1SS: Theme and Plot-Theme

I'll refer to this first story as 1SS. Today's post is a mini-exercise on the story's theme and plot-theme. It took about 15-20 minutes to write.

NEXT: Review additional short story construction activities, start writing.

Theme
Situations which require forced action and how to cope with them. i.e. "have to work to help the family get by," "putting a sick dog to sleep," etc. An examination of situations where one MUST take a certain course of action, even if they disagree with it passionately, if only because the alternative is much worse.

Plot-Theme
A man receives a piece of news via a telephone call which forces him into such a situation. The news is never revealed in an attempt to maintain ambiguity and universal relevance. We convey the man's emotions through physical and verbal cues as he sits at his kitchen table. The story ends with the man grabbing an old revolver and solemnly leaving the house.

Use of revolver is meant to emphasize the finality of his decision, i.e. he cannot take back his action. Revolver will be old, heavy, polished, some type of simple metal (brass, bronze, copper, whatever revolvers are made from) as a symbol of responsibility and its burdens, and the timelessness of decisions associated with it.