The resolution is the term used to describe the final events after the climax and falling action. By definition, the resolution resolves the initial conflict(s). The denouement (Dey-noo-mahn) is the “very end of a story, the part where all the different plotlines are finally tied up and all remaining questions answered.” [literaryterms.net]
In reality, they are essentially the same. You’ll hear denouement used periodically, but in English, resolution is the more typical term.
In Cinderella, the falling action is the prince’s search for Cinderella and the resolution is when he finds her, marries her, and punishes the evil stepmother.
In “Marigolds,” because the conflict is essentially an internal conflict, the resolution is Lizabeth’s growth, her new compassion, her new appreciation for Miss Lottie’s steadfast, persistent dedication to created beauty in the midst of squalor. And because she realizes that she’s ruined that for Miss Lottie, it’s her desire to “pay it forward” and to create beauty herself. When she finishes by saying “I, too, have planted marigolds,” she’s not talking about planting flowers. She’s talking about beauty and about an intentional defiance of the degradation of poverty and suffering.
A good resolution is almost as important as a good climax, although if the climax is great, a good resolution almost certainly follows.
