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Definition of Setting
Setting is where and when a story or scene takes place. The where can be a real place like the city of New York, or it can be an imagined... read full definition
Setting is where and when a story or scene takes place. The where can be a real place like the city of New York, or... read full definition
Setting is where and when a story or scene takes place. The where can be a real place like the... read full definition
Setting
Explanation and Analysis—The Samsa's House:
All of The Metamorphosis takes place inside of Gregor's family's house. The limited setting is somewhat ironic considering Gregor's job as a traveling salesman. Near the start of the story, Gregor even describes the frequent travels his work requires. The specific time period and city in which the Samsa's house is located remains unspecified throughout the story. References to time period-specific elements like trains lead many to assume the story takes place during the same period it was written (the early 1900s). However, there is no definitive evidence for either the time or the city Gregor Samsa resides within in the story. Consequently, The Metamorphosis exists somewhat outside of time. This facet of the story, along with the fact that Gregor transforms into some sort of insect, makes The Metamorphosis appear similar to many parables. However, The Metamorphosis eschews the straightforward moral messaging characteristic of parables.
Most of the story takes place in Gregor’s room. The highly constrained setting is crucial to the story, as it conveys what life is like for Gregor as a human trapped inside of the body of an insect, who is in turn trapped inside of a room. The reader is just as constrained as Gregor for much of the story. The Samsa family makes plans to move out of their home after Gregor’s death—something they couldn’t do while he was alive—further suggesting the importance of the limited setting. Once the problem that is Gregor's transformation into an insect is tragically resolved, the family can finally move on, both literally and figuratively.
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