Comparison of Three Short Story Settings

One of the most important aspects of a story is the setting. Setting describes the time and place in which a story occurs. The setting plays a major part in the character’s interactions and experiences with his or her surrounding. Some stories can have several settings that are constantly changing or have one setting in which the character grows and changes. Another important element is the time period of the setting in which the story occurs. These two elements, environment and time period, have a great impact on the effect and outcome of the story. In the short stories, “The Ruum”, “Uneasy Homecoming” and “A Man Called Horse”, the principal characters show a strong sense of survival in their isolated setting and “The Ruum” does it best.

“The Ruum” has a present day setting where the main character, Jim Irwin, is an explorer for a rare metal in the wilderness. The surrounding is isolated, rugged forest which prevents him from getting any outside help other than using his survival skills. Isolation is the key to the plot of this story. The Ruum, on the other hand, collects specimens without being detected and feels very comfortable in his surrounding. During the chase scene, the reader experiences the extent of the wilderness and a sense of helplessness the character faces. Jim Irwin uses the isolation of his surrounding to defeat the Ruum by not becoming part of his collection. The setting allows him to use physical and mental strengths to survive the ordeal. The setting is similar to the next story, “Uneasy Homecoming”, except it takes place in a town.

“Uneasy Homecoming” takes place in the modern day time. Connie comes back from vacation to her dark, empty house which is located across the bay. Her house is isolated from the rest of the town and as in the case of “The Ruum”, she has to learn to use her intuition to be able to get out of trouble. She comes across various clues and uses her familiarity of her environment to escape and alert for help. She must survive in an isolated place of fear. This setting is different from the next story where Horse uses the setting to his best advantage.

The setting for “A Man Called Horse” takes place during early American exploration times. It takes place on what we would now call a ‘reservation’ which would be located far from civilization. The main character is kidnapped by a tribe of Indians who treat him as an animal and keep him around for their amusement. . Horse is on his own even though he is surrounded by many people. He’s not comfortable in the surrounding and doesn’t feel like he belongs in the area. He takes advantage of the setting by learning about the culture of a new tribe. His sense of survival due to the isolation from his people allows him to become part of a new family. The isolated setting is similar to the previous stories and the ability of the main character to use it to his benefit.

When comparing the three settings of the stories, all have the feeling of isolation and helplessness. They all take place in different time periods which seem appropriate for each story. The characters take advantage of the setting to survive their experience. They adapt to the surrounding and use it to their benefit. The isolation experienced by the individuals makes them stronger and shows their sense of character. As seen from the above stories, “the Ruum” “Uneasy Homecoming” and “A Man called Horse”, setting plays an important part to the feel and outcome of the story. It allows the reader to experience the adventure with the character.