Diagnostic Essay

Assignment 1: Diagnostic Essay

What features in a story make it enjoyable? For me, I believe that a good story must have a plot, and an interesting character along with a setting. If I find all three, I stand a good chance at being able to enjoy the story. The plot is the most important to me. Without a plot, you don't have a story but merely a random series of events. Characters are important to me because I find you can often relate to them, making me feel more engaged in reading the book. The setting of a story helps the reader visualize what is going on and better connects the person with the story. As you read on, I will go into more detail as to why the above reasons are important in a short story.

The plot is a nontrivial task that gets me caught up, wanting to keep turning the pages and reading on. Plots shouldn't be predictable, it makes the story boring. They should be full of suspense and endless ups and downs. In the story "The Yellow Wallpaper", there is a great rising action that pulls me in. The main character decides to keep a secret journal. In this journal, she describes her dislike for her bedroom wallpaper, a dislike that gradually intensifies into obsession. This was interesting to me because she seemed to have such a dislike for something irrelevant in everyday life.

The characters hold everything together. The plot revolves around them and what happens to them. I believe that a story without characters is like the earth without humans; it would be incomplete! I don't think it's necessary to like the character, but more so important to at least be able to identify with the character. An interesting character should have at least one flaw or weakness, perfect characters don't draw in my attention as well. In the short story "The Yellow Wallpaper", the author, Charlotte Perkins, does