Setting

Time and physical setting

The short story “The Larder” by Morris Lurie was published in 1984 and is most likely meant to be read as contemporary to the time of publishing. This is suggested, for example, by the vacation resort where the tourists stay, where they are also offered meals and trips to the reef. These sorts of holidays were popular in the 1980s, a time when mass tourism was becoming widespread. However, the short story remains relevant today, as tourism – and other human activities around the world– still have a negative impact on the environment.

As the author was born in Australia and the narrator makes repeated references to the reef – “The people who didn’t go to the reef crowded around” (p. 91, l. 1) – the story is most likely set in Queensland, Australia, somewhere near the Great Barrier Reef. The scenery is typical for the area: “In the bright morning sun, under the palms” (p. 92, l. 20).

The action takes place over three days. The events begin on an evening, when the tourists get back from their trip to the reef: “It was night now, quite dark. The bells for dinner sounded through the trees” (p. 91, ll. 18-19). The action continues the next day - “They had crawled quite far in the morning” (p. 92, l. 6) – and ends on the morning of the third day: “They left the next morning, early, while the tide was still in” (p. 93, l. 43).

Various scenes make the story more interesting and convey its deeper meanings. For example, the shells hung up around the resort create an almost disturbing image, transforming the resort into an odd setting, making the tourists’ actions seem wrong:

They hung them from shrubs and from low branches an...