Plot and structure

In this section, we will help you identify the elements of the plot, and consider how the story is structured. Plot is the literary term used to describe the events that create a story or the main part of a story. 

In Alice Hoffman’s short story we can identify the following plot elements:

Exposition

The narrator becomes friends with Eugene, her brother’s best friend and starts a business with him: “Eugene Kessler was supposed to be my brother’s best friend, but he and I actually had a lot more in common.”  (ll. 1-2), “Eugene and I were in business together…” (l. 12)

Rising Action

The two start having many papers to write for high schools students and Jason does not approve of their actions. The narrator is getting closer to Eugene: “The pressur...