Plot and structure

Here, we discuss both plot and structure of the short story “The Weekly Visit” by Emanuel Melo.

Plot

By plot, we understand the sequence of events that make up a story. Traditionally, short stories revolve around five classical plot elements: exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, and resolution. More modern stories sometimes lack some of these elements, while others are completely devoid of plot.

“The Weekly Visit” by Emanuel Melo revolves around a simple plot: Jake has been visiting his mother every Tuesday evening for the past five years after his father had died. He has come to feel the visit as a burden and wishes for it to stop. He finally manages to explain to his mother that he will not be able to visit her next week, but she cannot understand him and deems the gesture as disrespectful.

Here is how the plot unfolds in the short story:

• Exposition
• Rising action
• Climax
• Falling action
• Resolution

Exposition

In the beginning, we get to know the protagonist of the story – Jake – and the reason behind the weekly visits:

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Structure

In terms of structure, the short story “The Weekly Visit” by Emanuel Melo can be separated into two parts. The first part of the story happens outside the mother’s house, when Jake feels like himself and has time to focus on his own matters:

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