Setting
Published in 1999, the short story “Growing Up” by Anthony Hill has two time settings (or timelines). The present time of the narration is probably 1999 (the time of publishing) when the first person narrator is an adult and a father. But the story he accounts happened years earlier, when he was a child, probably sometime in the 1970s or 1980s.
Physical setting
The physical setting of the short story is a town in Australia called Balgalal (p. 1, l. 2). The most important elements of the physical setting are the school, the narrator’s house, Evan’s house, and the Aboriginals’ camp.
The school is where the two characters meet and become friends. The most important element of the place is the desk that the two boys share, which becomes a symbol of their friendship.
The narrator’s home and Evan’s home are presented as contrasting places. While the narrator …
Social setting
The social setting is very important for the theme of the story because it is meant to illustrate racial prejudice and discrimination against Aboriginals, as well as the inequality between white people and Aboriginals in Australia.
Firstly, we learn that interracial friendships were not regarded as normal or desirable by other children at the boys’ school. Both white and Aboriginal children pick on Evan for being friends with the narrator. This suggests that, from an early age, children adopt the racial perspectives of the adults around them.
Secondly, the story shows through the example of the narrator and Evan that interracial …