Novels vs Short Stories

Hello, I'd love to gather some insight from other people! I have just gotten an assignment for my evolution of media class (dw I'm not asking for homework help lol) where we are to compare and contrast Novels and Short Stories as a form of story telling, including the historical development and purpose of both Novels and Short stories.

It's raised lots of interesting questions I would love to talk about! For example, I'm suggesting the authorial intent of a Novel/Short Story will not always align with a reader's understanding and comprehension of the Novel/Short story, thus, the purpose of a Novel/Short Story will be ultimately dictated by the consumer and is not unique to either medium.

For an authors message to be conveyed there are a lot of prerequisites that need to be hit, the most important being the media literacy of the reader/audience. Take Susan Collins' The Hunger Games, for example. As a child I loved the series, however, I always read it as a action packed dystopian novel for my own enjoyment, completely missing the intention and criticisms behind the stories.

I believe that a story is fluid, fulfilling whatever purpose we as an audience want (eg. Moral guidence, entertainment, social criticism, etc). While both the medium of Novels and short stories have unique ways of delivering their purpose, they are there for the consumption of the reader and subject to personal interpretation.

I'm curious as to what others think the purpose of a novel and a short story is. Do you think there is a difference in purpose? If so, what is the purpose?