Short Stories - Sony's Blues & the Yellow Wallpaper
Various stories such as oral traditions that taught a lesson, folk tales or fictional stories that were written for entertainment have been told throughout history. Although each story can be vastly different, there are specific characteristics that need to be included to make a successful and satisfying story. One of the required characteristics is the intensive use of details that help with the readers’ visualization. Characterization is another important aspect of creating a satisfying story as it makes a character seem real and come to life. In order for a reader to learn something from a story, it should contain a moral of some sort. The intensive use of detail, characterization and inclusion of a moral are all aspects required to create a satisfying story. Intensive use of details can be seen in all of the three short stories that had been presented in Module 1. Specifically because they were short stories, the author had to present a lot of information in a short amount of time. James Baldwin’s story, “Sonny’s Blues,” illustrated the use of intensive details throughout the story, such as in the following quote:
“The barbeque cook, wearing a dirty white apron, his conked hair reddish and metallic in the pale sun, and a cigarette between his lips, stood in the doorway, watching them.”
This quote from the story, illustrated with great detail what the barbeque cook was wearing, what he looked like and told a bit about his mannerisms. Without such detail, a story wouldn’t successfully satisfy a reader’s interest as it would be difficult to fully visualize what was happening in the story. To successfully engage the reader, it is important that an author builds appropriate characterization which allows the reader to get to know the character. Characterization gives the character a personality and makes them engaging, which can help the reader connect to the character and the story. It is difficult to exemplify characterization in a
“The barbeque cook, wearing a dirty white apron, his conked hair reddish and metallic in the pale sun, and a cigarette between his lips, stood in the doorway, watching them.”
This quote from the story, illustrated with great detail what the barbeque cook was wearing, what he looked like and told a bit about his mannerisms. Without such detail, a story wouldn’t successfully satisfy a reader’s interest as it would be difficult to fully visualize what was happening in the story. To successfully engage the reader, it is important that an author builds appropriate characterization which allows the reader to get to know the character. Characterization gives the character a personality and makes them engaging, which can help the reader connect to the character and the story. It is difficult to exemplify characterization in a
Cited: Baldwin, James. “Sonny’s Blues.” The Norton Anthology of Short Fiction. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 2006. 7th Edition. 52. Gilman, Charlotte Perkins. “The Yellow Wallpaper.” The Norton Anthology of Short Fiction. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 2006. 7th Edition. 597.