Structure

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Beginning

The short story begins with a rather long exposition in which readers are introduced to the main characters, Mrs and Mrs Foster and their relationship, which is affected by the woman’s dread of being late and the husband always making her late to places and events:

All her life, Mrs Foster had had such a strong fear of missing a train, a plane, a boat, or even the start of a play that her fear was almost an illness. In other respects, she was not a particularly nervous woman...

Mr Foster may possibly have had a right to be annoyed by this sillin…

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Middle

The rising action develops on the background of Mrs Foster’s fear of missing the flight and her husband making her late.

The woman begins to get nervous around the day of the flight because her husband—who is to accompany her at the airport — is making her late:

“What time is it, Walker?”
“It’s eighteen minutes past, madam.”
“Now I really will miss it!” she cried. “Oh, I wish he would come!”

An important foreshadowing element is introduced right before Mr Foster comes to accompany his wife to the airport: Mrs Foster thinks about the possibility of moving to Paris for good and about the fact that her husband represents an impediment:

She knew, of course, that it was wrong and in a way disloyal to have thoughts like these while …

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Ending

The ending of the short story includes its falling action and the plot-twist resolution.

In the falling action, Mrs Foster goes and enjoys her trip to Paris and acts in a strange way, more confident than usual, and seemingly relaxed that she is going back home (another foreshowing element): “When the six weeks were up, everybody was sad that she had to return to America, to her husband. Everybody, that is, except her. Surprisingly, she didn’t seem to mind as much as on…