Initial Incident: The initial impulse of the struggle lies in the unseen, and therefore unreturned, wave of Adam’s hand. The struggle lies in Adam’s own soul. He holds out against the friendly overtures of Henry at the same time he desires Henry to ask him for something. He wishes a position of superiority. Is the termination of the struggle successful?
Steps toward Dramatic Climax: Fill in the chief incidents occurring in the forty-year period. Do they form part of the transition? Why does the author emphasize the time element?
Dramatic Climax: Ed Green’s being kept in bed is really the turning situation, since it means that Henry must walk alone, and Adam will have his long desired opportunity of serving Henry.
What are the immediate steps preceding the climax of action?
Climax of Action: “Henry’s face blanched ... Henry’s step faltered and grew uncertain.”
Dénouement: Adam joins Henry: they walk together.
Theme. It arrives fully in the reader’s understanding the significance of the dénouement, or seeing in it a symbolic unity between North and South.
Details. What trait of human nature is displayed in Adam? Is it consistent in its operations?
What is the setting? What integrative worth has it? How greatly does the possibility of a “story,” in the first place, depend upon it?