Analysis

“The Larder” by Morris Lurie follows a traditional plot structure, including narrative techniques like backstory and foreshadowing. The story is structured around a group of tourists who take shells from the Great Barrier Reef, but eventually throw most of them away, after killing the creatures inhabiting them.

The story does not contain any named characters, but is mostly focused on the behaviour of a group of tourists and their guides. However, we do get more detailed information on some individuals, especially a real-estate agent whose statements give indications of the carelessness of the tourists.

The main events take place in Australia, on a vacation resort near the Great Barrier Reef. The social setting explores aspects related to human attitudes and behaviors that have a negative effect on the environment.

The events are described by an omniscient third-person narrator, who sometimes borrows the tourists’ collective perspective.

The story is told using plenty of descriptive language. The author uses a mix of narration and dialogue, which helps the readers understand more about the characters’ mindset and the meaning of their actions.

You can read the full analysis in the following pages.

Further help

For more advice about analyzing short stories, you can read our general guide to short story analysis.

Short story analysis

I denne vejledning får du Studienets hjælp til at analysere noveller (short stories) i engelsk.