Setting

Time and physical setting

The events in the short story “Slut Trouble” by Beejay Silcox, which was published in 2016, most likely take place in the late 1980s or early 1990s. This is suggested, for example, by the main character’s references to her Walkman (l. 60) and to a video store (l. 78), which were popular in that time period.  

The action unfolds in Australia, as indicated by the phrase “ocky strap” (l. 55) which is an Australian term for a climbing cord (also known as occy or octopus strap). The phrase “There is ocean in the air now” (l. 143), indicating the smell of the ocean, suggests that the characters in the story live in a coastal town.

The events begin when the first girl is kidnapped - “The first girl is taken on the second weekend of the school holidays” (l. 1) – and unfold over the summer months in Australia (usually December to February), as indicated by the presence of the cicadas (l. 144). Remarks such as “The second girl is taken on the day that would have been my parents’ seventeenth wedding anniversary” (l. 77) suggest the passing of time between the events recounted by the narrator.  

Once Julie-Anne Marks is kidnapped, the town is full of images of her: “Everywhere we look Julie-Anne Marks is looking back at us. (…) Julie-Anne Marks if stuffed into our letterboxes, pinned to every bulletin board, taped to every telephone pole” (ll. 2-4). This description conveys the typical efforts made in the search for a missing person, but also suggests Lisa and Megan’s growing fascination with Julie-Anne.

The tent that Laura and Megan build in Laura’s yard is an important part of the setting, as it represents the typical adolescent’s wish for a personal, private space, away from the adults:

We build a tent in the far corner of my yard out of an old wool blanket and an ocky strap strung between the lemon tree and the back fence. We drag the guest bedroom mattress out across the grass and fill the tent with Megan’s mum’s fancy throw pillows – all velvet and tassel (ll. 54-57)

The “fancy throw pillows – all velvet and tassel” can be interpreted as a symbol for the girls’ femininity. The girls bring them into the tent.

The girls’ enactment of the kidnappings also happens in the tent: “We play it in the tent, at night once my Mum turns the house lights off” (ll. 103-104). Playing the game at night, once Laura’s mother supposedly goes to sleep, suggests that the girls believe that their game would be frowned upon by adults, if they were found playing it.

The shopping centre, where the girls try out clothes and compare the length of their hair (ll. 64-66), is an element of the setting which suggests that Laura and Megan have the concerns of stereotypical adolescent girls, interested in their looks and in competing with each other. More importantly, however, they compare themselves with Julie-Anne, which highlights their wish to be like her: “We change into them in the shopping centre bathroom and stare into the mirror too long, hoping to catch just the smallest hint of Julie-Anne in our own faces.” (ll. 64-66)

The vivid description of the setting at the end of the story creates tension and gives re...