As you read works of short fiction, you will begin paying careful attention to elements such as plot; character; setting; point of view; style, tone, and language; symbol and allegory; and theme. The following guidelines, designed to help you explore works of fiction, focus on issues that will be examined in depth in chapters to come.

Look at the plot of the story. How do the events in the story relate to one another, and how do they relate to the story as a whole? What conflicts occur is the story, and how are these conflicts developed or resolved? Does the story include any noteworthy plot devices, such as flashbacks or foreshadowing?
Analyze the characters of a story. What are their most striking traits? How do these individuals interact with one another? Are the characters fully developed, or are they stereotypes whose sole purpose is to express a single trait (good, evil, generosity) or to move the plot along?
Identify the setting of the story. At what time period and in what geographic location does the action of the story occur?` How does the setting affect the characters of the story? How does it determine the relationships among the characters? How does the setting affect the plot? Does the setting create a mood for the story? In what way does the setting reinforce the central ideas that the story examines?
Examine the narrative point of view of the story. What person or persons are telling the story? Is the story told in the first person (I or we) or in the third person (he, she, or they)? Is the narrator all-knowing, or is the story restricted to the perspective of one person - a major character, a minor character, or just an observer? How much does the narrator know about the events in the story? Does the narrator present an accurate or inaccurate picture of events? Does the narrator understand the full significance of the story he or she is telling?
Analyze the style, tone, and language of the story. Does the writer make any unusual use of diction or syntax? Does the writer use figures of speech? Patterns of imagery? What styles or levels of speech are associated with particular characters? What words or phrases are repeated throughout the work? Is the narrative style of the story plain or elaborate? Does the narrator’s tone reveal the style of the story plain or elaborate? Does the narrator’s tone reveal his or her attitude toward characters or events? Are there any discrepancies between the narrator’s attitude and the attitude of the author? Is the tone of the story playful, humorous, ironic, satirical, serious, somber, solemn, bitter, condescending, formal, informal - or does the tone suggest some other attitude?
Focus on symbolism and allegory. Does the author use any objects or ideas symbolically? What characters or objects in the story are part of an allegorical framework? How does an object establish its symbolic or allegorical significance in the story? Does the same object have different meanings at different places in the story? Are the symbols or allegorical figures conventional or unusual? At what points in the story do symbols or allegorical figures appear?
Identify the themes of the story. What is the central theme? How is this idea or concept expressed in the work? What elements of the story develop the central theme” How do character, plot, setting, point of view, and symbols reinforce the central theme? How does the title of the story contribute to readers’ understanding of the central theme? What other themes are explored?