The power of a story

Weapons are normally constructed to destroy, but the literary Chekov’s gun is what is used to bring a story together. It is a narrative element that emphasises the point that every element in a story must have relevance and purpose to move the plot along. If any part or component is considered irrelevant, then it should be removed.

There must be a reason for every element in a story. If there is a pen in the scene, there should be a reason for it, whether the character is going to use it to write a letter or put a signature on a document that could change their fate. The true power of a story is displayed when every individual element comes together to connect the rising action of the story to the denouement, which is the final part of the narrative that ties the strands of the plot together. Let’s take a simple example from the Harry Potter series. How different would the story be if Harry’s lightning scar were just a birthmark instead of the scar he obtained from surviving an attack from Voldemort when he was a baby? Here, the scar is a small element with great value.  

The man behind the gun

The last name of this playwright is self-explanatory with the name of this principle. Anton Chekhov was a famous Russian playwright and author, considered to be one of the greatest writers of all time. In many of his works, Chekov has incorporated the principle of element importance.

He had given this advice in letters to young playwrights on how to create better plots. “Remove everything that has no relevance to the story. If you say in the first chapter that there is a rifle hanging on the wall, in the second or third chapter, it absolutely must go off. If it’s not going to be fired, it shouldn’t be hanging there,” he said. His stated advice can be seen in his play The Seagull, bringing meaning to the gun reference, where in one scene, the character Konstantin Gavrilovich Treplev carries a gun early in the play, which is fired in the final act.

Gun vs herring

Chekov’s gun is indeed a valuable element for writers when in the process of creating a book or a script. But there is another literary component that provides the opposite effect to the plot. Readers may know this as a ‘red herring’, a swift, out-of-the-blue misdirection. While this may be taken negatively in the real world, on the pages of a book (most probably a mystery book) simple misdirection can lead the readers on a path where they’ll have no preparation for the surprise or twist they are about to face. Chekov’s Gun seeks to make every small element of a story useful and contributory to the ending. On the other hand, a red herring aims to do the opposite. While the audience is focused on a certain object or clue that they believe would hold great importance towards the end, they are instead met with a shocking turn of events they didn’t see coming. Events where that one object played absolutely no role. Regardless, Chekov’s Gun holds incredible importance to this day. Not only does it provide the story with more readers and interest, but it also strengthens the bond between the reader, the text, and the author.