Setting

The short story “The Sea Change” by Ernest Hemingway was published in 1931 and the time setting is probably meant to be read as contemporary to the time of publishing. This is suggested by details such as the girl’s clothes and haircut, and her being unconstrained by traditional views and having a liberal attitude towards relationships. The events take place at the end of the sum…

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Physical setting

The events take place in a café (l. 10) in Paris (l.13), where the two main characters, Phil and an unnamed girl, have a tense discussion.

The main physical setting is the table where the couple are sitting: “these two sat together at a table in the corner.” (l. 11)

There are references in th…

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Social setting

When talking about sexuality in this story, it is interesting to notice the social norms regarding it at the time of the story.

Set sometime in the late 1920s, the story approaches a subject which would have been considered controversial at that time: women’s bisexuality (or homosexuality). However, the late 1920s marked the beginning of sexual liberation for women, and the girl is representative of a generation of women who enjoyed more freedom. Phil, on the other hand,…