Literary Elements & Short Story Interpretations

Understanding Key Literary Elements

Outcome

The ending of the story.

Plot

The central theme and sequence of events in a story.

Foreshadowing

The use of clues to hint at what is going to happen later in the story.

Setting

The time and place in which the action of a story takes place.

Imagery

The mental image that you create about certain things or actions described in a text.

Comparative Analysis: "Cat in the Rain" and "Thank You M'am"

Similarities in these stories lie in the context of acceptance and the need to feel valued. Both characters (the American woman and the child) project their feelings onto a subject: the woman onto the cat, and the child onto the shoes.

Literary Analysis of Specific Stories

"Cat in the Rain"

Setting

The setting of this story is an Italian hotel, specifically the American woman's room, during a rainy day.

Foreshadowing

The sentence, "she wants it to be spring again," stands for her strong desire for renewal in her relationship.

Symbolism

• The War Monument: Mentioned three times, this may suggest that a conflict is to be expected.
• The Cat in the Rain: This symbol represents the American woman’s feelings and her lost opportunity for happiness.

Imagery

An example of imagery is: "His desk was at the far end of the office. He was an old man and very tall."

Plot

The story is about an American couple spending their holidays in an Italian hotel. On a rainy day, the American woman sees a cat in the rain and wants to protect it from the rain.

"The Most Dangerous Game"

Foreshadowing

When Rainsford and Whitney are on the boat, Rainsford hears a scream of an animal he has never heard before. Later, they discover the scream was not from an animal but a person.

Rising Action

Rainsford is in the woods, hunting General Zaroff.

Setting

Ship-Trap Island is surrounded by darkness and mysteries, located strategically in the Caribbean waters.

Imagery

• "The dark forest loomed at the edge of the blood-warm ocean."
• "Rainsford's terror was about to burst his heart as he watched Zaroff smoke while standing below the tree."

"Thank You M'am"

Plot

The story is about a boy named Roger who snatches a purse from a large woman, Mrs. Luella Bates Washington Jones.

Setting

The setting is the street at night, where she was walking alone.

Imagery

An example of imagery is: "She was a large woman with a large purse that had everything in it but a hammer and nails."

"Cinderella’s Stepsisters" (Character Analysis)

Symbolism

• Cinderella: She is a symbol because she represents the caged woman who never opposes the almost enslaving situation she endures with her stepsisters and stepmother.
• The Stepsisters: They are another symbol because they are the opposition to Cinderella. They do what they want and lack self-criticism or self-control.