Understand what the plot of a story is. Study plot analysis and structure, learn what a plot diagram and plot summary are, and review examples of plots.
Updated: 11/21/2023
Plot of a Story | Analysis, Structure & Diagram
Table of Contents
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Frequently Asked Questions
What are the types of conflict in a plot?
There are many types of conflict in a plot. These can include man vs man, man vs nature, or man vs society. Each one has a different source for the conflict.
How do you analyze a plot?
You need to first understand the conflict. Understand there is more than one right answer, but an analysis is basically an argument about a work, so you need to provide evidence for your claims.
What is an example of the plot of a story?
An example of the plot of a story would be the hero's journey. This classic plot involves an outside force seeking the protagonist for a quest. The hero must undergo a transformative experience in order to solve the conflict.
What are the parts of a plot in a story?
The parts of a plot are exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, and resolution. These parts come together to introduce characters and conflict, show the attempted solutions to the conflict, and finally show how the conflict is resolved.
Table of Contents
ShowPlot is the series of events that make up a narrative. Every plot has conflict, the main part which drives everything else. To understand what is the plot of a story, it's essential to be clear about the conflict in the story and what it means for the narrative. Conflict is a problem that must be solved for the story to end, and while every story is different, conflict tends to fall into several major categories:
- Man vs Man: In this type of conflict, one character's goals are opposed by another character's goals. The protagonist might want to win a talent contest, but so would the other participants, for example.
- Man vs Nature: The opposition for the main character is from nature itself. This might be anything from the weather to an animal.
- Man vs Self: The protagonist needs to overcome their own insecurities, fear, past, or some aspect that is internal.
- Man vs Society: Society itself, its laws and norms, stand in the protagonist's way. While individual agents of society might be antagonists, if they are working for a greater societal power, the conflict is against society itself.
These are not the only conflicts available for writers, but they are the most common. Some narratives can have a combination of conflicts, though.
Plot Structure
Plot structure is the way a story is told. Narratives give background and history, and it's important to figure out where a story should begin and where it should end. For example, Hamlet does not begin with the murder of the King, but rather with Hamlet's friends seeing the king's ghost. Jaws doesn't begin with Sheriff Brody's childhood trauma that made him fear the water. It begins with Chrissie Watkins getting eaten by a shark.
Where a story takes place often indicates what kind of conflict a plot will use. For example, Jaws is not the story of Sheriff Brody overcoming his fear of the ocean. It's a battle against a man-eating shark. The fear of the water is simply a secondary complication.
Every plot can be broken down into five elements.
- Exposition: The exposition introduces characters and settings while setting up the primary conflict in the narrative.
- Rising Action: Rising action is initiated by an incident of some sort, something which creates the problem, the conflict, or brings it to the protagonist's attention. The conflict escalates as the protagonists try to solve the problem and fail.
- Climax: The climax is the moment of peak tension when the conflict appears to be at its most dangerous. It is also the point where the protagonist typically discovers a solution to the problem when the conflict is finally settled or overcome.
- Falling Action: Once the main conflict is resolved, secondary conflicts and subplots need to be addressed.
- Resolution: The final part of a narrative, the resolution, is where the events of the climax finally lead to a final end, either happy or sad depending on the story. Everything that needs to be said is said and the story is over in a satisfying manner.
Plot Diagram
A plot diagram is a visual tool for analyzing a plot. There are many versions of these diagrams, but they all show how the action moves through a story. They can show how a character moves up and down through success and failure, for example. They can show when a story is filled with action and physically show the rising action as it reaches the climax.
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History of Plot Structure
Aristotle described plot as something having a beginning, a middle, and an end. The idea translates today as the Three Act Structure, a way of telling stories that is so ingrained in modern thinking that it seems obvious every story should follow it. Sometimes called the story triangle, it's a way to tell a story simply and effectively.
In the 19th century, German writer Gustav Freytag took the idea of the triangle and added to it, creating a pyramid that is much closer to the modern idea of a plot. His pyramid is where we get the modern plot elements outlined in this lesson, for example.
Common Types of Plot
Plots can have different conflicts, but they can also be structured differently, having different types of ends, middles, and even beginnings.
- The Hero's Journey: A fairly common type of plot common in many cultures, the hero's journey is one where the protagonist is called upon to solve a problem. The hero must undertake a transformative journey in order to solve the conflict.
- Tragedy: A tragedy usually focuses on a protagonist who falls from grade in some way. The conflict ends with the protagonist's death or final downfall.
- Overcoming a Monster: A simple story, overcoming a monster is generally about a protagonist fighting some evil typically embodied by a creature or some other antagonist.
- Rags to Riches: A classic in many fairy tales, the rags to riches story sees the protagonist rise through social and economic ranks to achieve success.
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A plot summary is different from a plot analysis. A plot summary merely retells the events of a story. A plot analysis looks at the text and tries to figure out what the text can reveal about the author, the society in which the work was created, and how it applies to other situations.
An analysis breaks down metaphor, symbolism, allegory, and characterization, and makes an argument regarding a work. The same work can have multiple interpretations based on different analyses and all can be perfectly valid. However, as an argument, an analysis requires evidence, typically examples from the text to back up the thesis.
How to Analyze a Plot
There is no one way to analyze a plot. However, some common tactics are as follows:
- Identify the work's origins. Typically, a work may be commenting on events of the time or the author's own history. A work written in 1946, for example, might be commenting on the Post-WW2 world. A work that was written by someone who suffered trauma might be a way to explore that trauma.
- Don't fret over "author intent." Many artists intentionally use symbols and metaphors and other literary devices in their work. Others don't. It's possible to infer what an author intended a work to do, but it's equally important that a piece of writing, indeed any art, is also about how people perceive it. For example, George Orwell wrote "1984" as a reaction to his work working in newspapers and the censorship he saw. While he never would have imagined modern smartphones and social media, it's not improper to try and link the messages and events in 1984 to the modern world.
- There is no wrong answer. As long as an analysis can cite the parts of the story that support it, and as long as the argument is not contradictory to itself, it's fine. When people read Joyce Carol Oates' short story "Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?" there are many interpretations of what and who is Arnold Friend. Some believe he is simply a human serial killer or rapist. Others point to strange events in the story and conclude he is a demon coming for Connie. Still, others think he is a vampire. There is evidence to support all of these theories.
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Various plot examples would need to account for various types of plots. To better understand the parts of the plot, look at this breakdown of a popular but simple fable:
- Exposition: Three little pigs are making their homes to protect themselves from the Big Bad Wolf. This establishes the main characters as well as the antagonist.
- Rising Action: The Big Bad Wolf goes for the first pig who made his house out of straw. The wolf blows the house away and eats the pig. He then goes for the second pig who made his house out of sticks. Again, the wolf blows it away and eats the pig. Then he goes to the last pig who built his house out of bricks.
- Climax: The wolf tries and tries to blow down the final house but can't. Angry, he tries to go down the chimney, but the final pig places a cauldron of boiling water in the fireplace. The wolf lands in the pot and is cooked.
- Falling Action: With the wolf dead, the last pig eats the meat.
- Resolution: The final pig has avenged the others and freed the forest from the danger of the wolf.
This short fable shows the parts of the plot and can be easily analyzed. The main conflict is man vs man as the wolf wants to eat and the pigs want to live. The plot uses the rule of three, showing three pigs with different ways to build their houses. The first two pigs built weak structures and were eaten. The last, though, took his time and built something that was more than just protection against wind and rain. It took much longer, but it also saved his life. The theme in the story could be interpreted as "hard work now pays off later."
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Plot is how a narrative is presented. All plot revolves around conflict, a problem that needs to be solved. There are many kinds of conflict such as a conflict between characters (man vs man) or conflict with the primal forces of nature (man vs nature).
Plot begins with the exposition which gives the background information about the main characters and establishes the setting and problem. This leads to the rising action where the problem is tackled and finally the climax where it is resolved. This is followed by the falling action where any plot threads are resolved. The resolution is the last part, a section of the plot where the story ends happily or tragically depending on the genre and story. While there are dozens of types of plot and conflict, every plot can be analyzed visually with a plot diagram, a way to identify the parts of the story. This can help with plot analysis, and questions designed to understand the story.
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Video Transcript
Definition of Plot Analysis
A plot diagram is a tool that is commonly used to organize a story into specific parts. Once the parts of the plot diagram are identified, it is easier to analyze the content. A plot diagram also gives a common framework for analyzing and understanding written prose.
A plot analysis uses the plot diagram to ask and answer questions about the plot of a story. Analyzing the story using the diagram and the accompanying questions helps the reader to better understand the story. See the following diagram and accompanying questions:
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The exposition or the introduction gives background information about the main characters, establishes the setting, and states the problem in the story.
The rising action is where the tension or suspense builds and the problem becomes more complicated. There is often more than one step in this part of the plot analysis. When analyzing a piece of writing, the inciting incident is often the final part in the rising action that happens just before the climax. It is the event that forces the main character or characters into action.
The conflict in the story is often introduced in the exposition but is given more detail throughout the rising action. The conflict can be between characters (man vs. man), between a character and societal norms or values (man vs. society), between a character and natural forces (such as weather or animals), or between a character and him or herself when he or she has an internal struggle (man vs. self).
The climax is the decisive moment or the crossroads in the story. This is usually the most exciting part in the story and often makes the reader keep reading.
The falling action is the sequence of events that happen after the climax that lead to a resolution for the characters.
The resolution is the result or conclusion of the story. This is how things turn out for the characters who were involved in the conflict.
Example: The Three Little Pigs
Look at the plot diagram and think about the story 'The Three Little Pigs'. Think about how each element in the plot diagram fits with the parts of the story.
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In the beginning of the story, we get the exposition. First, the setting in the pigs' village is described. Then we're told that pigs are leaving home for the first time and must make homes for themselves. Two of the pigs are described as being fun-loving and not very serious, while the third pig is described as being serious and smart. The problem is identified as the pigs are building their houses and two of them are more concerned with having fun than with building a house.
The rising action in the story is when the pigs build their houses out of straw, sticks, and bricks, respectively, and the wolf comes and blows the straw house and stick house down. The inciting incident is when the pigs run to the house made of brick and the wolf realizes that he cannot blow it down. This is the incident that forces the wolf to take action.
The conflict in the story is man vs. man. The pigs struggle with each other when the eldest pig tells the younger pigs to smarten up and build a strong house. The pigs and the wolf are also in conflict and since this conflict is between characters, it is considered man vs. man.
The climax of the story happens just after the wolf realizes he can't blow the brick house down and decides to climb down the chimney in order to get the pigs.
The falling action is when he falls into the pot of boiling water that the third pig has been making since the beginning of the story.
The resolution is when the pigs cook and eat the wolf in order to get back at him for terrorizing them.
Lesson Summary
A plot diagram is a tool that is commonly used to organize a story into specific parts. A plot analysis uses the plot diagram to ask and answer questions about the plot of a story. The exposition or the introduction gives background information about the main characters, establishes the setting and states the problem in the story. The rising action is where the tension or suspense builds and the problem becomes more complicated.
The conflict in the story is often introduced in the exposition but is given more detail throughout the rising action. The conflict can be between characters (man vs. man), between a character and societal norms or values (man vs. society), between a character and natural forces (such as weather or animals), or between a character and him or herself when he or she has an internal struggle (man vs. self).
The climax is the decisive moment or the crossroads in the story. This is usually the most exciting part in the story and often makes the reader keep reading. The falling action is the sequence of events that happen after the climax that lead to a resolution for the characters. The resolution is the result or conclusion of the story. This is how things turn out for the characters who were involved in the conflict.
Learning Outcomes
After this lesson, you should be able to:
- Define the elements involved in a plot analysis
- Explain how to use a plot diagram to analyze a story using those elements
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Plot of a Story | Analysis, Structure & Diagram
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