Structure

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Beginning

The short story begins with a backstory on the protagonist and how he moved to his Aunt Sheila instead of moving to London. The backstory is further developed with details about his family life at the time: “My parents were in the throes of an ugly divorce and I was desperate to leave home.” (p. 77, ll. 6-7). The protagonist states that he will be dead by the time morning comes (p. 77, ll. 10), which is a foreshadowing element for the protagonist’s injuries at the end of the story.

In the exposition, we learn that the protagonist grew up in the suburbs, and watched his schoolfriends leave for the city (p. 76, ll. 12-13). More information is provided through a back…

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Middle

In the rising action, the protagonist begins to recount the backstory of how he met Michelle Davies. The protagonist seems attracted to her (p. 79, ll. 1-6), which is a foreshadowing element for their relationship. A backstory on Michelle is provided to enhance the differences between the two characters: Michelle is part of a family that lived in London for generations (p. 79, ll. 32-35).

The backstory of Douglas and Michelle’s relationship is further developed as the protagonist shares that they went to dinner and slept together. In the morning, Michelle tells him how much she loves London. In turn, he shares that he hates the city. Michelle then becomes distant (p. 80, ll.16-17) and leaves. This creat…

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Ending

In the falling action, Douglas is pushed into an alley by the people from the queue at the club. He hears the black man telling Michelle: “ ‘I told you this would happen. He got no roots, no family. He don’t belong here. You know that’ ” (p. 86, ll. 29-30). This hints at a backstory about Michelle, whose friends possibly tried to convince her not to pursue a relationship with Douglas.

Pony-Tail explains to Douglas that he made a mistake, suggesting that this will like…