how does the interplay of the elements of short story create a meaningful whole

Question

anonymous · Answer

they give background knowledge making the piece as a whole sound more credible

anonymous · Answer

The primary goal should be the creation of a theme. Bearing that in mind as the "meaningful whole" it is now your job to create a plot to support that. Plot is driven by character decisions and to a lesser extent the setting. Ultimately the plot develops as the character develops or changes the environment around in a way that is usually (although not always) beneficial. The resulting change in the character or setting can be seen as the theme. In essence the story shapes the character which develops the theme.