Short Stories

The short story that I liked the most that was discussed in class was A Christmas Memory by Truman Capote. The one I found at the library was One Christmas also by Truman Capote. I will be discussing three literary elements in this paper. Firstly I am going to go over the setting. Then I will talk about the protagonist. lastly I will discuss the antagonist.

First, the setting in A Christmas Memory took place in Monroeville Alabama. It was during the prohibition. It was also throughout the cold months of November and December. In the story One Christmas the setting was in two different places. A small town in Alabama and in a loud city in New Orleans. This was during the depression. Both stories took place in the 30’s. The big clues were when Truman mentioned the Prohibition and the Depression.

Next, both stories had a protagonist. The protagonists were not the same in these two stories. In A Christmas Memory the protagonist was Miss Sook. She is a sixty year old mentally retarded woman who has the mentality of a child. In One Christmas the protagonist is Buddy. He is a six year old boy who was forced to spend Christmas with his father who he had not seen in years.

Finally, the antagonists in both stories. In A Christmas Memory the antagonists are Miss Sook’s relatives, a neighbors horse, her age and senility. Her relatives belittled her, the horse killed her dog Queenie, she is aging and becomes senile when she confuses her one friend with the other. In One Christmas the antagonists are Buddy’s dad, Santa Claus, and his cousin Billy Bob. Buddy’s father is like a stranger to him he has only seen him a few times and can hardly remember him. Buddy felt like he was lied to when he realizes that Santa Claus dose not exist. He always despised his rotten little cousin Billy Bob for taunting him and telling him that Santa was not true.

What I have gathered from reading