Structure

The short story “Green Velvet” by Krzysztof Pelc has a chronological structure. The story follows the main characters over a couple of weeks, from the moment they find the green velvet sofa to the moment the narrator’s father gets rid of it. 

The story begins in media res when the narrator, his brother, and his father find the green velvet sofa abandoned on the street:

‘The things people throw out,’ my father exclaimed. It was a green velvet sofa. We stood at the corner of our street, a spot where neighbours occasionally put out broken chairs or soiled mattresses. We contemplated it as if it belonged to a foreign species. (p. 1, ll. 1-3)

The beginning of the story introduces some of the characters – the narrator’s younger brother, Reza, who is excited by the sofa – and the narrator’s father, who is more cautious. In the middle of the story, the narrative also introduces the narrator’s mother and grandmo...