Setting and narrator

You can read here our discussion regarding the setting and narrator of “Arrangement in Black and White” by Dorothy Parker.

Setting

Published in 1927, the short story “Arrangement in Black and White” by Dorothy Parker is set in the United States in a time contemporary to its publishing.

The physical setting is a party in the house of a white host, held in honor of an African-American musician. The author only mentions a “crowded room” (l. 2), and chooses to focus on the social setting, which is more relevant to the themes of the story.

Time and social setting

The time setting is closely connected with the social setting. 1920s US was still racially biased and divided despite the fact that slavery had been abolished in 1865. In the 1920s, segregation was practiced on a national scale; African-Americans and white Americans lived, worked, and studied separately.

The protagonist and the host are probably part of the wealthier higher class of white people.

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Narrator

The short story “Arrangement in Black and White” by Dorothy Parker is a third-person narration, with a narrator who is outside the plot and who chooses to let the characters speak for themselves. The narrator’s presence is only felt through a few comments about the main character: “The woman with the pink velvet poppies extended her hand at the length of her arm and held it so for all the world to see...” (ll. 81-82)