Setting

In this section of the study guide, we will focus on the setting of “The Shape of a Star” by Jen Knox.

Time setting

The time setting of the short story is not revealed, yet we can easily deduce that the events might as well take place around 2014,...

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Physical setting

The physical setting in which the current events take place is an automobile repair shop owned by a man named Jimmy. For the readers, such a place is hardly where one would imagine a woman working in. However, it is a place where the narrator is comfortable:

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Social setting

The social setting presents two very important issues: the influence of parents on children and the break off with traditional patterns when it comes to women and “men’s jobs”.

First, having a parent with a strong personality can influence a child in either a positive or a negative way. For the narrator, her mother’s influence was a negative one, as she always saw herself as problematic and unfit. However, towards the end of the story, the narrator realizes that her mother became a sort of role model for her and that she has managed to understand at least part of the woman’s motivations and personality.

Then, the story also focuses on the way women are viewed upon practicing what we currently deem as “men’s jobs”. Ever since she was a child, the narrator displayed interest for “boyish” school subjects (such as math and science), unlike her mother’s expectations, who wanted her to become interested in humanities.

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