Question

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

Answer 1

English is not my first language, so i'll try to be as clear as possible.

This is not only in short stories. Is the same for big stories, short films, regualar films, even music, poetry and painting. This effect is called juxtaposition, puting things togather to mean something else. Music is a good way to explain it, you have 7 basic notes and several ways to use them (chords, single notes etc…) but the way you put them together, the selection of which to use and the order, the rhythm and pauses, the tension and relaxation is what makes a musical piece.

In stories is basically the same, you have several elements you can play with like Imagery, Point of View, Symbolism, Characterization, Allusion, Setting, Conflict, Foreshadowing, Plot, Flashback, Theme, etc… The first thing is to decide what you want to say, and then choosing the elements that will take you to that place.

All of this happens based on some psychological principles. In films, Kulechov made a great discovery (named after him: The Kulechov Effect) and it goes as follow: Kuleshov edited together a short film in which a shot of the expressionless face of Tsarist matinee idol Ivan Mozzhukhin was alternated with various other shots (a plate of soup, a girl, a little girl's coffin). The film was shown to an audience who believed that the expression on Mozzhukhin's face was different each time he appeared, depending on whether he was "looking at" the plate of soup, the girl, or the coffin, showing an expression of hunger, desire or grief respectively. Actually the footage of Mozzhukhin was the same shot repeated over and over again.

Also Campbell explores the theory that important myths from around the world which have survived for thousands of years all share a fundamental structure, which Campbell called the monomyth. In a well-known quote from the introduction to The Hero with a Thousand Faces, Campbell summarized the monomyth:
“
A hero ventures forth from the world of common day into a region of supernatural wonder: fabulous forces are there encountered and a decisive victory is won: the hero comes back from this mysterious adventure with the power to bestow boons on his fellow man.[2]
”
In laying out the monomyth, Campbell describes a number of stages or steps along this journey. The hero starts in the ordinary world, and receives a call to enter an unusual world of strange powers and events (a call to adventure). If the hero accepts the call to enter this strange world, the hero must face tasks and trials (a road of trials), and may have to face these trials alone, or may have assistance. At its most intense, the hero must survive a severe challenge, often with help earned along the journey. If the hero survives, the hero may achieve a great gift (the goal or "boon"), which often results in the discovery of important self-knowledge. The hero must then decide whether to return with this boon (the return to the ordinary world), often facing challenges on the return journey. If the hero is successful in returning, the boon or gift may be used to improve the world (the application of the boon).
Very few myths contain all of these stages—some myths contain many of the stages, while others contain only a few; some myths may have as a focus only one of the stages, while other myths may deal with the stages in a somewhat different order. These stages may be organized in a number of ways, including division into three sections: Departure (sometimes called Separation), Initiation and Return. "Departure" deals with the hero venturing forth on the quest, "Initiation" deals with the hero's various adventures along the way, and "Return" deals with the hero's return home with knowledge and powers acquired on the journey.
The classic examples of the monomyth relied upon by Campbell and other scholars include the stories of Osiris, Prometheus, the Buddha, Moses, and Christ, although Campbell cites many other classic myths from many cultures which rely upon this basic structure.
So as you can see… there is no one answer, there are thousand ways in which the elements interplay, but there are some standards or guidelines.

If this wasn't clear enough please contact me by mail, i'm really good at this and i actually know what i'm talking about. I'm major in philosopy and studying film school, so maybe in a chat or with more specific questions i can make it clearer...

Answer 2

Short stories are short...

This means that a novel has the responsibility and the ability of fleshing out characters throughout dozens of pages. Therefore the larger the story is, the easier it is to write more about your characters and what they represent. In a novel it is also easier to incorporate the theme of the story and develop it.

A short story on the other hand has only so much it can write about, therefore EVERYTHING must be meaningful in order for your story to be meaningful. The characters, the symbolism, the period and the setting must work together to make a story 10 pages long and that incorporates themes and dynamics that would otherwise fit in a novel that ranges about 100 pages long..