Structure and title

...

Beginning

The exposition introduces Mike sitting on a tube and thinking about his family. He is on his way home from work, having left earlier than usual (l. 5), and he is feeling desolate (l. 1). These elements foreshadow that Mike has been fired. 

The exposition also offers contrasting images between Mike’s expectations of family and the reality of his situation. Before arriving home, Mike imagines a warm welcome (ll. 2-3), but Imogen, his wife, is briefly introduced as p…

...

Middle

The rising action is set off by Mike inspecting a £20 note he sees on the kitchen table next to some dirty plates left behind by the children. He looks at the image of Queen Elizabeth and thinks she looks mocking “as if she pitied the vanity and greed the note inspired” (l. 39). The scene foreshadows the vanity and greed that overtake the family. This also creates a tension point, especially since the note has been left behind by Imogen (ll. 36-37) who seems to be the biggest spender in the house (l. 152, ll. 159-162).

Through a brief flashback, Mike remembers a conversation he had with his father. This scene paints a contrast between the twentieth century and the twenty-first. Mike’s father considered debt a moral failure (l. 42) while now Mike conside…

...

Ending

In the falling action, Mike restores the power and returns to the house. A tension point is created when Mike tries to stop Tom from playing violent video games. He exclaims “ ‘The world’s a filthy rough place run by jackals and murderers. You need to be prepared, if such a thing is possible.’ ” (ll. 112-113). A parallel can be drawn with the conversation Mike had with his father. Mike’s father considered him lucky for living in the twenty-first century, because he did not experience wars and murder (ll. 43-44). However, Mike paints a grim picture of…