Photo by Victor Larracuente on Unsplash
In my day 17 post, I wrote about the importance of studying stories. To develop as storytellers, we move beyond our pure enjoyment of a story to consider why and how it works. We use different lenses to look at the layers within a story and how they work together. Three important lenses include what’s literally happening, what the essence of that action is, and what changes as a result of the action.
Here’s an analysis of The Tale of Peter Rabbit to show how to apply these three story lenses to a short story. You can find the text of the story here.
What are the characters literally doing in the story?
Literal actions are what we observe the characters doing and saying. It’s what we could see and hear if we were watching the story as a play. (For more on this, see A Practical Handbook for the Actor.)
Peter infiltrates, then escapes from McGregor’s garden.
Peter ignores his mother’s warning about his father’s death and enters McGregor’s garden. When Peter gets lost and stuck in the gooseberry net, then is nearly caught with a sieve, he runs past McGregor to the gate to escape.
What are the essential actions of the major players?
Essential actions express the essence of character. It describes what a character does because of what they want. We focus on the protagonist and the primary antagonist to get a sense of the conflict. When we understand this, we can think of literal actions they might do to enact their essential action.(For more on this, see A Practical Handbook for the Actor.)
Peter is “trying his luck” because he wants vegetables.
McGregor is “defending his patch” because he wants to keep his vegetables.
What changes from the beginning to the end of the story as a result of the action?
There are many changes that happen from the beginning to the end, but what we want to isolate is the most relevant change. This helps us to consider what the author is trying to dramatize through the story.
Threatened to Safe but ill
In the beginning of the story we learn that a dangerous farmer lives near the Rabbit home and that he killed Peter’s father. Peter initially ignores the threat and goes boldly into the garden, gorging himself on vegetables. He chooses what he wants (vegetables) over what he needs (survival) because he doesn’t believe he will be caught. After he is caught, not by McGregor but the gooseberry bush, Peter realizes he too could be put in a pie. He recognizes he must sacrifice what he wants for what he needs. Because he runs past McGregor to the gate, he survives, though he has an upset tummy.
This post is part of a 75-day writing challenge and experiment. From September 9 through November 22, I'll be posting daily thoughts on writing, storytelling, and creativity based on recent readings or reflections. While my intention was to keep them very short—250 to 400 words—I've found that this range doesn't give me enough space to cover these topics adequately. I aim to keep them brief enough to be read quickly, but they will often be longer than 400 words.