Joseph Conrad, a famous English novelist, said that his goal as a writer was "to make you hear, to make you feel, and above all, to make you see. That, and no more, is everything." Often it leaves a single sharp impression to be turned over and over in the mind. After finishing the story, the reader should have something to think about: the humor of life, its ironies, or the unpredictability of human behavior.
The first and most obvious level is conveyed through the plot. Plot refers to the sequence of events, to the actions of the characters and the situations in which they are involved. To explain the plot, then, is to tell what happened in the story and to whom. In some short stories, plot is the dominating element. In other short stories, plot plays a very minor role.
In Hemingway's story, The Old Man and the Sea, however, we must approach the content on another level. To understand and appreciate the story, the reader must be able to identify its general topic or theme. The next step is to identify the device by which the author comments on this theme.
Readers cannot appreciate a short story fully unless they react not only to what has been said but also to how it has been said. Style grows out of the writer's own personality and can be seen in the choice of words and phrases, the arrangement of sentences, the rhythm and tone. Structure refers to the architecture of the story, the way in which the details are selected and arranged to produce the desired effect.
A. They must look for style and structure.
B. In complex stories, careful readers may not always agree with the author.
C. The impact on the reader comes from the sudden and unexpected response.
D. A good short story tries to give the reader a sense of the actual experience.
E. Finally, the reader should be able to explain the insights which the author has given into the theme.
F. The impact of the story comes from the insight it gives us into the needs and desires of youth and old age.
G. In order to read a short story with full understanding, the reader must approach the content on two levels.
