Short stories are a form of fictional prose that typically focuses on a single character or a small group of characters. They are known for their brevity and ability to convey a powerful message in a short amount of time. Short stories often explore complex themes ...Read More
Brief Description of Short Story
Short stories are a form of fictional prose that typically focuses on a single character or a small group of characters. They are known for their brevity and ability to convey a powerful message in a short amount of time. Short stories often explore complex themes and emotions, making them a valuable literary form for both writers and readers.
Importance of Writing Essays on This Topic
Writing essays about short stories allows students and writers to closely analyze the elements of storytelling, character development, and thematic exploration. It helps to develop critical thinking and analytical skills, as well as the ability to express ideas and interpretations effectively. Additionally, exploring short stories through essays can deepen one's understanding of human experiences and societal issues.
Tips on Choosing a Good Topic
- Consider the themes: Choose a topic that explores a specific theme or idea presented in the short story.
- Character analysis: Focus on the analysis of a particular character's development, motives, or conflicts within the short story.
- Narrative techniques: Explore the narrative structure, point of view, or symbolism used in the short story to craft an engaging topic.
Essay Topics
1. Argumentative
Essay Topics
- The impact of symbolism in "The Lottery" by Shirley Jackson.
- Exploring moral dilemmas in "The Tell-Tale Heart" by Edgar Allan Poe.
2. Reflective
Essay Topics
- How "The Yellow Wallpaper" by Charlotte Perkins Gilman portrays mental illness.
- The use of irony and satire in "A Good Man is Hard to Find" by Flannery O'Connor.
3. Comparative
Essay Topics
- Contrasting the themes of love and loss in "The Gift of the Magi" by O. Henry and "The Necklace" by Guy de Maupassant.
- Comparing the use of setting and atmosphere in "Hills Like White Elephants" by Ernest Hemingway and "The Storm" by Kate Chopin.
Concluding Thought
Exploring short stories through essay writing offers a unique opportunity to delve into the complexities of human experiences, societal issues, and the art of storytelling. By choosing engaging topics and critically analyzing the elements of short stories, writers and students can gain a deeper appreciation for the power of this literary form.
John Cheever’s cynical ruminations on man’s loss of humanity in the modern world are artfully articulated in his short story “The Five-Forty-Eight” (Kennedy, 316). A brief recollection of an average man’s flight from a jilted, seemingly psychotic ex-lover in New York City to the suburbs...
Edith Wharton published an enticing tale of two older women looking back on their pasts titled “Roman Fever” in 1936, only a year prior to her own death. The short story took place in Rome with both women looking out onto what is called “Memento...
Joseph Conrad’s story The Secret Sharer is a first-person account written in two parts from the perspective of an untried sea captain. The separation of the two segments almost perfectly coincides with a distinction in the narrative voice. In the first part of The Secret...
Angus, a small town in Texas with a population of approximately 400 people, was in turmoil. Three months ago, an outbreak occurred in New York and spread like wildfire until all of the United States was plagued by the sudden outbreak of this disease. The...
The book “Operation Solo”: The FBI’s Man in the Kremlin was written and narrated by John Barron with the help of Eva Childs, the wife of the main character, Morris Childs. It is a soft bound copy of 400 pages and is the paperback (second)...
Peyton Farquhar was a plantation owner, a slave owner, and a highly respected gentleman of the South. He loved the South with a burning passion and because of his love for the Confederacy, tried to join the army, but was turned down. Farquhar still did...
In this essay, I will discuss one of Tennessee Williams’ plays The Night of the Iguana. Among the synopsis of the show and background of the playwright, I will talk about when this work was on stage, the awards, and the historical significance. The Night...
Albert Camus studied the philosophy of the absurd and decided that, to him, the most important philosophical question was “why not commit suicide?” In “The Myth of Sisyphus: An Absurd reasoning” (1942), he discusses his thoughts on the answer to this question. He considers the...
Anton Chekhov might look like a hedgehog when he returns time and again to the theme of universal humanity and its future path. But Chekhov as ‘the humanist writer’ does not really work towards a unified concept of mankind’s ultimate fate. Rather, the thinking men...
The genre of the detective story is one of the most remarkable categories of short fiction. The Sherlock Holmes stories are genuine masterpieces created by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, and the usage of the detective stories elements has contributed to their popularity. In “The Adventure...
Modernism as a literary genre began sometime before the First World War. It was, however, in the fires of this great conflict that the genre was forged and adopted its characteristics of disorientation and disconnection. The development of modernism can be traced in the poetry...
To understand art, one must first understand the artist who created it and their motivation in doing so. In Willa Cather’s short story “Paul’s Case: A Study in Temperance” the protagonist, Paul, is a unique and complex character, which gives insight into the complexity of...
Though rather simple in plot and structure, Gogol’s short stories carry deep moral messages, which are urgent beyond time and place. One of these is a theme of a little man, who is a poor person, is not respected by those with higher ranks, and...
Sandra Cisneros’ Woman Hollering Creek is rife with elements of postcolonial ideologies that insert themselves into the story and create tension for the protagonist by “othering” her and her family through a form of orientalism that stereotypes Mexicans and portrays them as helpless, savage, substandard...
The Scarlet Ibis is a heartbreaking story by James Hurst about two brothers; one brother is physically fit (narrator), while the other is physically disabled (Doodle). The story focuses on the idea that the older brother’s greediness, arrogance, and self-consciousness led to the death of...
Ann Beattie’s The Cinderella Waltz is a fascinating short story that explores a divorce between a couple in which one partner has gone off with his homosexual lover and Louise, a nine-year old girl who seems to be more adult than most kids her age....
“Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?” starts off with a young fifteen-year-old girl named Connie who is reckless and admires her appearance despite her mom’s comments. Connie was a typical disobedient teenager however, things started to turn for the worst when Arnold Friend...
An adolescent’s life no matter how distressed or stressful it may seem is always entertaining to watch from the eye of a third person as its packed with drama and is something a reader can relate to and empathize with. In the case of “Leopard”...
In the short story, ‘The Jade Peony’ by Wayson Choy, Sek-Lung is devasted when his Grandmother dies at the age of 83 as he loved her immensely. Grandmama had a strong connection to her heritage and didn’t conform to the wishes of others. An innate...
Duality and Paralysis in “Two Gallants” Made-to-order essay as fast as you need it Each essay is customized to cater to your unique preferences + experts online Get my essay James Joyce’s “Two Gallants”, from Dubliners, is at first glance the tale of two men...
At first glance, Flannery O’Connor’s work seems to begin and end with despair. In many of her works, she paradoxically uses styles that are grotesque and brutal to illustrate themes of grace and self-actualization. The use of violence returns her character to reality and prepares...
Just before the morning rush hour, she got out of a jitney whose ancient driver ended each day in the red, downtown on Howard Street, began to walk toward the Embarcadero. She knew she looked terrible – knuckles black with eye-liner and mascara from where...
“Ligeia”, published in 1838 by Edgar Allan Poe, describes the tale of a narrator who is deeply enthralled by his own imagination and thoughts and is submersed in the act of escaping reality. This cautionary tale warns readers about the dangers of unchecked imagination and...
Written as an allegory for slavery and the way it affects the people who employ it, Ursula Le Guin’s “The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas” questions just how much of an impact living in a society has on one’s willingness to act in ways...
In the short story “Rikki-Tikki-Tavi” by Rudyard Kipling, a mongoose lives with a family of people, and fights the snakes Nag and his wife Nagaina to save his family. In the short story “Charles” by Shirley Jackson, a boy named Laurie goes to kindergarten and...
“Happy Endings” is an interesting short story by Margaret Atwood, which aims at showing that the end of a narrative is not as important as the middle. I choose this story because as a reader I understand clearly that, the middle of the story is...
Here he is. The man I’ve always adored. The man who raised me from day one. The one who held me when I cried, who hugged me when I was hurt, and who comforted me whenever I was scared of the monsters under the bed....
In the story ‘Let’s go to Golgotha’ by Gary Kilworth, the themes of time, memory and history are connected in one way or another. Firstly, I will protray how, Simon Falk linked history to time when the time-travellers travelled back in time to relive the...
In the short story, How to Date a Browngirl, Blackgirl, Whitegirl, Halfie, there are many different forms of identity that can be taken from the story as a reader. This short story is about a boy who is about to go on a date with...
“A Sound of Thunder” by Ray Bradbury tells a futuristic story, taken place where technology and society have advanced to not only the creation of time travel, but to use it for entertainment purposes. Humanity can “essentially” travel to any point in history and “essentially”...
