Structure

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Beginning

The short story "Just Like That" by Michael Richards opens in medias res and introduces the main characters, the man and the boy:

‘Dead,’ said the man, ‘just like that.’ He stopped the engine. The boy stared out the window. ‘Well?’ demanded the man. ‘Do you think you can do it?’ The boy said nothing. The man said, ‘If you can’t do it now you never will.’ (p. 25, ll. 1-5)

Note that the beginning of the story does not provide any details regarding the re…

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Middle

The rising action of the story presents several kangaroo shootings. A tension point is introduced when the boy is impressed by the sight of a dead kangaroo that the man just killed:

It had happened so quickly and so easily that the boy couldn’t believe it was real. He reached a hand to the kangaroo’s breast. It was warm and very soft. The black eyes remained open. He couldn’t believe it was dead. (p. 25, ll. 40-43)

This moment makes the boy feel powerful and that his legs “could walk over anything that got in his way” (p. 26, ll. 8-9). Another tension point comes when the boy kills his first kangaroo and becomes distressed: “The boy was d…

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Ending

In the falling action, the boy is presented crying and the man turning for the car: “The boy bit his lip. He flushed. Tears came to his eyes. (…) The man turned his back. He started for the car” (p. 29, ll. 19-21).

The story’s resolution is in the final paragraph. The ending of the story is open, but it is implied th…