Setting

Physical setting

The story “Sunday in the Park” by Bel Kaufman takes place in a park. The action takes place at five-thirty (p. 1, l. 9) on a warm Sunday afternoon (p. 1, l. 1). 

At the beginning of the story, the atmosphere appears idyllic, and the woman experiences a feeling of happiness and peace: 

It was still warm in the late-afternoon sun, and the city noises came muffled through the trees in the park. She put her book down on the bench, removed her sunglasses, and sighed contentedly (…) a faint breeze fanned her hair softly against her cheek. How good this is, she thought, and almost smiled at her sense of well-being. (p. 1, ll. 1-17) 

However, the domestic peace and comfort are disturbed in the aftermath of the argument with the man on the bench. After they leave the park, the woman feels “as if all three of th...