Setting is one of the most important elements used in every literature genre. Setting includes location, point in time, and the social environment that frames the characters. This could greatly impact things in a story such as tone, theme, and atmosphere something as simple as a different time period could dramatically change the way the reader may interpret a story. In this essay I will be explaining how the setting affects multiple different genres of literature I will be using the short story A&P, The poem Titanic, and The dramatic play Othello, the Moore of Venice.
The 1961 short story “A&P” written by John Updike is about three girls who enter a grocery store in a small Massachusetts town wearing nothing but their bathing suits when a 19 year old cashier named Sammy spots the girls he instantly objectifies all three girls as he sees them. Each one is given a nickname that physically describes them while simultaneously ranking them, with the most attractive one being nicknamed Queenie the most important element of the setting is not the grocery store itself but the time period in which it takes place. The short story takes place around the time that it was written. The reason the time period is so important in this short story is because of how different things were back then where it was still common for men to assume, they were better than women. Sammy shows this when he is talking about one of the girls and says “do you think there is a mind in there or just a little buzz like a bee in a glass jar?” (page 150). Also, back in that day women covered up their bodies more, it was frowned upon if a girl showed off her body the way these three girls did. The setting plays an important role in the theme of this story as well, with the theme being choices and consequences and sexism. Each character in the story has some type of consequence based on their own choices throughout the story the three girls get yelled at by the manager for entering the store with only their bathing suits on. The cashier Sammy quits his job because of the manager yelling at the girls and embarrassing them. So the manager yelling at the three girls caused consequences for both himself and for Sammy because Sammy now does not have a job and now the store is short staffed and must find someone to place Sammy. The next theme is sexism, sexism towards woman was a lot more common and a lot more acceptable back then. The author uses this setting to show realism by vividly explaining what is going on, what aisles the girls are walking down and, even what they’re wearing this helps to paint a picture in the readers head. The author also uses the setting of the grocery store itself to show a humorous tone by referring to customers as “sheep” Sammy says “The sheep pushing their carts down the aisle” (page 151) The sheep symbolizes people who just follow the heard, doing whatever everyone else around them is doing, and basically have no mind of their own. He also refers to another customer as “one of those cash register watchers”( page 149) also saying “I know it made her days to trip me up she’s been watching cash registers for fifty years and probably never seen a mistake before”(page 150) even though it was his fault for ringing the customer up twice for the same item.
The next literary piece Is a poem called “Titanic” written by poet David R. Slavitt in 1983. The setting of this poem takes place on a ship called the Titanic in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. The setting for this is important because this is the spot where the most famous ship will lie on the ocean floor for over a hundred years to come. This setting plays a major role on the tone as well as the theme of this poem. The tone is overall happy and celebratory even though its about the one inescapable fate every living creature will endure, you can see this in the very first line of the poem “Who does not love the Titanic” (page 371) This poems theme is that since death is inevitable it would be better to not face it alone and face it with friends and to go down in history instead of just dying a mundane death alone that no one will hear about. “There will be the books and movies to remind our grandchildren who we were and how we died, and give them a good cry” (page 371). The poet also helps to enforce the poems tone as happy and celebratory as well as enforcing the idea that since everyone needs to die its much better to do it together by saying “To go down … We all go down, mostly alone. But with crowds of people, friends, servants, well fed, with music, with lights! Ah!” (page 371) The poet also believes that knowing you’re not alone in the moment of death would also be a comforting feeling “The cries on all sides must be a comfort” (page 371) Normally when people talk or write about the Titanic it is usually depressing and sad but the way the poet portrayed the Titanic in this poem made it actually seem enticing to board the ship even though you know how it ends. The way the poet describes the atmosphere on board the ship is high spirits surrounded by happy people eating and dancing living life to the fullest.
The next piece of literature is a dramatic story named Othello, the Moore of Venice written by arguably the most well known poet William Shakespeare in 1604. The main character is a black man named Othello. The setting for this story takes place in the sixteen hundreds in the famous Italian city Venice. The main themes are jealousy, manipulation, and prejudice all of which are very obvious from the very beginning of the poem. Iago, who is the stories main antagonist shows all three of themes very quickly in the first scene. He shows his prejudice when he refers to Othello as “thick lips” which is epithet for blacks he also refers to Othello as a “black ram” demoting Othello from that of a man to a mere beast. Iago’s prejudice comes from the fact that Othello chooses a man named Cassio to serve under his as lieutenant even thought Iago believes he’s earned this and is more deserving this is where the jealousy begins to consume Iago and will inevitably be the reason why later he plants the seed of manipulation in Othello’s mind that Cassio is having an affair with his wife Desdemona. Iago uses Othello’s elopement with Desdemona to his advantage by telling her father senator Brabantio about their relationship with a black man man knowing he will disapprove of this. Iago also manipulates a man who is in love with Desdemona into his plans by putting the idea in his head that he can help him get her. Iago tells Rodrigo his plan is “Rouse him. Make after him, poison his delight, Proclaim him in the streets; incense her kinsmen, and though he in a fertile climate dwell, plague him with flies. Though that his joy be joy, yet throw such changes of vexation on’t as it may loose some color.” (page 662) When the to men arrive at Brabantios home Iago tell him “Zounds, sir you’re robbed! For shame, put on your gown. Your heart is burst, you have lost your soul. Even now, now, very now an old black ram is tupping your white ewe. Arise arise, Awake this snorting citizens with the bell or else the devil will make a grassier of you Arise, I say” (page 663). This further shows the prejudice in the poem because Iago is telling Brabartios to hurry up before he has a black grandchild. The tone throughout out this story is very dark and cynical driven by jealousy, manipulation, and revenge
Setting is essential to establish in any story no matter what the genre is because it gives the readers a sense of realism, it helps paint a picture in their heads which keeps the reader more interested in the story. The importance of setting is the place, time, it sets the mood, it affects the dialogue and gives you more of a sense of who the characters are and how they live. Setting affects the plot and events that happen within the story and also establishes the tone, theme, and the atmosphere. The main components of the setting makes the story whole, without setting the story lacks depth and character building. Without a place there is no story in the literature works, Titanic, A&P, and Othello, the Moore of Venice. All these works show tone, theme, and atmosphere through the setting and it leaves the reader with a picture embedded in their heads of each characters personality. The tone and theme helps the setting to develop these stories and make them so much more entertaining to the reader.
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