For Your World

For Your World

A story consists of many small parts. When these parts are put together they create a piece of literature that conveys a message. This message can be about almost anything. Literature can tell a story about happiness or an experience of love. It all depends on what pieces and how they are placed together which makes a story. Anton Chekhov has written a wonderfully pieced together short story titled “Misery”. The elements which allow me to understand “Misery” are narrator point of view, setting, character, and theme.

Setting is the only other device, besides the title, which can set a mood for the story before any characters are introduced. When you place any character in a setting, that setting reflects onto the character. “Iona Potapov, the sledge driver, is all white like a ghost… His little mare is white and motionless too…She is probably lost in thought. Anyone who has been torn away from the plough, from the familiar gray landscapes and cast into this slough, full of monstrous lights, of unceasing uproar and hurrying people…” (69); this quote allows for the reader to build a picture of the scenery. No one would want to have to sit on a sledge for many hours and be covered in snow waiting for someone to come by. The words used to describe Iona’s setting are very carefully picked to create this powerful imagery at the beginning of the story. The city is described as a slough. Slough is defined as a state of deep despair or moral degradation. With this deep pit of despair called a town, “monstrous lights” and “unceasing uproar” continue all round these two characters. With this as the opening paragraph the story has already started an emotion or feeling inside the readers mind.

How a story is told can alter the meaning of the story. Finding the right combination of who tells the story if very difficult. When the right order of voices are found it makes the story come alive. It allows for the imagery of the person’s actions and the characters thoughts to be read at the same time. “Misery” has found this great combination.

Narrators are used show or place a given mood in the story. “It is a long time since Iona has budged. They came out of the yard before dinner-time and not a single fare yet.” (69) At the start of the story the narrator has started the emotion of sympathy for the main character.