Structure

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Beginning

The short story begins in medias res, or in the middle of events. The exposition opens with a description of the weather and season, presenting the setting of the story. It also presents the rumour that serves as the premise for the story’s action. The description of time as “bloody September twilight” (l. 1) foreshadows the violence perpetrated in the story.

The narrator introduces further explanations about the characters and the setting of the story. The initial conversation about the rumour ha…

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Middle

In the rising action, John McLendon arrives at the barber shop and encourages the men to take action against Will Mayes: “ ‘Happen? What the hell difference does it make? Are you going to let the black sons get away with it until one really does it?’ ” (ll. 61-62). This statement suggests that, for McLendon and other men like Butch, making an example out of Will is more important than discovering the truth. The racial tension is observed through the insults addressed towards Hawkshaw when he tries to protect Will: “ ‘Why, you damn nigger-loving...’ ” (l. 72). Taking the side of a black man is …

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Ending

In the falling action, Hawkshaw hears the cars returning as he walks back into town: “McLendon's car came last now. There were four people in it and Butch was not on the running board” (ll. 245-246). This observation suggests that there are fewer people in the car than they were when they took Will from the factory, meaning that Will has probably been killed and his body disposed of.

Section IV is marked by another tension point, created when Minnie goes out into town. She overhears people saying that Will “went o…