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Importance of setting in literature
Importance of setting in literature
The importance of setting in a story
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The Setting of Steve Rinehart’s “The Order of the Arrow” “The Order of the Arrow” is a short story that narrates the events of boy scouts taking place in the wilderness. The setting of the story highlights the significance of the events and the interaction of the characters. The setting is the environment and conditions in which the story takes place and develops. In “The Order of the Arrow,” the location plays a significant role in the development and the meaning of events that occur throughout the story. The story begins with the introduction of the environment in which the relationship between Bergman, the narrator of story, and Heitman, the central character of story, is described, and the tent is highlighted as an important part of the setting. The characters are part of a group of scouts who are camping in the wilderness alongside other camps. Bergman introduces Heitman as “the homosexual, the insane, my tentmate” (1). For …show more content…
These elements of the setting portray many crucial aspects of the story including privacy, character relations, and plot development. Describing Heitman as “my tentmate” (1) makes the tent a significant place of interaction because it is a private location separated from the rest of the camp. Catching fish in the river allows Bergman to see Heitman’s true character which is usually revealed in privacy. Heitman dominates everyone in the camp when he comes back at night in a frightening scene in which he was covered in blood and mud from the wilderness. The setting is used cleverly by the author in a very intriguing way. The setting of “The Order of the Arrow” is very crucial in the development of events and the depiction of the character’s relationship with each other. The lesson we should learn from the story is that we should never underestimate anyone despite what we assume we know about them. They may be more than what we expect to know about
A story of a young boy and his father as they are stolen from their home in Transylvania and taken through the most brutal event in human history describes the setting. This boy not only survived the tragedy, but went on to produce literature, in order to better educate society on the truth of the Holocaust. In Night, the author, Elie Wiesel, uses imagery, diction, and foreshadowing to describe and define the inhumanity he experienced during the Holocaust.
The physical environment of the movie is the summer camp. In the beginning, it is happy place where the kids are free to behave as they wish, and their obesity issues are overlooked. When the camp is taken over by a new leader who enforces weight loss, it becomes a dismal place. This shift from informal to a strict, military-like structure happens dramatically. How this reflects on society will be discussed further, but it is important to consider the dual nature of the summer camp.
Throughout an individual’s life-time, he/she has a vision as o what his/her should be. But when things do not go as planned and the unexpected occurs, does that person face it, or run away? In “An Act of Vengeance” by Isabel Allende, running away is not an option at well. Through the usage of plot, character and irony, Allende illustrates the cost of war.
The narrator's precise observations allow the reader to find insight in small moments of village life. Jewett presents a world seemingly unchanged with a mixture of remoteness and a “childish certainty of being the center of civilization” (1). The narrator's nostalgic recount of village life has about it the mood of a dream, a life remembered and not put down until long afterwards. Jewett's pictorial conventions create a feeling of impermanence akin to nostalgia assembled into long, gracefully rambled sentences authenticating her own regional style.
One of the most useful in advancing this story is the typical, powerful character. Whether it be supernatural or cunning this character always comes out on top in the situation and holds the most control over others and their actions. The “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?” , “Leda and the Swan”, and “Harrison Bergeron” all utilize an archetypical powerful character to create tension from how each character uses their power.
“Into The Wild” by John Krakauer is a non-fiction biographical novel which is based on the life of a young man, Christopher McCandless. Many readers view Christopher’s journey as an escape from his family and his old life. The setting of a book often has a significant impact on the story itself. The various settings in the book contribute to the main characters’ actions and to the theme as a whole. This can be proven by examining the impact the setting has on the theme of young manhood, the theme of survival and the theme of independent happiness.
Stylistically, the book is arranged in rotating chapters. Every fourth chapter is devoted to each individual character and their continuation alo...
Using the symbol of the camps, Steinbeck illustrates the illusion of communism. The idea of communism is working together. The migrant camps are described as “a world” (ch.17; 265) and in the mornings are “torn down like a circus” (ch.17; 265). Through the illusion of Communistic ideas in the camp, the migrants are able to escape the realities of Capitalism. The camps are the migrants’ own worlds, created on the idea of a better life in California. Comparing the camps to a circus indicates the camps stand as an illusion, because like a circus, it is an escape from reality. Circus performers create an alternate world in the stunts and acts they perform. The description of the camps shows the reader the migrants’ illusion of Communism against the reality of Capitalism. The description of the Weedpatch camp is another of Steinbeck’s examples of Communism. As the Joads come across the camp, they notice “a high wire fence fac[ing] the road and a wide-gated driveway turn[ing] in” (ch. 22; 389). The fence separates the camp from the real worl...
Tavernier-Courbin, Jacqueline. "Buck as Mythical Hero." "The Call of the Wild": A Naturalistic Response. New York, N.Y.: Twayne Publishers, 1994. 80-95. Rpt. In Children's Literature Review. Ed. Tom Burns. Vol. 108. Detroit: Gale, 2005. Literature Resource Center. Web. 24 Nov. 2013.
Primo Levi tells the readers the explicit details of the concentration camp Auschwitz, in his memoir, “Survival in Auschwitz.” The way in which the author talks about the camp is as if it is its own society. There is a very different and very specific way of life at the camp; their basic needs are provided for them, but only in the simplest form in order to have a small chance of survival. There is no clean, drinkable water, so instead they drink coffee, they eat soup twice a day, and a small amount of bread (26). There are thousands of diverse people living in the camp, who are forced to live with each other and work in a factory, reducing their self-worth to merely factors of production. The author illustrates the only purpose for the Jews is work; “This camp is a work-camp, in German one says Arbeitslager; all the prisoners, there are about ten thousand, work in a factory which produces a type of rubber called Buna, so th...
In the story of Don Quixote, a middle aged “gaunt” man sets off to become a knight-errant. Within the beginning chapters of the story, Quixote goes on a journey to prove himself as a knight. The narrator speaks sarcastically about Quixote’s and his adventures. On account of the voice of the narrator, perception is crucial relative to forming an opinion about Don Quixote and his journey of becoming a knight-errant. The constant opposition of the narrator in relation to Quixote’s goals and actions create a feeling of tension within the audience as the reader becomes perplexed in trying to figure out if Quixote’s journey can really be considered a knight’s errant. Still, despite the narrator’s sarcastic tone and Don’s idiotic actions, Don
Roth uses a series of flashbacks in order to convey a sense of chaos. Flashbacks are set within flashbacks and "the central plot- what happens to the Swede [and his family]- is set among smaller... subplots or partial plots- [what happens to the Swede's brother, their parents, and the narrator]" (). The novel begins at a 45th high school reunion attended by the narrator, Nathan Zuckerman. At this reunion in 1995, Zuckerman meets one of his old classmates Jerry Levov, who tells him about his recently deceased older brother Swede Levov. Jerry informs Zuckerman about the Swede's traumatic life after his daughter's involvement in the Vietnam anti war movement and the rest of the novel is compiled of Zuckerman's posthumous recreation of the Swede's life. As Zuckerman gets into the Swede's story, it appears as if everything is from the point of view of the Swede, whether it's reading about his thoughts as he watches an action, his emotions as he recounts an event or his tortured mind as he flashes back and re lives an event. These flashbacks and transitions from the reunion to the scenes in the Swede's life to the Swedes t...
As World War II occurred, the Jewish population suffered a tremendous loss and was treated with injustice and cruelty by the Nazi’s seen through examples in the book, Man’s Search for Meaning. Victor Frankl records his experiences and observations during his time as prisoner at Auschwitz during the war. Before imprisonment, he spent his leisure time as an Austrian psychiatrist and neurologist in Vienna, Austria and was able to implement his analytical thought processes to life in the concentration camp. As a psychological analyst, Frankl portrays through the everyday life of the imprisoned of how they discover their own sense of meaning in life and what they aspire to live for, while being mistreated, wrongly punished, and served with little to no food from day to day. He emphasizes three psychological phases that are characterized by shock, apathy, and the inability to retain to normal life after their release from camp. These themes recur throughout the entirety of the book, which the inmates experience when they are first imprisoned, as they adapt as prisoners, and when they are freed from imprisonment. He also emphasizes the need for hope, to provide for a purpose to keep fighting for their lives, even if they were stripped naked and treated lower than the human race. Moreover, the Capos and the SS guards, who were apart of the secret society of Hitler, tormented many of the unjustly convicted. Although many suffered through violent deaths from gas chambers, frostbites, starvation, etc., many more suffered internally from losing faith in oneself to keep on living.
...ollow. With her memory as my core to security and knowledge, I packed my campers into the canoes, and we set off, a camp song on my lips and hunger for the wilderness within my heart. Whenever challenges arose, Sara stood beside me; her rational eyes scrutinized the sky for advancing storms; her inexhaustible patience built a roaring fire out of wet wood; and her deft fingers secured fishermen's knots to hold up a tarp. Because her skills had built a firm foundation for trail life within me, my confidence now positioned the girls into lightening stances; my hilarity amused the girls as we huddled under the protective tarp; my voice sang reassuringly over the pounding of the fierce rain. At last, when a fantastic rainbow fanned the brilliant blue sky, it was the love of both of us that abounded the joy and fulfillment of leadership being passed on to a new generation.
Just a valley of nothingness for miles. What was I to do with people I wasn’t even friends with for four days? The mere thought of it consumed me. Then I hear the scoutmaster shout, “Okay boys! We’re going to kick things off with a bang. Your first activity for today will be to locate your camping gear!” Immediately I thought to myself, “what? Are you kidding me?” The day shifted from bad to worse, and I didn’t think it was going to stop there. So here I was with my troop, maps in hand, the mixture of fear and anxiety overwhelming us. We contemplated our game plan for a while. Another scout, who would later become my best friend, broke the silence. “Well, better get going before it gets dark. Don’t want to be sleeping out in the open.” Reluctantly, the rest of us got up and followed.