A short story is, by definition "an invented prose narrative shorter than a novel usually dealing with a few characters and aiming at unity of effect and often concentrating on the creation of mood rather than plot" (Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary). Short stories contain certain elements, which consist of the following: plot, characters, theme and setting (Axelrod and Cooper The St. Martin's guide to writing 383). In addition, the Short story is told from a specific point of view. All the elements of a short story are used in a specific way in order to comment on a part of our lives as members in a collective society.
In order to have a story there must be a series of circumstances known as a plot. A plot is a causal sequence of events, the "why" for the things that happen in the story ("Literature" http://www.learner.org/exhibits/literature/). The plot brings the reader into the character's lives and gives the reader a better understanding of the character. For example In Perkins the "Yellow Wallpaper" the plot of the story was a woman suffering from some type of mental illness while dealing with a possibly overbearing spouse.
A plot's structure is the way in which the story elements are arranged ("Lit
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