Setting and narrator

Read here our discussion about the setting and narrator of “Tickits” by Paul Milenski.

Setting

Published in 1986, the short story “Tickits” was most likely intended to be read as contemporary to that date. The action takes place in a city (probably in the US), and it happens over the course of a single day.

Physical setting

The physical setting includes two elements: Toby’s house and the streets of the city where he roams handing tickets. The city streets are only mentioned, and no detailed description is provided. We know the action starts next to “two parking spaces” (p. 1, l. 2) and continues on “Main Street” (p. 1, l. 4), “Near the First National Bank” (p. 1, l. 9), “At the intersection of Main and South” (p. 1, l. 14), “Near Mario's Grinders” (p. 2, l. 1), “into the YMCA” (p. 2, l. 3),...

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Social setting

The social setting of the short story presents aspects related to the way people treat individuals with disabilities or who do not fit the social norm.

The main character of the short story is a man who appears to have a speech disorder and/or a mental disorder. Toby does not speak, he misspells words (suggesting that he has learning difficulties) and he is obsessed with order and cleanness...

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Narrator

The story is a third-person narration which follows the point of view of the main character, Toby.

The third-person narrator is outside the action and confines himself to a limited knowledge perspective. The narrator simply presents external events. We do not know what the characters think and what their motivation is. However, the narrator often gives the impression that he uses Toby’s point of view on the events:

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