Plot and Structure

In this section we will help you identify the elements of the plot and how “As the Time Draws Near” is structured. By plot, we understand a literary term used to describe the events that make up a story, and these events relate to each other in a pattern or a sequence. In literary works there are at least a dozen types of plot. Consequently, not all plots develop along the five classical elements: exposition, rising action, climax, falling action and resolution.

Ivey’s short story is developed ar…

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Elements of the plot

Even in a flashback plot, we can still identify some of the classical elements:

Exposition: Piper travels to Alaska to spread her father’s ashes:

“Piper’s father falls out of the sky. Her entire life she had been waiting for this news, though she didn’t know what form it would take.” (p. 109, ll. 18-20)

Flashback action: The protagonist recalls memories re…