【專八mini系列】短篇小說（2/7）

Most stories are set in present day, but settings of place vary from rural to urban. The reader follows the main character or protagonist in a conflict with another character or antagonist or in an internal conflict with his own antagonistic psychological or spiritual force. Characters range from familiar stereotypes, such as the aggressive businessman or the lonely housewife, to archetypal characters, such as the rebel, the scapegoat, the alter ego, and those engaged in some sort of search. The subject of a short story is often mistaken for its theme. Common subjects for modern short fiction include race, ethnic status, gender, class, and social issues such as poverty, drugs, violence, and divorce. These subjects allow the writer to comment upon the larger theme that is the heart of the fictional work. Some of the major themes of 20th century short stories, as well as longer forms of fiction, are human isolation, alienation, and personal trauma, such as anxiety, love and hate, male or female relationships, family and the conflict of generations, mortality, spiritual struggles, and even the relationship between life and art.