Structure

The short story “The Lynching of Jube Benson” by Paul Laurence Dunbar contains an unusual plot diagram. The text does not have a traditional structure, as it is presented as a story within a story.

The beginning of the outer story introduces the setting and characters: “Gordon Fairfax’s library held but three men, but the air was dense with clouds of smoke.” A foreshadowing element which presents Dr. Melville’s reaction to the topic of lynching hints at his past involvement in such an event:

‘Well, I should hardly express it that way,’ said Fairfax, ‘but if a real, live lynching were to come my way, I should not avoid it.’

‘I should,’ spoke the other from the depths of his chair, where he had been puffing in moody silence.

This also foreshadows that the lynching was an unpleasant experience for Dr. Melville and that he has negative emotions about it.

The inner stor...