“And so I told their story—and about how one of them went to France and got killed. And how indirectly he helped them out of their hard luck. That is all there was to ‘The Path of Glory.’”
Plot. Note, first, that since the presentation is consistently from Luke’s angle, the plot events are given in chronological order for him; but that from the point of view of actual occurrence they are presented with some inversion. (For example, the experience of Mrs. Haynes in the town precedes her summary to Luke.) In this respect, the author—perhaps unconsciously—shows ability to mass plot material to best advantage through artistic adherence to one angle of narration. Many short-story writers appear to understand this principle, yet fail to master it.
Initial Impulse: The story impulse lies, dormant, in the business of Nat’s funeral. Where does it become active?
Main Steps in Action: Nat’s visit home. A direct forecast of the climax lies in the reason for his going to Europe. Another important stage is the death and burial of Father Haynes, “Paw.”
Dramatic Climax: The combination of “Paw’s” home-made burial and Nat’s death. The two come near together and constitute the lowest turn of the Haynes wheel of fortune. In Nat’s death lies the possibility for change. (In the presentation of the plot, this climax is reported through the letter, the reception of which is, in itself, a step toward the climax of action.)
Steps toward the Climax of Action: The letter telling of Nat’s death. Mrs. Haynes’s stony grief. The second letter; Nat’s funeral and the croix de guerre. “Maw” awakes; she is “going downtown.” She shows the letter, and soon understands that Nat has given glory to Stony Brook. The letter is to be published. It is to be read aloud at the schoolhouse and Nat’s story retold. There will be a memorial service at the churches. There will be a big public service in the Town Hall. (Other details make the change of fortune explicit and complete.)
Climax of Action: “Maw” returns home, rehabilitated, and rehearses the day’s experience to Luke. He recognizes that Nat has done “somethin’ big for us all.”
Characters. If one test of the “short-story” is that no character should enter who does not assist in the action, will this story stand it? What, for example, is Tom’s part? Would you give him up? Is it permissible to introduce characters to enrich the action? There is no question about the value from a literary consideration.
The part of each main character is well-defined. Luke, self-conscious, lame and sensitive, offers the medium through whom the story is told. “Maw” suffers; it is she to whom the turns of fortune mean most; she is the chief character. “Paw” is the cause of the Haynes status in the community. Nat, the prodigal, is the one through whom rehabilitation comes.
The personalities that enrich the action are: 1. Clem, his wife, and S’norta. They do so (a) by intensifying “Maw’s” sense of poverty, (b) by furnishing contrast in worldly goods and in character; 2. Tom. His misfortune enhances the wretchedness of the main actors, and the probability of his being made sound in mind emphasizes their changed fortunes. 3. Background characters. All, practically, whom Mrs. Haynes meets on her famous day in the town.