Plot. A plot is a series of events related to a central conflict, or struggle. A plot usually involves the introduction of a conflict, its development, and its eventual resolution. The parts of a plot usually include the exposition (or introduction), the inciting incident, the climax, and the resolution—although some plots contain additional elements. The exposition sets the tone or mood, introduces the characters and the setting, and provides background information. The inciting incident introduces the central conflict. The climax is the high point of interest or suspense in the plot. The resolution is the point at which the central conflict is ended, or resolved. As you read “The Tunnel,” try to identify these elements of the plot.
Conflict. Conflict is a struggle between people or things in a literary work. A plot is formed around conflict. The conflict can be internal or external. A plot usually involves the introduction of a conflict, its development, and eventual resolution. As you read “The Tunnel” see if you can discover where the plot moves from introduction into development, and then to resolution.
Flashback. Flashback is a part of a story, poem, or play that presents events that happened at an earlier time. As you read the story, look for examples of flashback, and think about how they help develop the central conflict.
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• Cultural Connection. In Liverpool, England, there is an underground web of tunnels built by Joseph Williamson (1769–1840). For most of the 20th century, these tunnels were only rumors. Williamson was not known as an architect. He was actually a wealthy tobacco agent with a compassionate heart. After the Napoleonic Wars, England was in deep recession. Unwilling to see families starve, he hired unemployed men to build huge brick arches behind his house in return for an honest wage. Word got out that this man was giving men work at a good wage, so Williamson kept hiring more and more men. The result was the creation of an enormous underground tunnel system, or labyrinth. After over 150 years of exploration, scholars are still unable to map out the underground system, because it has not all been explored yet. The labyrinth has been found to be too complex and too vast to figure out. However, that has not stopped them from trying.
Fill in each block with notes about the corresponding part of the plot.
Have you ever felt pressured by your friends to do something you didn’t want to do? How did you respond to the pressure?
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