Setting

Physical setting

The short story “I Spy” by Graham Greene takes place in England. There is a mention of Norwich, where Charlie’s father said he would go (p. 41, l. 4), and also a mention of “the ‘dear Queen’ ” (p. 41, l. 7). The town where Charlie and his family live is by the sea, as hinted by the following line: “The wind blew from the sea, and Charlie Stowe could hear behind his mother’s snores the beating of the waves” (p. 40, ll. 7-8). 

The time setting is during World War I, as hinted by the mention of “the enemy airships” (p. 40, l. 6), and “the ‘Huns’, the monsters who lurked in Zeppelins in the clouds” (p. 41, l. 5). The Zeppelins were planes which the German used to bomb England during World War I, and the “Huns”, in this context, is a derogatory term used by the British for the German soldiers.

The entire action takes place in Charlie’s house, late at night. At the beginning, Charlie descends from his bedroom to the ...