Setting and narrator

In this section, we will discuss both the setting and narrator of “The Sampler” by Ira Victor Morris.

Setting

The short story was published in 1933, so we can assume that the events take place around the time of publishing. Note that the events take place over the course of only a few minutes, from the moment the narrator enters the shop and talks to the shop girl to the moment when the old man decides to buy the expensive pudding to save his honor.

When it comes to the physical setting, we know that the events unfold in a store “where they sell plum puddings” (p. 95, l. 1) and where “a number of these delicious articles are laid out in a row during the Christmas season” (p. 95, ll. 1-2) for sampling.

Social setting

The social setting touches upon the gap between the rich and the poor and also shows how one’s good intentions may sometimes be misinterpreted. The narrator is a man with a decent financial situation, who can afford to buy whatever he pleases from the shop.

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Narrator

In this case, the narrator in “The Sampler” is also one of the main characters. The first-person narrator also functions as an observer and shares what he sees with the readers.

The narrator is limited to what the shop girl shares with him and to what he sees in the shop. For example, he only knows about the old man’s existence when the shop girl tells him about the  ...

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