ELEMENTS OF FICTION EXERCISE
1. For this assignment you will read the document below labeled "Elements of Fiction in "Story of an Hour." Carefully read this document and use it as a model for the writing part of this assignment.
2. Read p. 334-338 about theme. This will be a very important element as we proceed through the course.
• The glossary in the back of the book will help you with the definitions of the various elements of fiction
• The table of contents for fiction is divided into elements of fiction. The introduction to each section deals specifically with the various elements.
3. Read "A & P" p. 148 "Trifles" p. 1125. Pick one of these stories for the assignment. Using the "Elements of Fiction in "Story of an Hour" (below) as a model, you will provide a brief explanation of the elements listed below for the story you choose.
• Plot (exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, resolution)
• Narration/Point of view
• protagonist
• antagonist
• conflict
• symbolism
• setting
• irony
• theme
ELEMENTS OF FICTION IN "STORY OF AN HOUR"
Explanation of the Assignment: The following example is a breakdown of this short story that analyzes how the author uses the various elements of fiction to make the story effective. If there is one thing you should learn from the following analysis, it is that these elements are not isolated from one another. They, in fact, influence one another, and by understanding how these elements work together we can gain a deeper understanding of a story and, possibly, how the story might be relevant to our own lives even if it was written in 1894. For example, it becomes clear through the analysis that the conflict, the characterization of Mrs. Mallard, the setting, and the symbolism are closely related and help lead us to a statement of theme. Again, don't view the elements as totally separate features. To some degree in each story many of the elements are very closely related.
EXAMPLE:
Plot: The plot is very condensed because it reflects the title-it takes place in one hours time. The author uses a chronological order to develop the plot. The events are presented in the actual order of time they take place.This story has a very brief exposition, only one sentence, in which the reader learns that Mrs. Mallard has a weak heart and that there was concern regarding how she might take the news of her husband's death. Would it be too much for her? The rising action deals with Mrs. Mallard coming to the realization of her true feelings about the situation. The climax occurs when Mrs. Mallard accepts the idea that she is now free to live her life for herself. The action falls as she considers what all of this means and how she feels about it. The resolution is when she learns her husband still lives which causes her to die because of either the shock or disappoint she experiences because of this revelation.
Conflict: The conflict is between Mrs. Mallard and the feelings she is experiencing which are feelings of freedom, release, the ability to live for herself. This is a conflict because the conventions of society demand that she grieve the loss of her husband, mourn his death, and certainly not to focus on how his death might actually make her life better.
Antagonist: The antagonist could be seen as the social and cultural expectations placed on women in the era the story is set-she is struggling with her real feelings and the expectations she knows others would have about how she should respond. Mrs. Mallard is the protagonist because she is the main character and she is the one engaged in the conflict.
Protagonist: Mrs. Mallard, the story's protagonist, because she is responding to the news of her husband's death in a very complex manner. She clearly is taken by surprise by her reaction to her husband's death and struggles against that reaction because she knows it is not the reaction dictated by the social and cultural setting. It is possible that she is motivated because during the period this story was written, women's roles were well defined. Women were to take care of the home, not be concerned with the world of work and decision making, and they played secondary roles to the men in the culture at that time. As Mrs. Mallard points out, "There would be nobody to live for during those coming years; she would live for herself." This notion is in opposition with the social conventions for women in the late 1800's.
Setting: This story was written in 1894, so the historical setting has a major influence on the struggle or conflict Mrs. Mallard is experiencing. She is living in a time when women's roles were very narrowly defined; women had few options as they do today. The setting is directly related to the antagonist in this story because the social and cultural conventions are the cause of her conflict. The geographical setting is in the South which is explained in the "cultural context" passage that comes before the story. Specifically, it explains that in Louisiana, married women were treated more as property than individuals.
Narration/Point of View: The narrator is telling the story from a third person omniscient point of view. Not only do we know what Mrs. Mallard is thinking, but we get glimpses of what the other characters-her sister, Mr. Mallard's brother, and the doctors-are thinking.
Irony: The irony in the story exists because the reader knows that it was not "the joy that kills" as the doctors declared. Mrs. Mallard did not die because she was too overjoyed by the news her husband was alive. She was distressed that new life she envisioned was utterly destroyed.
Symbolism: Chopin uses symbolism to suggest new life or rebirth in paragraphs 4-9. In these paragraphs the author uses images of spring and life to lead the reader to the emotions that Mrs. Mallard will finally give in to. Some example of this symbolism are "the tops of trees that were all aquiver with the new spring life," "the delicious breath of rain," and "There were patches of blue sky showing here and there through the clouds . . . ." These are symbols of a fresh start and of hope, which are the same feelings that Mrs. Mallard is struggling with.
Theme: By analyzing and forming ideas about the other elements of fiction, it becomes apparent the common thread among most of the elements deals with the conflict between the individual and social and cultural expectations. A statement of theme for "Story of an Hour" could be that social and cultural expectations are very powerful and can at times force us to suppress our true selves and aspirations.
The story can be found on https://www.tiger-town.com/whatnot/updike/