Collection 4
Discoveries
A lie hides the truth. A story tries to find it.
—Paula Fox
Every once in a while close friends or parents or teachers do something that surprises us. We’ve been around them a lot and think we know them well. Then a kind and gentle friend reveals a selfish streak, a hard teacher gives us a break, or someone we never trusted comes through for us suddenly. At such moments we discover something about people and life, and the discoveries can be wonderful or painful. More startling still can be the moments when we discover something about ourselves. It may happen when we’re suddenly angry at something that never bothered us before or when we finally understand why we’re nervous at parties. We might realize that we admire someone we’ve never noticed before, or want something we never thought we would want.
Every story is in some way or other also about a discovery. If the story works, we realize by its end that we, along with the characters, have discovered (or rediscovered) something important about life.
Writing Focus: Analyzing a Short Story
Writer’s Notebook
We analyze stories (and movies) all the time, without quite realizing it. We ask: What’s happening? What does it mean? Why does this character behave that way? Could that necklace be a symbol? In the Writer’s Workshop in this collection, you’ll answer questions like these when you write your own analysis of a short story. To get started, jot down some notes now on one or two stories in this book you’ve already read. Ask this question: What did the main character
discover by the end of the story? Save your notes.
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