Setting

The short story “Open Or Wrapped” by Lynne Rees is set during the summer in an unnamed British town. The fact that the action takes place in Britain is suggested through language but also through the references to typically British f…

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Physical setting

The physical setting is the shop or bar where Francine works with references to the counter (l. 33) or the backroom storage: “They meet in the narrow corridor that joins the two rooms of …

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Social setting

The shop where Francine works typically attracts men because it is a fish and chips shop located between “the dozen pubs in the town” (l. 11). The men that come to the shop are often drunk and make unwanted sexual advances to Francine mainly because of her large breasts. This shows how women can easily become the targets of sexual advances, especially if they have pronounced sexual features such as large breasts. Furthermore, Francine has been the target of such advances ever since she became a teenager either from her schoolmates or older people, suggesting a society that sexually objectifies attractive women, even if they are very young (Francine is probably only about 18 years old).

In particular, the story focuses on the way that women are objectified by groups of men, who see making sexual advances as part of their socialising – they make jokes abou…