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Short Story Unit A
Theme
The theme in a story is its underlying message, or 'big idea.' In other
words, what critical belief about life is the author trying to convey in
the writing of a novel, play, short story or poem? This belief, or idea,
transcends cultural barriers. It is usually universal in nature. When a
theme is universal, it touches on the human experience, regardless of
race or language. It is what the story means. Often, a piece of writing will
have more than one theme.
Theme is an element of a story that binds together various other essential
elements of a narrative. It is a truth that exhibits universality and stands
true for people of all cultures. Theme gives readers better understanding
of the main character’s conflicts, experiences, discoveries and emotions as
they are derived from them. Through themes, a writer tries to give his
readers an insight into how the world works or how he or she views human
life.
Foreshadowing
Foreshadowing is a literary device in which a writer
gives an advance hint of what is to come later in the
story.
Foreshadowing often appears at the beginning of a story
or a chapter and helps the reader develop expectations
about the coming events in a story. There are various
ways of creating a foreshadowing. A writer may use
dialogues of characters to hint at what may occur in
future. In addition, any event or action in the story may
throw a hint to the readers about future events or action.
Even a title of a work or a chapter title can act as a clue
that suggests what is going to happen. Foreshadowing in
fiction creates an atmosphere of suspense in a story so
that the readers are interested to know more.
Characterization
Characterization is a literary device that is used step by
step in literature to highlight and explain the details about
a character in a story.
It is in the initial stage where the writer introduces the
character with noticeable emergence and then following
the introduction of the character, the writer often talks
about his behavior; then as the story progresses, the
thought-process of the character. The next stage involves
the character expressing his opinions and ideas and
getting into conversations with the rest of the characters.
The final part shows how others in the story respond to
the character’s personality.
Irony
Irony is a figure of speech in which words are
used in such a way that their intended meaning
is different from the actual meaning of the
words. It may also be a situation that may end up
in quite a different way than what is generally
anticipated. In simple words, it is a difference
between the appearance and the reality.
Irony (continued)
On the grounds of the above definition, we distinguish two
basic kinds of irony i.e. verbal irony and situational irony.
• A verbal irony involves what one does not mean. When in response to a
foolish idea, we say, “what a great idea!” it is a verbal irony.
• A situational irony occurs when, for instance, a man is chuckling at the
misfortune of the other even when the same misfortune, in complete
unawareness, is befalling him.
Difference between Dramatic Irony and Situational Irony
• Dramatic irony is a kind of irony in a situation, which the writers frequently
employ in their works.
• In situational irony, both the characters and the audience are fully unaware
of the implications of the real situation. In dramatic irony, the characters
are oblivious of the situation but the audience is not.
Symbolism
Symbolism is the use of symbols to signify ideas and qualities by giving
them symbolic meanings that are different from their literal sense.
Symbolism can take different forms. Generally, it is an object representing
another to give it an entirely different meaning that is much deeper and
more significant. Sometimes, however, an action, an event or a word
spoken by someone may have a symbolic value. For instance, “smile” is a
symbol of friendship. Similarly, the action of someone smiling at you may
stand as a symbol of the feeling of affection which that person has for you.
Symbols do shift their meanings depending on the context they are used
in. “A chain”, for example, may stand for “union” as well as
“imprisonment”. Thus, symbolic meaning of an object or an action is
understood by when, where and how it is used. It also depends on who
reads them
Mood
In literature, mood is a literary element that evokes
certain feelings or vibes in readers through words and
descriptions.
Usually, mood is referred to as the atmosphere of a
literary piece, as it creates an emotional situation that
surrounds the readers.
Mood is developed in a literary piece through various
methods. It can be developed through setting, theme,
tone and diction.
Satire
Satire is a technique employed by writers to expose and
criticize foolishness and corruption of an individual or a
society by using humor, irony, exaggeration or ridicule. It
intends to improve humanity by criticizing its follies and
foibles. A writer in a satire uses fictional characters, which
stand for real people, to expose and condemn their
corruption.
A writer may point a satire toward a person, a country or
even the entire world. Usually, a satire is a comical piece
of writing which makes fun of an individual or a society to
expose its stupidity and shortcomings. In addition, he
hopes that those he criticizes will improve their
characters by overcoming their weaknesses.