobody to support her. Larry states that he had “been awake all night, with Katrina’s letter,” which adds a deeper meaning behind the theme as readers gain an insight into the regret and loss failing to recognize danger can cause. Another example of point of view influencing the theme of a short story is in "Where are you going? Where have you been?" by Joyce Carol Oates. The point of view of this short story is the third-person omniscient narrator. Through this narration, readers can empathize with Connie while also getting a broader view of the events occurring. In addition, the narration gives readers a sense of Connie's hesitance and uncertainty. Through the third person narration, readers read as Connie “watched herself push the door… moving out into the sunlight where Arnold Friend waited” (Oates 11). Despite feeling overwhelmed by Arnold, Connie gives in and joins him in his car. As seen from an outside perspective, Connie appears to be having an out-of-body experience. If the story had taken a different perspective, it may have overlooked this out-of-body experience. This emphasizes the theme of a teenager's need for independence and overall gullibility while leaving Connie's true feelings open for interpretation. 

In conclusion, good short stories use literary elements such as symbolism, imagery, and point of view. Symbolism adds additional meaning to objects and ideas; Imagery paints a picture of the setting; Point of view uses narration to control a story's viewpoint. These literary elements are critical components of short stories such as “The Last Rung on the Ladder,” “Marigolds,” and “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?” and heavily influence a reader's interpretation of the theme of a short story.