Structure

“Say Yes” by Tobias Wolff is structured around a conversation between spouses about mixed-race marriages, the author relying mostly on dialogue, or direct speech, to render the short story.

The events can be divided into several scenes according to where the characters are placed in the setting. The initial scene shows the characters doing dishes in the kitchen – the wife washing and the husband drying.

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Generally, short stories follow a pattern of sequences which form a plot: exposition, rising action, climax, falling action and resolution. “Say Yes” respects this pattern partially, as we point out below:

Title

The title of the short story hints at the fact that the narrative will be about a proposal and that the person being proposed to might be reluctant to accept it.

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Beginning

The short story begins directly, in media res, showing us a scene with the two characters doing the dishes:

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Middle

The middle of the short story presents increasing moments of tension in their conversation, which form the rising action. The two spouses have different opinions about mixed marriage and this leads to conflict.

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Ending

The ending of the short story comprises a rather lengthy falling action, but no genuine resolution. The husband continues to clean the kitchen while the wife ignores him, and he starts to regret his answer:

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