Structure

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Beginning

The short story begins in medias res or in the middle of events. The story opens with Maxine’s decision to make L.D. leave the house.

The exposition introduces the setting and the main characters of the short story as the narrator begins to describe the events. Maxine gets home from work and finds her husband, L.D., drunk at the kitchen table and having an argument with their fifteen-year-old daughter, Rae. This scene foreshadows …

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Middle

In the rising action, the argument between L.D. and Rae continues. L.D. discredits Rae based on her interest in astrology, telling her that he “ ‘(…) can’t take anybody seriously who sits around all day reading astrology magazines’ ” (p. 9, ll. 9-10).

It is revealed that Rae has not been to school in weeks and that nobody can convince her to go (p. 9, ll. 13-14). This shows how estranged the family members are from one another, as the parents do not encourage their child and hold no influence over her. It also reflects how an unstable and negative environment can affect a child and her development. As a teenage…

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Ending

In the falling action, L.D. agrees to leave before anyone has to call the police. He brings favorable arguments to him leaving: “ ‘It suits me to a tee. You’re nuts here, anyway. This is a nuthouse. There’s another life out there. Believe me, this is no picnic, this nuthouse’ ” (p. 10, ll. 9-11). He employs theatrics to mark his decision, making deliberate movements (p. 10, l. 16). He also puts a lot of emphasis on his departure and its consequences: “ ‘That’s where I’m going (…) Out there,’ he said and pointed ” (p. 10, l. 13), “ ‘You won’t ever see me again’ ” (p. 10, l. 18). His behavior suggests that he does not want to leave and hopes that Maxine will change her mind as she ac…