Setting

Jackie Kay’s short story “Mrs Vadnie Marlene Sevlon” is set in London (l. 46) without a precise time setting. However, we can assume the author intended for the story to be read as contemporary to the time of publishing, 2013.

Physical setting

The physical setting includes several places in London. The main character’s home, the Willesden Lane Cemetery, the Sunnyside Home for the Elderly and the streets of London from the care centre to the character’s home.

Initially, the physical setting is focused on the atmosphere, rather than the places: “…Mrs Vadnie Marlene Sevlon was relieved to notice a little breeze. Much better than yesterday when the weather was close, so close she felt the low pressure in the air.” (ll. 1-3)

Then we see the character sitting on a bench in the graveyard and looking at tombstones:

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Social setting

The social setting presents aspects related to old age, loneliness, and employer- employee relationships.

The main character, Vadnie, is a lonely middle-aged woman. She is an immigrant to England and does not have a family or friends. Her main social interactions are with people who come to repair things around her house or with the people at work. But her employers at Sunnyside treat Vadnie with superiority and the woman does not manage to form any genuine connection with them. The people in the home for the elderly are frequently unable to speak, making Vadine’s social isolation even stronger. The only person who comes close to being a friend to Vadnie is a patient named Margaret.

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