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ENGL 152 The Use of Setting Essay

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Gordon 1
Devon Gordon
Professor Hardie
ENGL-152-21
1 October 2016
The Use of Setting
Setting plays a crucial role in literature. The surroundings, situations, and environments
of a story make up a great deal of what makes us understand and relate to the plot and the
characters. Setting is used as a tool by many authors to shape plot, point of view, and even
characters. In both “The Lady with the Dog”, by Anton Chekhov, and “A Pair of Tickets”, by
Amy Tan, setting plays a large role in the overall understanding of the story.
In “The Lady with the Dog”, there are multiple settings that coincide with the changing
moods and perspectives of the characters. In the beginning of the story, Gurov and Anna meet in
Yalta. Yalta is described to be a peaceful vacation spot with not much to do there. “Yalta was
hardly visible through the morning mist; white clouds stood motionless on the mountain-tops.
The leaves did not stir on the trees, grasshoppers chirruped, and the monotonous hollow sound of
the sea rising up from below, spoke of the peace, of the eternal sleep awaiting us” (Chekhov
294). Yalta is also described to be quite a romantic area while Gurov and Anna are in each
other's company. It is described how “They walked and talked of the strange light on the sea: the
water was of a soft warm lilac hue, and there was a golden streak from the moon upon it”
(Chekhov 292). The descriptive portrayal of the scenery sets the mood of the two lovers.
Everywhere in the scenery is filled with romantic details such as sounds, scents, and colors.
When Gurov and Anna leave Yalta there is a dramatic shift in atmosphere. In Moscow
Gurov feels isolated and lonely in a cold setting. “At home in Moscow everything was in its

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Gordon 2
winter routine; the stoves were heated and in the morning it was still dark” (Chekhov 296). The
cold dark atmosphere of Gurov’s home in Moscow correlates to the emotions of Gurov longing
for Anna and being unhappy without her. Like Chekhov, Amy Tan also uses setting to shape the
characters.
In “A Pair of Tickets”, Tan uses setting to help us understand the character
development of the main character Jing-Mei. In the beginning of the story Jing-Mei explains
how she does not feel Chinese although it is her ethnicity. Jing-Mei’s mother explains to her that
she can’t avoid who she really is. “‘Someday you will see’ said my mother. ‘It’s in your blood,
waiting to be let go” (Tan 302). When Jing-Mei and her father go on a trip to China to visit
family and meet her twin half sisters after the death of her mother, the scenery of China begins to
change how Jing-Mei feels and thinks. The journey begins to make evident changes in her mood
from the start. While they are on the train she begins to feel different. “For the first time I can
ever remember, my father has tears in his eyes, and all he is seeing out the train window is a
sectioned field of yellow, green, and brown, a narrow canal flanking the tracks, low rising hills,
and three people in blue jackets riding an ox-driven cart on this early October morning. And I
can't help myself. I also have misty eyes, as if I had seen this a long, long time ago, and had
almost forgotten” (Tan 303). As her father begins to feel nostalgic Jing-Mei experiences a
similar feeling although she has never been to China. Once they arrive to the hotel in
Guangzhou, the scenery described to be modern China is not much different than the life Jing-
Mei is use to in the United States. The hotel is just like the ones at home, and the big Chinese
feast she was anticipating was replaced with “sharing hamburgers, french fries, and apple pie a la
mode” (Tan 309). The setting played an important role in Jing-Mei discovering what truly makes
her Chinese and an equally important role in helping us understand her discovery.

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Gordon 1 Devon Gordon Professor Hardie ENGL-152-21 1 October 2016 The Use of Setting Setting plays a crucial role in literature. The surroundings, situations, and environments of a story make up a great deal of what makes us understand and relate to the plot and the characters. Setting is used as a tool by many authors to shape plot, point of view, and even characters. In both “The Lady with the Dog”, by Anton Chekhov, and “A Pair of Tickets”, by Amy Tan, setting plays a large role in the overall understanding of the story. In “The Lady with the Dog”, there are multiple settings that coincide with the changing moods and perspectives of the characters. In the beginning of the story, Gurov and Anna meet in Yalta. Yalta is described to be a peaceful vacation spot with not much to do there. “Yalta was hardly visible through the morning mist; white clouds stood motionless on th ...
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