6.2 Plot, Conflict, & Character Response Worksheet

At dawn, the ocean is calm, and the fishermen’s boats look like dark commas on the water. Levi’s grandfather teaches him to mend nets, saying, “A tear left alone becomes a hole.” Levi thinks it’s only about fishing until he overhears his mother and grandfather arguing about selling the boat. Levi says nothing during the argument, but later he finds the boat’s registration papers and notices the date: the day his grandmother died. He brings the papers to the kitchen and quietly lays them on the table. His mother’s voice stops mid-sentence. Levi doesn’t take a side; he asks, “What are we trying to keep?” Outside, the tide begins to turn.

In the final scene of the dystopian story, citizens must line up to trade a memory for a week of extra food. Nell has already traded small memories—her favorite song, the taste of mango—but now her little brother is sick. The waiting room is painted cheerful yellow, which makes Nell feel angrier, not calmer. When it’s her turn, the clerk offers a bargain: trade a ‘core’ memory for double rations. Nell pictures her mother’s face on the day they were separated, a memory that hurts but also holds her together. She chooses instead to trade the memory of her own birthday party, and she tells herself she can rebuild it from photos later. As she leaves, she can’t remember the cake flavor, and her throat tightens around a grief that feels delayed.

Ava narrates the story as if speaking to a jury: “Exhibit A: the broken lamp. Exhibit B: the missing key.” She insists her roommate, Nils, is careless and selfish. But in the apartment’s dim hallway, Ava notices Nils has taped glow-in-the-dark arrows to the doorframe—small guides leading to the light switch. When Ava asks why, Nils says, “So you stop tripping when you come home late.” Ava’s next ‘exhibit’ is her own silence, and she doesn’t know how to present it. She puts down the list and, instead of accusing, asks Nils what he needs from her. Nils blinks, surprised, then sits on the couch as if the room finally has space.