Setting

Could To Build a Fire take place in Hawaii?
Could Occurence at Owl Creek Bridge take place in modern-day Honolulu?
Could "A Lifestyle" take place in the old west?

Some questions to ask about setting in stories:

  • How much is revealed about where and when the story takes place?

  • Is setting an integral part of the story, or could the story have occurred in some other time and place without affecting the central idea?

  • Does the setting change? If so, is the change pertinent to the sotry and does one setting contrast or compare with another?

  • Is there a direct relationship between the setting and the central idea?

  • Does the setting relate to the main character's personality or influence his behavior?

  • Does the setting underscore or contribute to the conflict?

Specific or Historical Settings:

I would tend to answer no to those questions. In those stories, the setting is specific and supportive of the main idea of the story.

To Build a Fire deals with survival and instinct. While those themes are still important to modern urbanites, the story's point is brought home well by pitting the man and dog against harsh natural elements.
Occurence at Owl Creek Bridge deals with the civil war, southern living and "gentleman" culture and war.
A Lifestyle is dependent on apartment/city/modern living.

 

 

Hogwarts CastlePicture of fantasy setting: Hogwarts from Harry Potter
Disneyland
General or Fantasy Settings:

In some stories like The Lottery, the setting is very general so that the central idea can be generalized. Rather than dismiss a central idea as "that can't happen here!", a vague, general, universal or magical setting may make a story seem more "archetypical". This is true for Science Fiction stories too. They are set in the future, but not in a REAL place or time. For that reason they seem more "universal".

 

 

WE BOTH SHAPE AND ARE IN TURN, SHAPED BY OUR SETTINGS.

Remember, too that settings are viewed through the eyes of the "beholder". We view our surroundings not completely objectively, but through a veil of our experiences and values.

I find Disneyland to be too busy, expensive and "plastic". But the fact that I have that response to it probably colors my view of it as being just that. Some people may wait on line with anticipation, and I wait on line with dread. I just don't like crowded theme parks! So if you ask some one how the wait is at Disneyland, the answer may not be based on SETTING as much as POINT OF VIEW.


Click here to return to Reading Assignments