Setting

Published in 1991, the short story “The Age of Lead” by Margaret Atwood takes place in Toronto, Canada. The time of the narration is 150 years after the Franklin Expedition, suggesting that the events take place in the early 1990s. However, the story follows Jane from the time when she was sixteen years old to the present.

Physical setting

Jane’s home is described at the end, focusing on her kitchen: “Everything in here looks ownerless. Her toaster oven, so perfect for dining alone, her microwave, her espresso machine—they’re sitting around waiting for her to leave…” (ll. 214-216)

Additionally, the sidewalk next to her house is also described, focusing on the litter that she notices there: “Increasingly the sidewalk that runs past her house is littered with plastic drinking cups, crumpled soft-drink cans, used take-out plates.” (ll. 219-221)

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Social setting

Jane and Vincent’s parents are from the World War II generation, the parents of the baby boomers (the children born after WWII, between the 40s' and '60s, a period marked by an increased birth rate). The fact that Jane is a ‘war child’ could mean that her mother had an affair with a military officer during the war. After the war was over society was generally critical of such relationships, and single parents had to bring up their children without much external help. The mother constantly tells Jane she was a consequence of the war, to try to prevent Jane from making the same mistake (accidentally getting pregnant): “None of what she called

Jane’s mother shows how in times of stress some people act in an unexpected way, such as having an extramarital relationship. However, after the war was over society was generally critical of such relationships, and single parents had to bring up their children without much external help. The mother constantly tells Jane she was a consequence of the war,...

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