<P> Although Freytag's analysis of dramatic structure is based on five - act plays, it can be applied (sometimes in a modified manner) to short stories and novels as well, making dramatic structure a literary element . Nonetheless, the pyramid is not always easy to use, especially in modern plays such as Alfred Uhry's Driving Miss Daisy and Arthur Miller's The Crucible, which is actually divided into 25 scenes without concrete acts . </P> <P> The exposition is the portion of a story that introduces important background information to the audience; for example, information about the setting, events occurring before the main plot, characters' back stories, etc . Exposition can be conveyed through dialogues, flashbacks, characters' thoughts, background details, in - universe media, or the narrator telling a back - story . </P> <P> In the rising action, a series of events build toward the point of greatest interest . The rising action of a story is the series of events that begin immediately after the exposition (introduction) of the story and builds up to the climax . These events are generally the most important parts of the story since the entire plot depends on them to set up the climax and ultimately the satisfactory resolution of the story itself . </P> <P> The climax is the turning point, which changes the protagonist's fate . If the story is a comedy and things were going badly for the protagonist, the plot will begin to unfold in his or her favor, often requiring the protagonist to draw on hidden inner strengths . If the story is a tragedy, the opposite state of affairs will ensue, with things going from good to bad for the protagonist, often revealing the protagonist's hidden weaknesses . </P>

What happens during the rising action of a short story