Structure

The short story “Sixpence” by Katherine Mansfield uses a linear plot structure as it describes the events involving Dicky’s misbehavior and his parents’ attempt to put an end to it.

The beginning of the story shows Dicky is normally as “good as gold as a rule, sensitive, affectionate, obedient and marvelously sensible for his age”. The story also starts with a bold statement: “Children are unaccountable little creatures”, which gives a hint to the fact that the story will be about a child misbehaving. This beginning is intriguing and it captures the reader’s attention, as they might want to discover what the child did and if it will be fixed eventually.

A flashback shows how Dicky began misbehaving:

It had begun at tea-time. While Dicky’s mother and Mrs...