Short Story Essay Examples

As the archetype of Romanticism, Nathaniel Hawthorne displays the beauty of his artistic school by straying from reason and science and, instead, entertaining emotion and the institution of religion. The Minister’s Black Veil uses the significance of sin, which is objective and invisible which is in turn transformed to the visible reactions of the characters […]

‘Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge` by Ambrose Bierce is an exquisite little piece that recreates for the reader the agony of the dying person, the cultural attitudes to death, and the historic reality of the described period. Through giving the readers a glimpse into the inner workings of human cognition, the author creates an exciting […]

In short story form, time is of the essence.  Characters must be created quickly, and understood in a brief amount of space and time.  Often, symbols are used to load content and meaning onto a character. In the short story “The Chrysanthemums” by John Steinbeck, he uses the symbol of the chrysanthemum to add depth […]

“Impressionism is an emphasis on the process of perception and knowing, through the use of formal, linguistic and representational devices, to present more closely the texture, process or structure of knowing and perceiving. “Mansfield’s short stories, “Prelude”, “At the Bay”, and “The Garden Party” are all vividly Impressionistic. Throughout these stories Mansfield seems to create […]

The two short stories I have chosen to study for this essay show an incredibly rich use of language and imagery to depict both the atmosphere and emotions of the characters. The first Prose is called Odour of Chrysanthemums by D.H.Lawrence and the second piece is Eveline by James Joyce.In the short story the Odour […]

‘Chateau Bougainvillaea’, penned by H.E. Bates, is a captivating brief tale that features a character confronted with a predicament. The protagonist’s response to this predicament enhances the audience’s comprehension of the story at large. The story of Louise Bowen portrays her growing sense of dissatisfaction with life after becoming engaged to Arthur Keller. This conflict […]

In the middle of part 1, Faulks tells the story of Stephen’s and Isabelle’s second romantic encounter which takes place in the Azaire household. The chapter opens in the living room where the family are discussing what they have done during the day . The conversation is mundane and dull about shopping and household matters […]

According to philosopher Frank Moore Riley, personal demonstration is necessary to be considered an adult. In Ernest J. Gaines’ “The Sky is Gray” and Laurie Colwin’s “Mr. Parker,” two young children struggle to prove their maturity to society. The Sky is Gray tells the story of James, a young black boy, who tries to assure […]

The tales are contained in what is called a “frame tale”, which is the main tale that every other one revolves around. These tales are told by a collection of pilgrims on an adventure from Southwark to Canterbury to visit the shrine of Saint Thomas Becket at the Canterbury Cathedral. One of his tales, The […]

In Sherman Alexie’s short stories “This is what it means to say Phoenix, Arizona”, and “Indian Education” Alexie uses action and dialogue to show the struggles of an Indian culture in a white mans world, putting the theme of race and social justice in a dilemma. Alexie uses dialogue in the short story “This is […]

Originally from Marcy Houses housing project in the Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood of Brooklyn in New York City,[9] Jay-Z was abandoned by his father Adnes Reeves and shot his brother in the shoulder for stealing his jewelry[10] when he was twelve years old. [11] Jay-Z attended Eli Whitney High School in Brooklyn, along with rapper AZ, until […]

Flat characters are minor characters in a work of fiction who do not undergo substantial change or growth in the course of a story. A minor character in a story is not the leader of the story, they are a supporting character to the protagonist and they give a contrast to the protagonist in a […]

Smugglers’ Paradise: The story of Nigeria’s vehicle smuggling network Recently, the federal government lifted ban on importation of vehicles via the nation’s land borders thus prompting speculations of automatic decline in vehicle smuggling across the country’s borders. However, contrary to expectations, smuggling still thrives across the nation’s entry points. Olatunji Ololade, Assistant Editor, takes a […]

I will be reading you an inspiration poem from Douglas Malloch. Malloch was an American poet, short story writer, and associate editor of American Lumberman magazine. In this poem he is telling us that we should not worry about what happened yesterday, or what may happen tomorrow, but to live one day at a time! […]

In the short story, The Story of an Hour and the novel The Awakening, the author Kate Chopin uses the characters Mrs. Mallard and Edna to portray the lives of women in the 1800s. Both characters are very similar to one another, but the differences though a little abstract balance the similarities. Also the author […]

Mother vs. Daughter In the short story called “Everyday Use,” by Alice Walker, the mother daughter conflict theme is portrayed throughout the whole story. The oldest daughter Dee constantly believes that she is better than the rest of the family causing a family feud about who gets the cherished quilt. Dee has always been on […]

The Unlucky Winner In Shirley Jackson’s short story “The Lottery”, the setting deceives the reader making them think the lottery is a typical annual social event held on a peaceful summer day. The whole town anxiously gathers together in the town square for the lottery. The names of the townspeople are called one at a […]

Reading both papers gave me the sensation that I had transitioned into a continuation of the initial essay, which was not entirely negative. I noticed that although the topics were slightly distinct, they still maintained a clear connection, with Lamott preserving similar concepts throughout both pieces. In the inspiring essay titled “Perfectionism,” the author delved […]

**still in progress** Sir Francis Bacon said “We cannot command nature except by obeying her. ” This is apparent in Sarah Orne Jewett’s short story, ‘A White Heron’ thorough the battle between Sylvia and the boy. ‘A White Heron’ is characterized with both masculine and feminine world views. Jewett shows this diversity via the use […]

NOT A NINCOMPOOP? A look at “A Nincompoop” by Anton Chekhov In day-to-day life, there are often incidents or even common behaviours demonstrated by some that lead others to believe that the person is a nincompoop. Some of those who have been called a Nincompoop possess certain characteristics that a typical Nincompoop exhibits. However, the […]

What thoughts come to mind when you think of “The Lottery? ” Positive thoughts including money, a new home, excitement, and happiness are all associated with the lottery in most cases. However, this is not the case in Shirley Jackson’s short story, “The Lottery”. Here, the characters in the story are not gambling for money, […]

Aladdin and the Wonderful Lamp In the novel “Aladdin and the Wonderful Lamp” one can compare the differences of the novel to the movie. There are so many differences between the novel and the movie like for example when in the novel he falls for the princess while spying on her and in the movie […]