Structure

A great deal of the short story “Vanity” by Charles Baxter is structured in the form of a dialogue between the two main characters. Through dialogue, most of their thoughts and feelings are revealed, and readers can better understand their points of view. The short story also follows the traditional elements of the plot (exposition, rising action, climax, falling action and resolution) even though it is a modern piece of fiction.  …

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Beginning

The beginning of the short story – or the exposition – introduces the two main characters to the readers (although they are not yet named) and the context of the story:

“He had stuffed his suitcase into the empty overhead bin, having purchased early-boarding rights from the airline, and had settled into his nonreclining seat, 32-B, when he had to stand up again to let the passenger in 32-A get past him.” (p. 1, ll. 1-3)

The action takes place on a plane, which is flying to Las Vegas. The beginning of the story also presents the failing attempts of the passenger…