Setting

Alan Gillespie’s short story “The Arcade” takes place in Glasgow, Scotland. The events of the story take place over the course of a few hours inside the Argyll Arcade, which is a shopping center full of jewelry stores. The story mentions the name of several real jewelry stores inside the arcade, such as Laings, Ernest Jones, and Chisholm Hunter, as well as Buchanan Street, which is the real location of the arcade. This all helps to add authenticity to the setting. 

The atmosphere of the Arcade is luxurious and inviting. The Arcade is full of windows with sparkling jewels and everything looks beautiful and perfect: “the pink copper o...