Structure

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Beginning 

The exposition begins with the presentation of the main character and of the setting of “The Death of Tommy Grimes”:

Tommy had become part of the ground. At least he felt that way as he watched the dew and the daylight make giant shiny cobwebs of the treetops. The sun had not yet risen and a mist lay over the ground, which made the forest seem rather spooky to him. (p. 1, ll. 1-3)

The intrigue is also se…

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Middle 

In the rising action, flashbacks are inserted into the main narrative. One flashback refers to Tommy being unable to kill a weasel which attacked the hen-yard. The flashback also foreshadows that the boy is going to lose his innocence soon: “ ‘a man always dies a little when he kills something, but it just plain has to be done’ ” (p. 1, ll. 19-20). We also learn about the disappointment of Tommy’s father when Tommy is unable to kill the weasel, which draws attention to an external conflict between the two and offers an insight into Tommy’s motivation. 

The tension rises when Tommy is out in the woods, looking for his prey and wishing for this experience to end (p. 1, ll. 27-30), suggesting his inner conflict as he is uncomfortable with hunting. Another flashback presents Tommy thinking about his father meeting other hunters at the Hut, the local bar (p. 2, ll.…

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Ending 

In the falling action, we (and Tommy) believe for a moment that Tommy has accidentally shot his own father because Tommy sees “a small patch of color the same as Pa’s jacket” (p. 41, ll. 2-3).…