Lit FA: The short story writers task is to invest the glimpse with all that is in his power.

Definition: The short story writer has to deepen the meaning of a story despite its brevity, for example through the use of precise language, ultimately enabling the reader to see the world in a grain of sand. The context of this quote is that a short story is something glimpsed from the corner of the eye, in passing and so what the short story writer should do is to give life to this glimpse, turning it into something that illuminates the moment and have even further ranging consequences and meaning. The significance of this quote is that it encapsulates the purpose of the short story and hints at what the short story can potentially achieve if executed properly. The meaning of this quote is illuminated in TSOAH where we are given a brief insight into Mrs Mallards life. We are not given a context or backstory, instead being thrown right into the thick of action, given a glimpse into someone elses life. What the author did was that by depicting the struggle between external circumstances and internal wants for Mrs Mallard, we were better able to understand both the world that Mrs Mallard lived in as well as Mrs Mallard as an individual. He did so by using precise and deliberate diction as well as metaphors like a goddess of Victory. The descriptions were also constructed carefully like how her physical reactions were described and portrayed the intensity of her emotions as well as the conflict between being joyful that she was free and the sorrow that her husband was dead. Not to mention how the protagonist Louise Mallard was addressed, first as someones wife Mrs Mallard, then after her liberation from her husband, she was addressed as Louise her first name, and when it was found out that her husband was very much well and alive, she reverted back to being Mrs Mallard. This symbolised that the protagonists identity was tied very closely not to her own value or identity but to her husbands. This reflected to the readers what her society valued. By doing so, the author made use of the words and descriptions to hint at something completely different. Secondly, with the omission of a backstory, we are introduced to the conflict with a singular relationship with the protagonist. This reduces the storys complexity by allowing us to focus on the perspective of a character as opposed to trying to understand every single possible perspective. Hence, in conclusion the task of the writer of short stories would be to encapsulate the significance of a moment within a few pages without diluting the moments significance and meaning.