Structure

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Title

The title of the short story sounds like an Indian name and it represents the name Conradin gives to his ferret, which means “the great ferret”. The title is thus symbolic of the boy’s ritual worship of the animal which 

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Beginning

The short story begins directly, hooking readers’ attention by letting them know the tragic fate that awaits one of the characters: “Conradin was ten years old, and the doctor had pronounced his professional opinion that the boy would not live another five years.”

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Middle

The middle of the short story develops on the conflict between the boy and his adult guardian, but also on his relationship with the ferret which he comes to worship like a god.

The rising action presents the boy giving the animal a godly name and engaging in worship rituals: “…he worshipped with mystic and elaborate ceremonial before the wooden hutch where dwelt Sredni Vashtar, the great ferret. Red flowers in their season and scarlet berries in the winter-time were offered at his shrine…”

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Ending

The falling action shows the ferret making its way through the garden and disappearing, producing a sense of relief in the boy: “The great polecat-ferret made its way down to a small brook at the foot of the garden, drank for a moment, then crossed a little plank bridge”

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