Setting

In what follows, we will discuss the setting of the story “Renaude” by Charlotte Bondy.

Physical setting

The main physical setting of the short story is Toronto, Canada. Although the name “Toronto” never comes up in the text, there are several indications that the action takes place there: Parliament Street (l. 11), Riverdale Park (l. 50), the CN Tower (l. 55).

Other important parts of the physical setting are Mischa’s home, Renaude’s home, Clara's home, and the Lebanese diner where the two friends spend their time. Mischa’s home is defined as “exotic” (l. 12) and bohemian, mirroring the boy’s personality:

Mischa and his mum live on the second floor of an old row house on Parliament. When I’m over there everything feels exotic. The smell of Mischa’s mother’s cigarettes sits heavily in the air. There are built-in bookshelves and coloured glass bottles of foreign liquor. (ll. 11-14)

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Social setting

The social setting presents a society in which teenagers benefit from liberties. Clara and Mischa are allowed to have sleepovers, they drink, smoke, and do drugs and, overall, they enjoy their freedom and teenage years. They tell Clara’s mother that they have been to the cinema, but she doesn’t ask them many questions about the film, suggesting that she might know that they were doing something else. This indicates that she is open-minded and understanding, which is also suggested by the fact that she is happy for Mischa to stay the night.

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