Analysis

Here you can see which are the main aspects we will focus on in our analysis of the short story “The Middle Children” by Rayda Jacobs.

The story is structured in two main scenes or episodes—Sabah meeting a high school classmate in the subway, and then being called in by Criminal Investigations because she has an illegal white card. The two parts of the story follow a traditional plot structure, with an exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, and resolution.

The story includes the following characters: Sabah, the other mixed-race girl on the platform, Stephanie, the two investigators, Jeffery Fine the lawyer, and Sabah’s parents. Sabah is the main character in the short story

“The Middle Children” was published in 1994 and it is set during the apartheid regime in South Africa. The social setting conveys aspects about segregation and discrimination in South Africa, law enforcement, and interracial relationships.

The short story is a third-person narration using the protagonist’s point of view. Regarding its language, the story is written in the narrative mode, conveying the main character’s perspective, occasionally interrupted by dialogue sequences which are more dynamic and reveal more about the characters’ interactions.

Read the full analysis in what follows!