The pattern is a series of reversals like a seesaw going up and down. It ends on a happy note but there’s no reason to suppose this won’t reverse again. They even talk about how exactly this could happen and John Candy gives reassurance but he’s done this exact thing before.
We talk of high points as happy but the high point should be the point of most tension. This movie begins with a lot of tension which then gets released only to tighten up again. The happy points are the low tension points.
It doesn’t actually follow a pattern of rising action to a climax and then denouement. It’s a pattern of falling (from high tension) and then rising again to fall again.
This is why there are so many scenes of the mother spoiling happy moments. It’s how the story is forced along its wave of joy followed by disappointment.
Also things are spoiled by racism which is shown as being part of the same perpetual cycle. The movie wants us to go along with this cycle, be shocked and then be moved and forgive. There’s no resolution when the characters remain in this cycle. There’s no challenge to the cycle.
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