Setting

The short story “We’re not Jews” by Hanif Kureishi most probably takes places sometime in the 1950s in the UK, as the references to Teddy Boys (young British men who were part of 1950s subculture, inspired by rock ‘n’ roll music), the air-raids during the Second World War (WWII) and the remaining bomb sites, the newly created Pakistan (in 1947), and the ongoing racial segregation in South Africa indicate.

Physical setting

The main physical setting is the bus in which the characters ride. However, the home of the main characters is also mentioned in Azhar’s flashbacks. The description suggests that the characters live in a small flat and are not very wealthy: “There was no doubt that their flat was crowded: grandpop, a retired doctor, slept in one bedroom, Azhar, his sister and parents in another, and two uncles in the living room.” (ll. 106-108)

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Social setting

The racism of the post-WWII years is illustrated through the attitude of the two Billys. Father and son, both British, they exhibit an irrational hatred towards foreigners and those who associate with foreigners. Little Billy and his friends bully Azhar at school because he is half-Pakistani. His father, Big Billy, has the same attitude and offends and bullies both Yvonne and Azhar on the bus. He resents Yvonne for marrying a Pakistani man, which in his opinion is worse than being Jewish, suggesting that he is also racist against the Jews, despite probably knowing about the recent Holocaust of WWII.

Yvonne’s husband and his relatives help convey aspects about the position of the immigrant in Britain. They all have to live together probably because they cannot afford to live separately. Furthermore, the husband is an intellectual and wants to become a writer or a journalist, but he has to work in a factory. Although he constantly writes and submits articles, he is always rejected.

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