Structure

The short story “The Lunar Coast” by Megan McGrath has a simple plot structure, focusing on the conflicts between man and nature, and between the two main characters, Lee and Alex. Traditional plot elements are enhanced through narrative techniques like foreshadowing and backsto…

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Beginning

The short story begins announcing the time-setting and the intrigue that triggers the plot: “I WAS SEVENTEEN when the tide went out. I felt it in my lungs.” (l. 1)

The plot jumps back in the past to a backstory about the setting and the characters which functions …

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Middle

The rising action develops from the backstory about the characters’ childhood and teenage years. The descriptions of Lee and Alex suggest a conflict between them: “His feet were broad and tough. I wasn't built for the weather the way he was…” (ll. 28, 29); “He was always picking things up, despite my warnings of stingers and barbs.” (l. 33).

A point of no return is suggested by the fact the characters grow up and the natural landscape loses its attraction: “BUT WE DID grow up. For so long it felt like it was light years away, then suddenly it was upon us. The rock pools lost their charm.” (ll. 40-41).

A tension point is introduced when the characters find a cave where water flows in and start to swim into it in a dangerous way:

There was a vertical cylindrical cave that went right through the headland. We called it the sea shuttle. When the…

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Ending

The falling action shows the characters after Lee rescues Alex: “Was he breathing? I pulled off my mask and held my ear to his face. I felt the steady thud of his heart under my hand, his breath on my cheek. ” (ll. 203-205)

It also includes Lee’s revelations about Alex and his own relationship with nature:

I knew then why he'd gone back down. This fish, the first to r…