Setting

Physical and time setting

The short story “Buttony” by Fiona McFarlane takes place on an afternoon in late spring: “The afternoon grew brighter. Planes flew overhead in all directions. The jacaranda dropped its spring flowers” (ll. 97-98). The jacaranda tree is considered an iconic tree in Australia, the home country of the author. We can conclude that the short story takes place somewhere in Australia, probably in the modern day, as planes are also mentioned: “Planes flew overhead in all directions.” (l. 87)

The action starts in Miss Lewis’ classroom, where Joseph retrieves the button for their game. There is no description of this room, and the only information we have is regarding the drawer where Miss Lewis keeps the button: “The button lay in a special tin in the right-hand corner of Miss Lewis’s top drawer” (l. 11). The description of the drawer suggests the way the children imbue the game with importance, as does Miss Lewis:

The children listened for the sound this drawer made as Joseph opened it. They knew that the shifting sound of the drawer opening meant largesse – gold stars or stamps or, in exceptional cases, g...