Monday, July 30, 2018

What are the different parts of the plot for Jack London's story "All Gold Canyon"?

A common way of analyzing plot structures is according to what is sometimes known as Freytag's Pyramid, a structure detailed in Die Technik des Dramas (1863, first translated into English as Freytag's Technique of the Drama: An Exposition of Dramatic Composition and Art in 1894) by German writer Gustav Freytag (1816 – 1895). According to this structure, one could analyze "All Gold Canyon" as follows:

Exposition: The first part of the story, including the description of the canyon, the arrival of the miner, and his leisurely panning for gold, cooking, and fishing would be part of the exposition. This creates a background to the main plot of the story. The reader learns of the protagonist and his character and many details about the setting.

Rising Action: The rising action is where the story picks up pace and develops a conflict, leading up to the climax. One could claim that this part starts when the miner becomes aware that he may have found a large amount of gold and his exploration becomes more intense, taking on an almost feverish quality or one could argue that it begins when he suspects that he has been followed.

Climax: The climax is the struggle between the miner and the assailant. This is the moment of peak suspense in the story.

Falling Action: The falling action comes immediately after the climax and ties up the loose ends. The miner realizes that his assailant was just a common thief, leaves the dead body, and binds up his own wounds.

Dénouement: The story wraps up with the miner leaving the canyon with his gold and the canyon returning to its initial tranquility.

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