Setting

Time and physical setting

The time setting of the short story “Chameleon” by Ranbir Sahota is not stated directly, but the events seem to take place in modern times, as indicated by references to the characters’ mobile phones. The action covered in the plot spans over the course of a few weeks, but also includes references to other past events, such as Rita and Mark’s first encounter, and the time when they moved in together two years before the action of the story.

The physical setting includes the two houses in the story: the Patels’ house and Rita and Mark’s house. The house of the Patel family is decorated according to the Indian tradition, with “hanging beads” (p. 3, l. 12) and “net curtains” (p. 7, l. 15) separating the rooms. Besides the ornaments that Rita’s mother always polishes, the rest of the house is rather shabby-looking and filled with “layer upon layer of dust” (p. 3, ll. 24-25). T...