Setting

Time setting

Raymond Carver’s short story “One More Thing” was first published in 1981, and the setting is probably meant to be read as contemporary to the time of publishing. The presence of an “old white Naugahyde suitcase” (p. 11, l. 26) also alludes to the story being set in the 1980s. Naugahyde is an American brand that was very popular in the 1960s. Maxine used this suitcase while she was in college (p. 10, l. 28), which she most likely attended roughly twenty years before the events of the story.

The action of the story takes place over the span of a few hours. The story begins at night, when Maxine returns home from work (p. 9, l. 1). The fact that Maxine is wearing a coat (p. 9, l. 4) and that L.D. can feel air coming in through the broken window (p. 10, l. 12) can suggest that the story is set during a cold and windy season.

Physical setting

There are no clear cues about the geographical setting of the story. It is most likely set in America, due to the language used by the characters and the presence of a Naugahyde su...