Structure
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Beginning
The short story "Breakfast" by John Steinbeck begins with an introduction by the narrator, who suggests that he is remembering a distant memory (ll. 1-3). In the exposition, the narrator establishes the setting of the flashback by providing many details on the landscape around him (ll. 4-7).
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Middle
In the rising action, the narrator smells frying bacon and baking bread (l. 25), which creates a foreshadowing element for him having breakfast with the three strangers. A young man and an older man come out of the tent, and the narrator notices that they are dressed in “new blue dungarees and in new dungaree coats with the brass buttons shining” (ll. 29-30). The narrator also mentions that the men “looked much alike” (l. 31), which suggests that they might be father …
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Ending
In the falling action, after they all finish breakfast, the young man offers the narrator to get a job picking cotton (ll. 78-79). The narrator refuses the young man’s offer and thanks the family for the breakfast. The older man tells him they were glad to have him, and, as the sun rises, the men go their separate ways: “They walked away together (……
