The Fall of a City by Alden Nowlan (2024)

FAQs

What is the fall of a city short story about? ›

The story “The Fall of a City” by Alden Nowlan, is about a young little boy known as Teddy, being parented by two drab, unimaginative adults who corrupt his mind and lead him to destroy his ambition for the future. Without good role models for the children on earth, this world will have no future.

The theme of the story is to always watch what you say. This is the theme due to the fact that Teddy was forced to change based off of what his aunt and uncle had said. Words can hurt and you can never take it them back.

Nowlan uses plenty of symbols in this short story. One of them are the city Teddy created using his paper dolls. The city represents Teddy's life in a more playful manner. In the paper doll city called Kingdom of Upalia, Teddy imagines the family to be royal and rich which is not the case in real life.

The Fall Of The City Analysis

Although at times it went to the dark side, it was ultimately the mistreatment from his aunt and uncle which cause Teddy to destroy his city. For example, his uncle's threats of physical abuse leaded Teddy drowned in his imagination, the only place where he can feel safer.

The theme in a story is its underlying message, or 'big idea. ' In other words, what critical belief about life is the author trying to convey in the writing of a novel, play, short story or poem? This belief, or idea, transcends cultural barriers.

The plot and structure of a short story (otherwise known as a story arc) is the logical order in which events happen in the story. It's important to set the scene, introduce the inciting incident and obstacles, then show the resolution.

A theme in a story is the is the deeper message or central idea. It comments on human experience, and more often a story relates to real life situations. All stories have at least one theme. A theme gives the general view of the story.

Climax - It was when Teddy's uncle checked the attic and found out about the cardboard kingdom and paper people that Teddy's been playing with and criticizes him for doing so, making him feel humiliated.

A “plot-theme” is the central conflict or “situation” of a story—a conflict in terms of action, corresponding to the theme and complex enough to create a purposeful progression of events. The theme of a novel is the core of its abstract meaning—the plot-theme is the core of its events.

This story has two settings. Teddy's uncle and aunt's home and the attic where he is playing with paper toys.In the beginning of the story, he was daydreaming in the attic. When teddy was playing in the attic, his aunt called him for the dinner and she asked what he was doing in the attic.

How old is Teddy in The Fall of a city? ›

Summary T h e F a l l o f a C i t y “The Fall of a City” is a short story that illustrates the life of a boy named Teddy who is forced into maturation at a young age of eleven years.

This again shows how Teddy's imaginary world represents something more than his real world. Finally, the destruction of the city of Upalia is representative of Teddy's loss of innocence.

The atmosphere of the story is dark and gloomy, which is represented by the fierce rainfall and also from the mockery teddy faces from his uncle. Teddy feels alienated and isolated because his uncle and aunt make him feel ashamed from teasing him about his imaginary kingdom/city and for playing with paper dolls.

To identify a central conflict in a story, ask yourself what the main character's biggest challenge is: what do they overcome by the end of the story? If the answer is themselves, the central conflict is internal (character vs. self).

The major or main conflict is 'the gap between who your character is at the start of the story and who they need to be at the end of it'. This is where we see your main character's moral conflict or the character arc in action!

The poem, called A Short Story of Falling, seems so evocative of autumn, the transitions of each season, the cycle of life, the circular nature of our ecosystems.

The point of view in the story is third person, the author uses pronouns such as “he” and “she” to express and describe the thoughts of each character openly.

Climax - It was when Teddy's uncle checked the attic and found out about the cardboard kingdom and paper people that Teddy's been playing with and criticizes him for doing so, making him feel humiliated.