Why I Use Short Stories to Teach Literary Analysis

teganlattimer
Aug 7
3 min read

Even though I primarily work on writing with students, you’ll often find me reading short stories with them during our sessions.

One of the most common things I hear? “Wait! Did that just happen?!”

cartoon boy with hands on his head and surprised expression, captioned “Wait! Did That Just Happen?!”

Sometimes it’s during Lamb to the Slaughter, when they realize that Mary has just hit her husband over the head with a frozen leg of lamb. They sit back, wide-eyed, unsure whether to laugh or feel disturbed. That’s when I know the story has them and that’s when the thinking begins.

Short Stories Make Literary Analysis Feel Doable

Parents often ask me why I don’t assign full novels all the time. The truth is, books can be intimidating, especially for students who already feel behind or overwhelmed. They look long, boring, and unfinishable. Is that even a word?

Short stories make it easier for students to connect to a text. And that’s what I want most: connection. If they can connect to what they’re reading, they’re much more likely to write about it.

Short stories are manageable, and that manageability leads to confidence. Once students realize they can understand a story and find meaning in it, we’re halfway to analysis.

Side-by-side comparison chart showing differences between novels and short stories, highlighting time commitment, characters, tension, and analysis ease

Why Short Stories Work So Well in Tutoring

Short stories are compact, but they’re packed with theme, tone, and literary devices. It’s much easier for a student to identify the theme of a seven-page story than a 300-page novel. We work up to longer texts, but short stories give us a strong foundation.

Many of my students are extremely busy. Some are world-class athletes or musicians. Short stories give them a way to build skills without feeling like reading is just one more chore.

They’re also ideal for reluctant readers. There’s less pressure to finish a book and more space to focus, think, and talk about what they’ve read.

Best of all, short stories fit perfectly into a one-hour tutoring session. We don’t have to wait and hope they’ll finish something on their own. We read together, live. We pause, discuss, and dig in right away.

Every Student Responds Differently…and That’s the Point

One of my favorite things is watching how different students react to the same story. I try to guess ahead of time how they’ll respond, but I’m often surprised.

They might roll their eyes at the title, then say, “Wow, I did not see that coming.” That’s when we talk. That’s when their eyes light up. They’re not just reading. They’re understanding.

Two boxes showing what students say before and after reading a short story; first box includes confusion, second box shows surprise and deeper reflection

We discuss why they reacted the way they did. What made them uncomfortable? What did they connect with? This goes beyond academic growth. It’s about building critical thinking skills. In a world filled with AI and instant information, I want students to think for themselves and understand that the why matters.

How We Use Short Stories in Writing

Quote graphic stating “The writing that follows isn’t a long essay. It’s a theme statement with evidence — a manageable way to build writing skills without overwhelming them.”

With older students, I send them the story to read independently. I’m not trying to recreate story time. I want them to engage as thinkers. Then we talk:

What did the author do?
Why did they do it?
What does it mean?

With younger students, we read together and ask the same questions. The writing that follows isn’t a long essay. It’s a theme statement with evidence — a powerful, manageable way to build writing skills without overwhelming them.

This kind of work builds confidence. Over time, it leads to stronger essays, clearer arguments, and deeper analysis.