Literary Elements
They are different pieces that come together to create the story.
Story Elements
 Setting
 Characters
 Plot
 Point of View
 Theme
 Symbolism
Setting
Time and place where the story occurs
Details that describe:
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Furniture
Scenery
Clothing
Weather
Time of day
Time of year
The Functions of a Setting
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To create a mood or
atmosphere
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To show a reader a different
way of life
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To make action seem more
real
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To be the source of conflict
or struggle
Types of Characters
 Main Character
 Minor Character
 Dynamic Character
 Static Character
 Protagonist vs.
Antagonist
Main Character: this character is who the story
is about, also called the Protagonist
Dynamic Character: this kind of character
grows and changes throughout the story as a
result of the conflict, also called a Round
character
Static Character: this kind of character does
not change at all throughout the story, also
called a Flat character
Antagonist: this kind of character is involved
in the conflict with the protagonist and causes
the problem for them
Definitions…
Minor Character: they are involved in the
story, but are not in the story all the time
Characterization
 The methods an author uses to develop the personality of a
character.
 Two primary methods of characterization:
 Direct- writer makes clear statements about character
 Indirect- writer shows what a character is like by what the
character says and does and by what other characters say and
do in response to the character.
Direct Characterization
Soda is handsomer than anyone else I know. Not like
Darry—Soda’s movie-star handsome, the kind that people
stop on the street to watch go by. He’s not tall like Darry, and
he’s a little slimmer, but he has a finely drawn, sensitive face
that somehow manages to be reckless and thoughtful at the
same time. He’s got dark gold hair that combs back—long
and silky and straight—and in the summer the sun bleaches
it to a shining wheat-gold. His eyes are dark brown—lively,
dancing, recklessly laughing eyes that can be gentle and
sympathetic one moment and blazing with anger the next.
From The Outsiders by S. E. Hinton
Indirect Characterization
The old man bowed to all of us
in the room.Then he removed his hat
and gloves, slowly and carefully.
Chaplin once did that in a picture, in
a bank--he was the janitor.
From “Gentleman of Rio en Medio” by J. Sedillo
Plot
Plot is what happens and
how it happens in a
narrative. A narrative is
any work that tells a story,
such as a short story, a
novel, a drama, or a
narrative poem.
Parts of a Plot
 Exposition- introduces the story’s characters, setting, and
situation in the story
 Rising Action- develops the conflicts or problems in a story
 Climax- highest point of interest or suspense of story
 Falling Action- shows what happens after the climax
 Resolution- gives the story’s final outcome
Diagram of Plot
Climax
Exposition
Resolution
Special Techniques of
Plot
 Suspense- excitement or tension
 Foreshadowing- hint or clue about what will happen in
story
 Flashback- interrupts the normal sequence of events to
tell about something that happened in the past
 Surprise Ending- conclusion that reader does not
expect
Conflict
 Conflict is a struggle between opposing forces
 Every plot must contain some kind of conflict
 Stories can have more than one conflict
 Conflicts can be external or internal
External conflict- outside force may be person, group, animal,
nature, or a nonhuman obstacle
 Internal conflict- takes place in a character’s mind
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Theme
 A central message, concern, or insight
into life expressed through a literary
work
 Can be expressed by one or two
sentence statement about human
beings or about life
 May be stated directly or implied
What would be the theme of The Outsiders?
There could be many themes present, but there are 2 main emerging
themes that I noticed.
1. Trying to close the gap that’s present between the rich and the
poor.
2. The title contains a theme in itself too. “Outsider” means
someone who does not fit in. Many of the characters in the story
feel that way as the story unfolds.
Point of View
The vantage point from which the story is told. The
person telling the story is the narrator.
Three Main Types:
1st Person: the narrator is also a character in the story
3rd Person Limited: the narrator is not in the story and
reveals the thoughts of only one character
3rd Person Omniscient: as the story is told, many aspects
are shown and the thoughts of many characters are
shared, as if from a distance
From what point of view is The Outsiders told? How do
we know?
Symbolism
Symbols are objects, characters, figures, and colors used to
represent abstract ideas or concepts. An object can be used to
represent something that otherwise would not be understood.
Examples:
Cars in The Outsiders represent the power and money
that the Socs have and the Greasers do not.
Greaser hair represents who the Greasers are. They
cannot afford material objects, but their hair portrays
their identity as a distinctive group.