Setting

The short story “Redeployment” by Philip Klay is set in modern days, during the war in Iraq. The physical setting includes various countries—Iraq, Kuwait, Ireland, and US—but most of the action takes place in Lejeune, the narrator’s hometown, and in the surrounding areas.

Physical setting

The narrator only describes parts of the physical setting occasionally, to convey his first impressions when he reached the western world, after having spent seven months in Iraq: “And then you touch down in Ireland to refuel. And it’s so foggy you can’t see shit, but, you know, this is Ireland, there’s got to be beer.” (p. 253, ll. 22-24);

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Social setting

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The narrator’s memories and descriptions about life in Iraq suggest that the soldiers were living in a constant state of danger, where they had to rely on each other, and where violence became something normal. The soldiers did not only kill people, but they also killed dogs. Furthermore, they tortured prisoners, and they were themselves killed: “And I’m seeing the retard, and the girl, and the wall Eicholtz died on. But here’s the thing. I’m thinking a lot, and I mean a lot, about those fucking dogs.” (p. 252, ll. 40-42)

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