Setting

Physical setting

The events presented in the short story “Green Velvet” by Krzysztof Pelc take place somewhere in Canada, which the narrator’s family has emigrated to from Iran. While Iran is not directly described, the narrator suggests that his family was forced to flee “the certainty of persecution” (p. 1, l. 20), which hints that the family probably escaped military conflict. 

The narrator’s family lives in a “small third-storey rental” (p. 1, ll. 24-25), which suggests that they do not have enough money to afford to buy their own home. The apartment is decorated with old-fashioned items and furniture, which reflect the family’s Iranian ancestry: 

Small rosewood tables and chairs with arabesque shapes inlaid in nacre, and chests that remained empty, ...