Structure

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Title

The title of the short story can be interpreted in two different ways. On the one hand, it refers to the way in which the husband plans to kill his wife – by provoking what the Scrabble tiles indicate:

My heart is racing, but not from the shock of the bang. I don't believe it - but it can't be a coincidence. The letters made it happen. I played the word EXPLODES,...

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Beginning

The story “Death by Scrabble” by Charlie Fish begins with an exposition which introduces the two main characters: a husband and a wife playing Scrabble. The introduction also presents the man’s frustration with his life and his hate for his wife:

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Middle

The rising action presents the husband’s decision to end his wife’s life according to what his tiles indicate: “As I'm picking new letters from the bag, I find myself thinking - the letters will tell me what to do. If they spell out KILL, or STAB, or her name, or anything, I'll do it right now. I'll finish her off.”

Several tension points are introduced here. First, the wife plays the word “SWEATIER”, which only adds to the man’s frustration with the hot day. The man plays the word “ZAPS” and enjoys watching his wife being zapped by the static shock.

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Ending

The ending of the short story is very important, as the climax shows the husband and the wife playing two final words: “quake” and “death”.

I play QUAKE for 19 points. I wonder if the strength of the quake will be proportionate to how many points it scored. I can feel the trembling energy of potential in my veins. I am commanding fate. I am manipulating destiny. My wife plays DEATH for 34 points, just as the room starts to shake.

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