Being a perceptive writer means partly being a "psychoanalyst." You should plumb the minds of the characters to understand the motives for their actions, gestures, and words.
Being perceptive also means drawing as much meaning as you can from symbols. When analysing symbols, explain them accurately and fully. If you say, for example, that a swan in a certain story is a symbol of Christ, explain what characteristics it has that make it so.
Be perceptive too in analysing the connotations of key words from the story that are relevant to your thesis. Look at the following where the writer discusses the word "imperious" as it relates to the story "The Odour of Chrysanthemums":
Near the opening of the story, Mrs. Bates is described as "imperious." "Imperious" means domineering and arrogant, and it portrays Mrs. Bates as a woman in full command. Indeed, as she stands looking at the miners wending their way home, she seems like an army commander surveying her troops. Her "definite" eyebrows and hair "parted exactly" reinforce the image of her as a non-nonsense commander. The way she talks sternly to her son and daughter also conveys her imperious attitude. It is only at the end of the story, when she is humbled by her husband’s death, that she is "countermanded" (no longer "in command" and her imperious attitude is replaced by humility and submissiveness.
Although your instructor may have asked you to write about only one story, you may wish to point out subtle similarities and contrasts between it and other stories by the same author. This will show that you are an astute reader.
Be speculative. You may suggest two or three possible meanings for a symbol, or a character’s gesture or statement. You need not restrict yourself to one meaning.
Here are some questions to ask yourself as you read through a story. Use these questions to stimulate your writing: