What elements do I need in my narrative writing piece? Let’s examine the story Little Red Riding Hood to find out.
Plot: What the story is about. Little Red is sent to deliver food and drink to her sick grandmother. Her mother warns her to stay on the path and avoid talking to strangers. However, Little Red is distracted by some beautiful flowers in the woods and steps off the path. There, she meets a hungry wolf and tells him she’s going to her grandmother’s house. The wolf races ahead, eats Grandmother, and dresses in her clothes to trick Little Red.
When Little Red arrives, she notices something strange about her “grandmother.” After some questioning, the wolf jumps up and eats her, too. The wolf falls asleep with a full stomach, snoring loudly. Hearing the noise, a woodsman enters the house, cuts open the wolf’s stomach with scissors, and rescues both Little Red and her grandmother. To get back at the wolf, the Woodsman fills his stomach with rocks and stitches the wolf back up. When the wolf wakes up, he flees into the woods with a stomach full of rocks.
Setting: Where the story takes place. Little Red’s house, in the woods, and at Grandma’s house.
Conflict: What are the problems in the story? Little Red Riding Hood disobeys her mother when she strays off the path and speaks to a stranger. Grandmother and Little Red are chased and devoured by the wolf. The Woodsman must rescue Little Red and her grandmother. Little Red Riding Hood, Grandma, and Woodsman must get rid of the wolf.
Characters: The antagonist is the character who causes problems or conflict in the story. In this case, the wolf is the antagonist, as he creates trouble for Little Red and her grandmother.
The protagonist is the main character of the story, and in this case, it’s Little Red. She is the one we follow through the adventure and who ultimately overcomes the challenges posed by the wolf.
Other important characters in the story include Grandmother, who is the one in danger, and the Woodsman, who plays a crucial role in rescuing both Little Red and her grandmother, adding to the excitement and resolution of the story.
Theme(s): The central theme of Little Red Riding Hood is the importance of listening to and obeying your parents. The story emphasizes the dangers of straying from the path and talking to strangers, illustrating how ignoring these warnings can lead to trouble.
Point of View: Who is telling the story? There are four main points of view in storytelling-
1st person: The main character is usually talking, so the words I, me, or we are used often.
2nd person: A narrator is speaking to the reader so the words you, your, and yours is used quite often.
3rd person: An outside narrator is telling the story so the words he, she, them are used a lot.
3rd person/omniscient: This is written in 3rd person, but the narrator is able to inform the reader of each character’s thoughts and feelings.
Little Red Riding Hood is told in a 3rd person perspective because the author uses the words, he and she, to tell the story but we don’t have any insight on the thoughts of each character.
Tone: How does your story come across to the reader? Is your book meant to be funny, serious, optimistic, pessimistic, scary/threatening, sad, or joyful? Little Red Riding Hood begins with a light and whimsical tone, but it quickly shifts to a darker and more ominous atmosphere as the wolf devours both Grandmother and Little Red. While the story starts off with a sense of innocence, it becomes more intense and threatening. Originally, this fairy tale served as a cautionary tale, meant to warn children about the consequences of disobeying their parents and talking to strangers.
Style: This describes how the author writes (what types of words, figurative language, and sentence arrangements that the author uses). Little Red Riding Hood was written in the form of a fairy tale. The story is straightforward with little to no figurative language used.
Ready to start your narrative writing piece? See my Ideas page to help you brainstorm your next amazing story!
Don’t stop
Don’t stop to talk to hungry wolves on the way to your grandmother’s house because they can be very cheeky and are usually up to no good.
Author Todd Gray 