BASIC ELEMENTS OF SHORT STORY

1. Character- A character in a short story is a person, in some stories an animal, who takes part in
the action of the story or other literary work. The way an author develops the character in a
story is very important in making the story appeal to the readers. It is said that the heart of the
story are the characters. The two most important characters in a short story are the protagonist
and the antagonist.
a. The protagonist is considered as the main character or most important of all the
characters. It is the character who learns something or undergoes some changes
throughout the course of the story. Some stories depict the protagonist as the hero of
the story, while in other stories the protagonist is not considered a hero as he has done
nothing heroic. In any case, the story always revolves around the protagonist.
b. The antagonist is the character that challenges the main character. It has no concern for
the well-being of the main character. The antagonist may be a person, the nature, the
society, or any intangible matter that contends with or creates a problem for the
protagonist.
2. Setting- The place (locale) and time (period) when the story happens is called the setting. The
setting may be based on real place and real time or it may also be based on the author’s
imagination. When analyzing the setting of the story, consider where the action is taking place.
Most authors use descriptive words to describe the landscape, scenery, buildings, season, or
weather to provide a strong sense of setting which will help the reader visualize the story and
connect to the story’s plot.
3. Plot- A plot is the actual story. It is what the story is all about. It is also the series of events and
characters’ actions lead to the highest point of interest in a short story. The following are the
different parts of a story’s structure:
a. Exposition -This is the beginning of the story. This is where the author introduces the
characters, identifies where the story is happening, and establishes the main conflict.
b. Rising Action-This event occurs as you begin to move throughout the story. This is where
conflicts start to build.

Climax- It is the most exciting part of a short story. This is the part in the story when important decisions
are made or important things are discovered.

c. Falling Action- This point occurs after the climax as the problems in the story start to
work themselves out. The excitement becomes less and less as the conflict is resolved.
E. Resolution- This is the solution to the problem in a story.

The solution may not be what you hoped for but as long as it fits the story in tone and theme, the
conflict has been resolved.

4. Conflict- Every story needs to have a problem and this problem is called conflict. The main
character, also called the protagonist, needs to have someone or something to challenge him.
Without conflict, the story will not go anywhere and will not be very interesting to the readers.
The main character may be faced with one of the four different types of conflict. These four
types of conflict are:
• man versus man; •Man versus nature. •man versus himself • man versus society

5. Theme- This is the central idea in a short story and a general truth. This is considered as the
author’s message to the readers.

6. Point of View This is the way the story is told or narrated. It is also known as the vantage point
that a writer uses to narrate the story. The following are the types of point of view in a short
story:
a. First Person – the narrator participates in and tells the story using the pronoun ‘1’.

b. Limited Third Person – the narrator is not in the story and narrates using the pronouns
‘she’ or ‘he”. Also, the narrator is unable to see into the minds of the characters.

c. Omniscient Third Person – the narrator is not in the story and tells the story using the
pronouns ‘she’ or ‘he’. In this point of view, the narrator can tell the thoughts of the
characters as he can see into their minds.