_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?