The Seven Key Essentials of Fiction

There are seven key essentials that a writer may use to successfully compose a work of fiction. Setting might be the most important element in one and almost nonexistent in another. A reader cannot approach a story deciding to look for a specific element, such as Symbol. To assume could blind you to important elements. You must examine the entire “area” carefully to determine what is present and how it is important. Plot, Character, Setting/Scene, Point of view, Style/Voice, Symbolism, and Theme are the main elements that fiction writers use to develop a story.

Literature is an art and not a science. It is impossible to specifically quantify any of these elements within any story or to guarantee that each will be present in any given story. At least one or more essential is necessary to keep the reader’s attention. The Plot of the story is the general course of a story. The plot includes significant events that determine its course or significant patterns of events. In O’Connor’s, The Lame Shall Enter First, irony is the framework for the plot. One can definitely see that the initial conflict is man against man. The conflict thereafter seems to go back and forth between man versus man and man versus self. Mr. Sheppard concentrates the majority of his energies upon Rufus, and not his own grieving son. Because of the conflict in personalities, one would suspect that either Mr. Sheppard or Rufus would be a casualty of “war”, not the neglected son, Norton.

The second element to consider is Character. In fiction, character refers to a written depiction of a human being or creature within a story. In my opinion, character development is the key element in a story's creation. A close identification with the characters is crucial to understanding the story and its plot. There are three main characters within, The Lame Shall Enter First: Mr. Sheppard, Rufus, and Norton. The characters’ development within the story assists the reader in understanding the theme of the story as well as the plot. Mr. Sheppard is the protagonist and Rufus is the antagonist. Norton is somewhat of an antagonist of Mr. Sheppard as well. Norton disputes his father’s decision to bring Rufus in to the home, and later accepts religious concepts that Mr. Sheppard refuses to acknowledge. Lastly, there are the police officers within the story. The police officers’ appearances in the story add to the development of Rufus’ character.

The Point of View of a story is the perspective from which the story is told. O’Connor chooses to be omniscient in her point of view. She