Setting
The time setting of the short story “Monster in a Ryokan” by Mary Roach is not clearly specified, but since the writer was born in 1959 and is able to visit Japan (something that was not common before the 1960s), we can assume that the events take place sometime in the late 20th century. These events take place over the course of one rainy night.
Physical setting
The focus of the physical setting is the ryokan – the traditional Japanese inn – where the narrator spends her first night in Tokyo. On the outside of the ryokan, there are “bicycles” (p. 145, l. 13) and “tiny ornamental trees” (p. 145, l. 14). On the inside, cleanliness and orderliness define the place; everything is...
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Social setting
When it comes to Japan, everything is defined by orderliness and rules. For instance, the customs dictate that one should place their shoes outside the door before entering a room. At the same time, special slippers should be worn in different parts of the house:
The slippers, you soon learn, are special hallway slippers, not to be worn inside the rooms. In the rooms you wear only socks. That is, unless you are in the toilet room, in which case you exchange your special hallway slippers for special toilet slippers, which are never, under penalty of shame and humiliation, to be worn anywhere but the toilet. (p. 146, ll. 18-22)
Furthermore, in Japanese custom, the bath is a place for relaxation, not for cleaning oneself,...
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