Setting

The short story “Flight” by Doris Lessing was published in 1957. The physical setting of the story is not mentioned clearly by the author, but it is probably somewhere in England, as we can guess from the the description of the surroundings: the valley, the trees, but also the plates and cups of tea specifically used in England. Another cue is the description of Steven’s father as “postmaster”, not postman or postal worker which would be what they would call him in the United States. 

The story is set in and around the house where the grandfather lives together with his family. An important part of the physical setting is the dovecote which symbolizes the grandfather’s feelings towards both his pigeons and Alice.

The doves are kept inside a cage, and they are not allowed to fly away....