Worksheet
Short Story Analysis Worksheet
Title of short story Bullet in the Brain
Author’s Name Tobias Wolff
Year of Publication 1995
Physical: Place & Time Place: a busy American bank
(include clues which help Time: around 5 o’clock, when the bank is
you determine this)
about to close, 1990’s
Setting
Social Context During the upcoming gunviolence of the
(include clues which help 1990’s in America
you determine this)
Characters & character Anders: Dynamic round unsympathetic
type (very jaded), anti-heroic
(Round/flat The teller: Static flat minor character
/static/dynamic/
Two robbers: Static flat minor character
stereotypical/anti-hero/etc.
Two women infront of Anders: static flat
minor character (foil to Anders)
Main character
Direct characterizations
(Which direct
characterizations can you
locate in the story?)
Indirect characterizations
(Which indirect
characterizations can you
locate in the story?)
Plot (max. 10 sentences) Exposition: We get a description of Anders
Indicate the five stages of arriving at the bank and him as a bad
Freytag’s pyramid in the plot of
tempered person.
this story. If stages are missing,
Inciting incident: Two robbers enter the
list this. Keep in mind Plot (cont.)
that some stages may be in a bank and order the people in the bank to
different order, be missing, or be obey their wishes.
present more than once.
Short Story Analysis Worksheet
Title of short story Bullet in the Brain
Author’s Name Tobias Wolff
Year of Publication 1995
Physical: Place & Time Place: a busy American bank
(include clues which help Time: around 5 o’clock, when the bank is
you determine this)
about to close, 1990’s
Setting
Social Context During the upcoming gunviolence of the
(include clues which help 1990’s in America
you determine this)
Characters & character Anders: Dynamic round unsympathetic
type (very jaded), anti-heroic
(Round/flat The teller: Static flat minor character
/static/dynamic/
Two robbers: Static flat minor character
stereotypical/anti-hero/etc.
Two women infront of Anders: static flat
minor character (foil to Anders)
Main character
Direct characterizations
(Which direct
characterizations can you
locate in the story?)
Indirect characterizations
(Which indirect
characterizations can you
locate in the story?)
Plot (max. 10 sentences) Exposition: We get a description of Anders
Indicate the five stages of arriving at the bank and him as a bad
Freytag’s pyramid in the plot of
tempered person.
this story. If stages are missing,
Inciting incident: Two robbers enter the
list this. Keep in mind Plot (cont.)
that some stages may be in a bank and order the people in the bank to
different order, be missing, or be obey their wishes.
present more than once.
