"What? How? So What?" Three Questions Essential to Analysis

1. WHAT?: USING the WORD “Explores”

Great literature isn’t just about a subject, it explores a subject.  One useful way to think about literature thematically is to work backwards and consider: “What question is this writer exploring?”  Here is a simple pattern for this kind of thinking:

In [insert title here], [writer’s name] explores the [type of] question of ____________________.

Examples:

In A Gentleman in Moscow, Amor Towles explores the existential question of what it takes to rediscover a sense of purpose in life.   

In Their Eyes Were Watching God, Zora Neale Hurston explores the philosophical question of how, despite obstacles and misfortunes, deep satisfaction can be achieved through reflecting on the experiences and lessons accumulated along life’s journey.

In “The Yellow Wallpaper,” Charlotte Perkins Gilman explores the psychological question of the effects of isolation on an unstable mind. 

In Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen explores the thematic question of what it takes to overcome the titular subjects. 

In the poem “Ithaka,” C.P. Cavafy explores the essential question of why it’s the journey itself that matters. 

In her poem “The One Girl at the Boys’ Party,” Sharon Olds explores the coming-of-age question of how awakening to the possibility of romantic love takes shape in the mind of a young person.

In the short play "Beauty," Jane Martin explores the fundamental question of what dissatisfied people really want the most.  

2. HOW?: IDENTIFYING the MECHANISM

Ok, so once we’ve identified what a writer is exploring, it is time to consider how it is done.  In this case, we need to consider the mechanism involved – the literary techniques(s), plot devices, tropes, etc. that the writer uses to explore the subject.  This can work very nicely as a follow-up to the “explores” statement:

Example:

In A Gentleman in Moscow, Amor Towles explores the existential question of what it takes to rediscover a sense of purpose in life.  In the novel’s opening courtroom scene, Towles reveals his central plot device: an aristocratic character is confined to live within the limits of a single building, unable to live the carefree life he once knew. 

3. SO WHAT?: WHAT's the POINT?

The sequencing to remember is: what, how, so what?  Those are three distinct components that, when combined, demonstrate analysis.  They imply that the artist explores a certain subject, using identifiable techniques, to create art with a definable meaning or purpose. 

So, let’s try this with a line building on our previous example:

In A Gentleman in Moscow, Amor Towles explores the existential question of what it takes to rediscover a sense of purpose in life.  In the novel’s opening courtroom scene, Towles reveals his central plot device: an aristocratic character is confined to live within the limits of a single building, unable to live the carefree life he once knew.  Ironically, it is this confinement, and the unexpectedly close relationships that he forms within the walls of the hotel, that lead to the central character’s discovery of the dual role of family and sense of place in creating a sense of meaning and purpose in his life. 

There it is.  What? How? and So What? in three sentences. These are the building blocks of demonstrating analysis.