Analysis

An analysis of the short story “Green Velvet” by Krzysztof Pelc shows that the text has a chronological structure. The events take place over the course of about two weeks, from the moment the family brings in the green velvet sofa to the moment the narrator’s father gets rid of it. 

The main characters are the narrator, his father, and his grandmother. The three characters represent three different generations and have different perspectives on their lives as immigrants in Canada. 

The physical setting is Canada, the country which the family has emigrated to from Iran. The family’s rental apartment illustrates the clash between the Eastern and Western cultures and the characters’ desire to adapt to a new culture. The social setting focuses on the cultural differences between Iran and Canada, and on the different values that characterize the East and the West. 

The events are told by a first-person narrator, who is also one of the story’s main characters. The narrator’s perspective mainly helps readers understand the younger generation’s attitude to their immigrant status and the eagerness to adapt to a new culture. 

The language illustrates the narrator’s desire for belonging and adapting to a new culture, but also shows the other characters’ reluctance and doubt created by their contrasting attitudes to the green velvet sofa, which becomes a symbol of their attitude to the new culture.  

A full analysis of the short story can be found on the following pages.