Point of view and setting

In the analytical essay task from the English B HF exam from 18th of August, 2017, you are asked to include references to point of view, setting, conflict, and main theme. In what follows, we will briefly explain the terms point of view and setting and relate them to the short story “Logjam” by Ron Wallace. You can read about conflict in The relationship between the parents and you can read about main theme in Th…

...

Point of view

‘Point of view’ refers to the perspective from which a story is told.  In this case, “Logjam” is a third-person narration conveyed from the limited and subjective point of view of one of the characters, Peterson. The narrator only presents the events using Peterson’s perspective. This is suggested by flashbacks a…

...

Setting

‘Setting’ refers to the physical, geographical, and social components of the short story— to when, where, and in what type of society a narrative text is set.

The physical setting of the short story is Canada, during a family holiday: “Peterson, Christine, and Phoebe had driven 3,500 miles from Wisconsin to Cape Cod and then to Bar Harbor and Montreal, and were now in a Provincial Park in Canada. The park was called ‘The Chutes’… ” (ll. 11-12)

The detailed description of the holiday itinerary (ll. 17-24) helps the author emphasize the idea that Christine is overly-organ…