PABLO G.

APAZA SARMIENTO

ANALYSIS OF A SHORT STORY

OUTLINE
I. REVIEW OF LITERATURE
What is a short story? Define.
A short story is a work of short, narrative prose that is usually centered around one
single event. It is limited in scope and has an introduction, body and conclusion.
II.DEVELOPMENT OF THE STORY
Tell me all you know about the:
AUTHOR (BIOGRAPHY)

Mark Twain (November 30, 1835 - April 21, 1910), American journalist and writer.
Originally from Florida, United States. His real name is Samuel Langhorne Clemens. He
grew up on the farm of Uncle Jonh, a rich slave trader who owned about twenty slaves,
where his father took care of the crops. The farm was located in Hannibal, a small town
in Mississippi, thanks to this place he was inspired for his future literary creations. At
twelve he had to endure the death of his father. This led him to a sad situation, he was
practically in a situation of abandonment. Therefore, he decided to leave his studies.
Over time, with the help of his brother, he became a typographer's apprentice at the
Hannibal Journal publishing house, where he became interested in writing. Then he
went on to write his first newspaper articles in other publishers.

TITLE OF THE STORY

"A ghost story"

Theme of the story

It is about a man who rents a room and who dreams of terrifying scenes carried out in
the room he rented, but the most shocking thing for the subject was dreaming of a
giant who was the one that scared him the most. The central theme of the story is
based on the Cardiff giant. Twain took great delight in tall tales, pranks, and human
gullibility, so one can only imagine how he enjoyed both the Cardiff Giant.

Plot: climax / conflict (summary)

After an eerie tug of war with the sheets, she finally hears footsteps receding.
He becomes convinced that the experience was nothing more than a dream, but when
he gets up and lights a lamp, he sees a giant footprint in the ashes near the fireplace.
He returns to bed, terrified, and the restlessness continues throughout the night with
voices, footsteps, rattling of chains, and other ghostly displays.
Finally, he sees that he is being chased by the Cardiff giant, whom he considers
harmless, and all his fear dissipates. The giant proves to be clumsy, breaking furniture
every time he sits down, and the narrator scolds him for it.

CHARACTERS (MAIN AND MINOR CHARACTERS)

Main character
The man who rents a room in New York City who recounts his terrifying experience.

Secondary
Cardiff Giant, whom he considers harmless, but who was initially very scary.

Setting of the story

This takes place in a rented room where apparently no one lived in it for a long time, as
this little excerpt from the story describes. "The place had long given itself
over to dust and cobwebs, to loneliness and silence."

MESSAGE OF THE STORY

The message is through the internal fears that each of us possesses, but that with time
and experience disappear.

III.SUMMARY
Summarize the written piece you have already read ON YOUR OWN
WORDS.

"A ghost story"

This story is about a man who rents a room in New York City, in "a huge old building
whose upper floors had been totally unoccupied for years." He sits by the fire for a
while and then goes to bed. He wakes up terrified to find that the sheets on the bed
are slowly being pulled to his feet. After an eerie tug of war with the sheets, he finally
hears footsteps receding.
He becomes convinced that the experience was nothing more than a dream, but when
he gets up and lights a lamp, he sees a giant footprint in the ashes near the fireplace.
He returns to bed, terrified, and the restlessness continues throughout the night with
voices, footsteps, rattling chains, and other ghostly displays.
Finally, he sees that he is being chased by the Cardiff giant, whom he considers
harmless, and all his fear dissipates. The giant proves to be clumsy, breaking furniture
every time he sits down, and the narrator scolds him for it. The giant explains that he
has been prowling the building, hoping to convince someone to bury his body, to be
able to rest in peace.
But the ghost has been tricked into chasing the wrong body. The body across the street
is a fake from Barnum, and the ghost leaves, deeply.
IV. VOCABULARY
 Give definitions if necessary.

The Cardiff Giant is so well known and loved by Americans that it could be considered
an old friend. The narrator for example takes a chatty tone with the giant, gossiping
with him and reprimanding him for his clumsiness.