SHORT STORY ELEMENTS ANALYSIS

‘Can – Can’ by Arturo Vivante

A. The Characters
1. The man as the husband (the wife calls him Mr. Fix it)
“Mr. Fix-it, his wife called him …”
2. The woman as the wife of Mr. Fix it
“… he said to his wife.”
3. The elder daughter
“She was in the living room with their elder daughter.”
“Do the can-can, mother.”
4. The mistress called Sarah as the husband’s lover
“… but going to a café, to meet Sarah …”

B. The Plot
1. Exposition: The husband wants to go out for a drive for about 1-2 hours,
which is strange because he usually leaves the house not more than the few
minutes. The wife gives her husband permission while hiding her real
expression and feeling (actually she didn’t like him to leave because she felt
safer with him at home and he helped look after the children, especially the
baby). Then, she is doing a can-can with the elder daughter in the living room.
2. Rising Action: While she is doing can-can, the man watched her as he put his
coat on. The man wondering why suddenly her wife is so interesting and
atrractive while doing can-can not like usual days.
3. Climax: The man confused by the reaction and the behavior of his wife, he did
not expect her doing can-can. “He expected her to be sewing or washing, not
doing the can-can …”
4. Falling Action: The man still wants to meet his mistress, Sarah, in the café. He
is waiting for her but suddenly he is hoping that she would not come. It is so
strange because why had he made the appointment if he was hoping the
mistress would miss it.
 5. Resolution or Conclusion: The man with his mistress still go to the lake house
but his mind is on his wife who doing can-can with their elder daughter.

C. Theme: This short story is telling us about a wife who is cheated on by her husband
with another woman who is also married. But his wife gives an unexpected reaction.

D. Setting
1. Setting of Place
 House
“… she felt safer with him at home …”
“… he was about to leave at home …”
“She was still dancing as he left the house.”
 Living Room
“She was in the living room with their elder daughter.”
 Phone Box/ Call Box
“… going out to a call box …”
 Café
“Waiting for her at the Café, …”
 Lake House
“They drove to the house on the lake.”
2. Setting of Time
 At 3.00 – 3.30 PM: The husband was waiting for his mistress in the
café.