Historical setting

To help you elaborate your analysis, we have outlined some aspects about the historical setting of the story. The setting in a story is very important, because it gives the readers a sense of grounding, which enable them to follow the storyline better. In “The Whipping Boy”, events are set in a historical context, namely the end of the American Civil War, placing the story within the genre of historical fiction: “It was the day after the boy from the Union1 had come to the farm to let the slaves know they were freemen.” (l. 5)

By choosing to place the plot and characters in a real historical setting, the author increases the authenticity of the text. This suggests that the events presented could have actually happened: “Late afternoon the following ...