Most good stories start with a fundamental list of ingredients: the initial situation, conflict, complication, climax, suspense, denouement, and conclusion. Great writers sometimes shake up the recipe and add some spice.
(Exposition) Initial Situation
Black like Who?
Griffin has a wonderful idea: What could be a better way to understand racism than for him to become a black man himself? Brilliant? Yes. Insanely dangerous? Most definitely. This section of Griffin getting ready for his experiment sets us up for the main part of his book and explains why he's doing this whole thing to begin with.
Rising Action (Conflict, Complication)
A Second Birth
Griffin begins his escapades as a black man. Everything is new to him. It's all pretty confusing, but he finds someone to show him the ropes and eventually settles into his new persona. While he's at it he also gets his first taste of racism. Hooray? We are not quite at the climax yet, but we know it's coming. Things are getting more and more tense as life is getting more and more difficult for Griffin.
Climax (Crisis, Turning Point)
A Hitchhiker's Guide to Race Relations
Kids, this is why your parents always told you not to hitchhike. Okay, maybe not because they are worried that racist guys will ask you to show them your private parts. But that's what happened to Griffin, and we're pretty sure he wishes that he had a private car. It just gets worse from here, and it's basically a whole week of threats, prejudice, hatred, and racism. By the end of this, Griffin has had enough of the hate stare. Enough of the double standards. Enough of holding his pee while he looks for a black restroom. Griffin can't handle anymore, so the experiment has come to a climax. He reaches the breaking point, and it's time to calm things down a bit.
Falling Action
Home Sweet Home?
Like Superman returning to being geeky old Clark Kent, Griffin transforms back into his everyday persona and heads to Texas. For a while life is sweet. People smile at him and he doesn't have to walk halfway across town to go to the bathroom. What more could you ask for? But Griffin is still haunted by the six weeks he spent as a black guy… and when he starts telling his story, people start acting horribly. His family is basically run out of town by death threats. Oh, and they threaten castration. It's almost time to wrap this bad boy up.
Conclusion
Last Man Standing
It's all over. Griffin's family has moved to Mexico. He's alone. It's the end of the story, and Griffin starts looking toward the future and asking Big Questions. What will happen if black people and white people can't talk to one another? Will there be violence? Who knows? It's not a very tidy conclusion, but that's all Griffin has to say to us in this story.