How to do a Basic Analysis of a Story
Step 1: Read the story at least once; twice is recommended. Answer for yourself the questions at the end of the story. Pay particularly close attention to the beginning and end of the story. You will gain information about the central character's key trait in the beginning of the story. You will discover information about the climax and the character's change or lack of change at the end of the story.
Step 2: Identify the subject of the story. The subject can usually be reduced to a word or two, and it is usually some aspect of human nature or human behavior. For example, the subject of Richard Wright's "The Man Who Was Almost a Man" is maturity (or immaturity).
Step 3: Identify the central character. The central character is the one around whom all the action revolves, the one who performs the critical action or makes the crucial decision that leads to the resolution of the central conflict. A short story usually has only one central character, and often the central character is mentioned or suggested in the title of the story. In Wright's story, the central character is Dave.
Step 4: Identify the central character's beginning key trait. The central character will have a beginning key trait, behavior, attitude, or value. This key trait will be a fundamental internal characteristic that is in some way out of balance in the character. This key trait is usually revealed or suggested in the beginning of the story. Then, most of the character's actions are motivated by this key trait. Identify the beginning key trait directly in your analysis. In Wright's story, Dave's key trait at the beginning is his immaturity.
A More Detailed Example:
In "The Necklace," Mathilde thinks she needs a fine dress and jewels to be presentable at the ball. These desires are a problem, but not the basic problem. Ask yourself: "Why does she think this way?" You might say: "She is materialistic" (or conceited or vain). But again, why?
Root cause: Mathilde deceives herself into thinking that she is better than she is. Why does she think this way? Well, she just does. So her self-deceit is the basic motivation for her actions. Notice how she must have jewelry to be acceptable; she lies to Mme. Forestier so as not to be thought a thief; she goes into great debt to preserve her false self-image; even at the end she seems to believe that all of her problems are caused by Mme. Forestier. Hence, Mathilde's key trait is self-deceit.
Any of the traits noted here for Mathilde would be acceptable for analysis, but go for the most basic level--the core of her character, the motivating force. If you can discover the beginning key trait, you have also located the subject and half of the central conflict.
Step 5: Identify the central conflict. A character does not have conflict without some form of antagonism. That antagonism can come from outside or inside the character. Because the key trait makes the character out of balance, the key trait makes up half of the internal conflict. Usually, the other half of the internal conflict is some contrary trait, such as honesty is contrary to dishonesty or self-deceit, good is contrary to evil, or fantasy is contrary to reality. The internal conflict then leads the character into a series of external (minor) conflicts. That is, the complications (minor conflicts) in the story occur as a result of the internal conflict, so look for the central conflict to start early in the story.
Again, a character experiences antagonism in a story--other characters, places, things, self. Internally, in what is usually the central conflict, the key trait is in conflict with a real or assumed contrary behavior or trait, so that an internal conflict such as conceit vs. humility emerges, as in Jack London's "To Build a Fire." The character at first is conceited, but his experiences cause him to be humbled, to gain humility, by the end.
A More Detailed Example:
In Wright's story, Dave's central conflict is immaturity (his beginning key trait) vs. maturity. Dave has a flawed perception of adulthood that is based in his immaturity. Dave's key trait, his immaturity, is evident through much of the story, and the key trait should be supported in the analysis by presenting plot events. His mother must keep his money so that he will not spend it foolishly. He whines to get his way and even begs her to give him some money. Dave acts like a boy, so everyone treats him as one. He wants to be treated as an adult, though he does not really know what makes one an adult.
This ignorance or immaturity is the basis of Dave's internal conflict. Dave concludes that the others would have to respect him if he has a gun, which shows his flawed perception of adulthood spawned by his immaturity. So Dave devises a plan to get himself a gun. After begging his mother for the money, Dave buys the gun. But instead of giving the gun to his mother, as he promised, Dave hides it and takes it out to the fields the next morning. In the field, Dave's immaturity again shows itself. Dave cannot control the symbol of his perceived adulthood. He misfires the gun and kills a mule. When the incident is discovered, Dave lies about what happened. The others suspect the truth and laugh at Dave. Only under the threat of a whipping does he break down crying and confess.
As you develop a character's beginning key trait in an analysis, you must use plot events to demonstrate that your analytical claims are correct. If you say, for example, that Dave's beginning key trait is immaturity, you must provide plot events to illustrate that conclusion. If you later state that Dave's central conflict is immaturity vs. maturity, you must show, again through plot events, that the two forces are at odds in Dave's internal conflict. Be sure that you use plot events to support analytical conclusions. Do not simply give plot events in your analysis; if you do, you are only summarizing, not analyzing.
Step 6: Identify the climax of the story. The climax is the point in the story where all minor conflicts have been solved, the chain reaction of problematic situations ends, and the revelation of whether the central character attains the surface goal is made. As a result of this outcome, certain things may happen to the central character. One or the other of the traits will win the conflict and consequently control the character at the end. At any point prior to the climax, the character has a chance to change the outcome. When the climax arrives, no further changes can occur, and the character's fate is sealed.
As you are presenting the climax, you should continue to show through plot events how the central conflict is rising in intensity toward the defining moment of the climax. In Wright's story, the shooting of the mule is not the climax. Dave still has a chance to demonstrate that he has matured. For his foolish action, Dave must pay for the dead mule, an enormous $50 punishment. Dave still has the chance to be responsible for his actions and to accept the consequences. This acceptance would show a step toward maturity for Dave, but again he retreats. After lying about its whereabouts, he retrieves the gun and fires it with a measure of control, but he still shows his childishness by threatening to shoot Mr. Hawkins, the target of Dave's spite. At the climax of the story, Dave decides to hop a train, still with the gun, in effect running away from his responsibilities.
There must be some singular, specific, decisive action that resolves the conflict. For example, my daughter was at the Halloween party several years back when a bunch of high-school kids were stabbed. Her friend implored her to run away and leave the party. My daughter contended that since she was sober, she should stay and help. So, her conflict was stay and help vs. run away. At the decisive moment, she chose to stay, and eventually she helped drive one of the stabbed kids to the hospital. Her two conflicting choices could only be resolved by a decisive action--the climax, if you will.
A More Detailed Example:
Many students incorrectly identify the climax in Frank O'Connor's "Guests of the Nation" as the point when Donovan shoots Hawkins. However, Donovan is a minor character; he cannot resolve the conflict of the central character. Bonaparte, the central character, is dealing with two choices. Will he choose his duty to his country as a soldier or will he choose his personal relationship with the Englishmen? Another character cannot make the choice for him; he must do it himself. So Donovan's actions do not qualify as the climax. Bonaparte himself must perform some decisive action. In this case, it is his own hand that kills Hawkins. Of course, then one has to decide if he acts out of duty to his country to kill the enemy or duty to his friend to end his suffering. But he acts. Notice that Noble, who refuses to act, is pretty much the same at the end, still using religion as a crutch. Bonaparte has changed because he has been forced to make a decision. So, the climax is the point of highest emotional intensity in the story, the point when the central character is forced to do something to resolve his own conflict.
Clearly and specifically identify the singular plot event that serves as the climax of the story. Don't just say the climax is near the end of the story. You must specify a particular event in the story in which the central character acts to resolve the central conflict.
Step 7: Identify the central character as static or dynamic. A character has a key trait at the beginning that is a problem for the character (though he may be unaware of the problem), and this internal problem causes other external problems. Through the attempt to solve the external problems, the character may or may not undergo a change at the end of the story. Your determination of this change or lack of change can only be made after the climax of the story. At any point prior to the climax, the character may revert. Compare the character at the beginning to the character at the end. Has the character undergone a fundamental internal change? That is, has the beginning key trait changed? Is the character now motivated by something other than the beginning key trait? If so, identify the new ending trait. In all analyses after Assignment 1, you should directly identify the beginning key trait and the ending key trait.
If the character is dynamic, the character is often shocked into some new realization (usually concerning the existence of the internal problem/key trait), and the beginning trait and the ending trait are the conflicting forces in the central internal conflict. If a character is dynamic, the opposing trait in the central conflict (humility, for example, in London's story) is what the character changes to, what new trait motivates the character at the end. The imbalance in the character is righted. The character "comes to realize" something. The realization is also the essence of the central idea of the story.
If the character is static, the beginning trait and the ending trait are the same. No change occurs in the character, and the opposing trait in the conflict must be assumed by the reader. The imbalance in the character is not corrected. In this type of story, the central idea is often concerned with why the character has not changed.
You cannot, though, simply say that the character is static or dynamic. You must support your analytical conclusion with facts of the story. You must provide evidence from the climax or after that shows the character has or has not changed. Sometimes the evidence is no more than a simple character action, a word or two, or perhaps even a change in setting.
In Wright's story, all Dave's external woes grow out of his internal trait of immaturity. Hence, his internal conflict is more central to the story because it produces all the other minor external conflicts. When Dave jumps on the train, he effectively seals his fate and leaves the story with his key trait of immaturity unchanged. The author confirms Dave's static character in the last scene. Dave hops the train to go "somewhere . . . he could be a man." With the use of the words "could be a man," the author has suggested that Dave is not yet one. The author's language suggests that the character has not yet overcome his key trait of immaturity. Here, the story evidence that Dave is static is the author's use of language.
Step 8: Develop the central idea. The outcome--the change or lack of change in the character--produces the central idea. The author's subject is usually just the before trait or the after trait, and the central idea is the author's specific comment on one of these traits.
If Dave thinks that a gun will make him a man, he believes that adulthood springs from without, not within. Dave's belief gets him into a load of trouble. At the end, Dave jumps the train and runs away, still in possession of the gun. As a result, Wright uses the static character of Dave to suggest that maturity is a product of one's actions and attitudes, not one's possessions--because with his possession, Dave does not attain maturity.
Logical Consistency
To be effective, an analysis must have logical consistency. Three elements must share a similar focus--central character, central conflict, and central idea.
- Specifically, the central character must be primarily involved in the central conflict, and the central idea must deal directly with the actions or nature of the central character.
To be logically consistent, the analysis must identify a central character, show that central character primarily involved in a central conflict, and present a central idea that focuses on the central character.
Schematic of Short Story Mechanism
The schematic below gives a sense of how the elements of short fiction function together.
Analytical Hot Spots
The beginning and end of a short story are the primary locations to gather analytical information about the story, as noted below.
Beginning of Story
Beginning Key Trait of Central Character
Potential Situation of Story
Inciting Incident of Conflict
Indication of Central Conflict
Setting
Initial Sense of Tone
End of Story
Climax of Story
Ending Key Trait of Central Character
Resolution of Conflict--Outcome
Static or Dynamic Nature of Central Character
Dominant Tone
Central Idea