Structure
The short story “The False Moon” by Shirley Golden is structured around a teenage boy’s conflict with his alcoholic mother. Like many short stories, “The False Moon” follows the traditional plot elements, having an exposition, a rising action, a climax and a resolution. Keep in mind that there is no falling action to the story, as the end closely follows the climactic moment.
Title
Without first reading the short story, the title seems quite ambiguous.
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Beginning
The exposition of the story is quite abrupt; we are not presented with the identity of the characters or their background.
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Middle
The rising action mixes events related to Matt’s graffiti art in the city together with the girl artist with events related to Matt’s family life. While his unseen connection with the girl pleases him, his school life and family life seem to be unfortunate.
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Ending
The resolution of the story follows the climax, leaving no space for a falling action.
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