Structure

The short story “Noel” by Michael Plemmons is structured as a brief description of one afternoon before Christmas day and follows two women who trade children, renting them to childless couples or old people for Christmas.

Unlike more traditional stories, “Noel” is devoid of plot and simply presents an episode in the life of some parentless children and their matrons who rent them for Christmas. Given the events in the story, the narrative is dystopian, meaning it presents a dehumanized fictional society.

Title

The title of the short story indicates the account is going to be about Christmas or take places around Christmas time. But, unlike typical Christmas stories which are about good, pleasant moment...