A famous short story, “Two Friends”, was translated by Gordon R. Silber. This story took place during the Franco-Prussian War which started in 1870. This war was a conflict between France and Germany. At the beginning of Maupassant's story, the city is on the verge of capitulation. Two men try to ignore this violence and fish often and become true friends. This essay will carefully examine how Guy de Maupassant used six different literary elements to create this exceptional short story titled “Two Friends.” Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an Original Essay In this paragraph, we will look at how the author uses setting and tone in and throughout the story. The story takes place in early 1871 in France. The author uses many descriptive words to describe the setting throughout the story. The overall tone of this story is very dark and dull. He conveys this tone through numerous quotes throughout the text such as: “They began to walk side by side, distracted and sad” (1235). Maupassant exudes this sad and dull tone through many quotes similar to this one. Setting and tone also contribute to the story's purpose and figurative language. You can see that the author uses figurative language several times throughout the text. He uses figurative language along with many other literary elements to show the purpose of the story. As many of you know, figurative language is where the author uses words or expressions that mean something different from the literal interpretation. Maupassant uses his words from beginning to end to show figurative language as when he writes: “And a feeling of unease paralyzed the two friends facing this deserted region (1236). » The two friends were not paralyzed, so it is figurative language since he says one thing to interpret another. Many elements are used to create the purpose, what the author hopes to accomplish or communicate through the text. The purpose of this story is to teach a lesson in friendship. It shows that you can connect with people even when times are tough. This also shows that you should try to be positive and live your life to the fullest, because you never know when death is coming. The purpose helps convey the theme, which is the overall overall message that is very similar to the purpose. The author's theme that he is trying to show is that friends remain loyal to each other even when looking death in the face. Another theme it conveys is that although many people wish for peace in all of humanity, it will never happen. Maupassant also uses symbolism when he explains throughout the story that men regularly went to the river to fish before the war began; now that it has started, it is dangerous and the days are no longer as clear, the sun shines less. This shows that time is a symbolic element, because before it was light and now times are sad and dark. Keep in mind: this is just a sample. Get a personalized article from our expert writers now. Get a Custom Essay The author wrote this short story using many literary terms such as tone, setting, purpose, figurative language, theme, and symbolism. The story started well before the war, but as the war started, things started to get darker, but the two friends remained loyal to each other. In all short stories, you have to look closely to see what the author is trying to say...