Setting

Physical setting

The physical setting in “Neighbors” by Raymond Carver is the US, as indicated by various elements: For example, we are told that “the Stones will be away for ten days, first to Cheyenne, then on to St. Louis to visit relatives” (p. 86, ll. 14-15). The story spans three days. 

More specifically, the physical setting is that of the two apartments, the Millers’ and the Stones’. This is important as the different apartments highlight how the two middle-class couples lead very different lives. 

The Millers’ apartment

The Millers’ apartment does not feature much in the story, but compared to the the Stones’, it becomes clear that this is where ordinary, rather dull lives are led. For instance, we are told that Arlene “stood in the kitchen doorway folding the handmade tablecloth that Harriet had bought for her last ...