Structure

The short story “A Very Short Story” by Ernest Hemingway begins in medias res, with an episode from the beginning of the relationship of Luz and the soldier. 

We are told that the couple wishes to get married: “to make it so they could not lose it” (ll. 12-13). This foreshadows their eventual break-up and the fact that they might know they are not compatible. Another example of foreshadowing is the soldier feeling “sick about saying good-bye like that” (ll. 21-22). This hints that it might be the last time the soldier sees Luz, and he most likely does not like the idea of the two of them parting without resolving their conflict first.

The external conflict between Luz and the soldier, which remains unresolved (ll. 20-22), leads to Luz having a...