Structure

The short story “The Right Time to Fly” by Shirley Golden is structured around a conflict between an employee at a landfill and a student who takes photos of the place. The author follows most of the elements of a traditional plot: exposition, rising action, climax, falling action and resolution.

Title

The title of the short story, “The Right Time to Fly”, hints at what the narrative is going to be about in terms of theme, but not in terms of plot. When we read the title, we think about freedom and independence usually associated with flying, but also about being ready for them.

...

Beginning

The short story begins in media res, in the middle of events, lacking a classical exposition and introducing readers directly to the setting and the characters without too many details:

...

Middle

The middle of the short story develops the rising action. Marcus tries to find out how the student gets in and discovers that she has taken shelter at a barge just outside the landfill yard. The two of them have a brief conversation about the trespassing but also about their lives.

...

Ending

The ending of the short story includes the falling action and the resolution. After Suzy’s leg is injured by a pipe, Marcus mends the wound and their conflict is somewhat reconciled:

...