The second step requires the reader to identify inferred meaning.
How characters are portrayed falls into this category.
Some characters in a story may be well-developed (we know why he or she
acts as he or she does) while others are flat (they only serve to create
a situation which a main character will have to deal with). This
differentiates the main characters from the secondary characters.
Not all stories, though, have one or more well-developed characters. When
the author is more interested in making the reader think of the idea behind
the story, all of the characters are flat. In fables, for example,
the main purpose of the story is to illustrate a moral, therefore, the
characters serve to represent one human characteristic (the wise owl, the
sly fox, the loyal dog).
Stories can be written in such a way as to create an effect or feeling.
This is known as the tone. In some types of stories (horror
stories, mystery stories, romantic stories, satire, comedies, tragedies),
the tone is a very important element. In other stories, the author
may not want to create an emotional effect. In fables, for example,
the main purpose of the story is to illustrate a moral, so they are told
in a straighforward fashion--they have a straighforward tone. There are
also stories in which the tone is used to let the reader know whether the
narrator is being truthful or not.
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