Language and Style

When doing an analysis of a short story, it is always a good idea to look at the author’s style of writing and the language she uses. In this section, we take a look at some points, you can use for inspiration.

The title

More often than not, the title of a story offers an important key to interpreting the text, setting the tone or summarizing the action in one way or another.

• In this case, the title “The Fox Cub” does not depict the reality of the situation. The title of the story seems to mislead the reader into thinking that what Rachel is about to see is nothing but a tiny fox cub.
  • In reality, the dying fox symbolises the gravity of the story: There is no happy ending, the fox is dying and Marie's life is going to be the same brutal reality the following day, with or without Rachel by her side.

• The pitiful animal seems even more palsied, an...