Setting

Physical setting

The story “Son of Satan” by Charles Bukowski takes place during summer, in a suburban neighborhood. Judging by the name of the children – Hass, Morgan, and Simpson – we can assume the story takes place in an English-speaking country, most likely in America. The reference to the family’s garage suggests that the story takes place in the 20th century, sometime between the 1920s and the year when the story was published (1982).

The main setting is the narrator’s house and backyard. While the house – specifically the bedroom – is the setting of the narrator’s beating by his father, the backyard is the place where the narrator turns from victim into aggressor by carrying out Simpson’s hanging. When the narrator finds himself under the bed, the narrator thinks this is “a good place to be” (p. 45, ll. 1-2). He thinks the bedsprings are “friendly and wonderful” (p. 45, l. 3). The setting offers the narrator a brief hiding place f...