Analysis

Read this presentation and discover the main elements of our analysis of “Three Shots” by Ernest Hemingway!

The short story is structured around a single event in the life of a young boy: camping in the woods with his father and uncle. The story follows a traditional plot structure, with an exposition, a rising action, a climax, a falling action, and a resolution.

The main character in the short story is Nick. Although his father and uncle are also present in the story, the focus is not on them but on Nick’s inner struggle of understanding the concepts of fear, death, and mortality. However, in our analysis, we will also point out the traits of both Nick’s father and uncle.

The action takes place in the woods, most probably somewhere at the beginning of the 1900s. The social setting explores several issues regarding Nick and his coming of age experience, like the concept of shame.

“Three Shots” by Ernest Hemingway is told by a third-person narrator who only functions as an observer of the events. Regarding the language, the story combines narrative and short descriptive passages with dialogue, which makes it more authentic and which reveals important things about the characters.

You can read the full analysis of the short story in the next pages of the study guide!