Setting

Physical setting

The short story “Collectors” by Raymond Carver was published in 1975. It is unclear, however, if the action takes place in the 1970s. It is possible that the action takes place earlier, as door-to-door salesmen (Aubrey Bell appears to be one) were commonly encountered as early as the 1920s in the US. However, since Bell mentions W.H. Auden’s first visit to China (p. 79, l. 18), this could place the events in the 1940’s or later, as Auden went to China in 1938.

The general setting of the events is not clear. It can only be assumed that the action takes place somewhere in the US, presumably not in the north, since the narrator is waiting “to hear from up north.” (p. 78, l.1). The specific setting is the narrator’s house, which appears to be at 255 South Sixth East (p. 78, l. 33). The story ends in the evening: “It had begun to get dark.” (p. 83, l. 19). It is unclear how much time Bell spends in the house with the narrator.

The narrator mentions the lack of people in the streets, which could suggest that his home is in a quiet neighborhood (p. 78, l. 4). The weather is rainy throughout the story (p. 83, l. 36). The lack of people in the...