Setting

Time setting

Gish Jen’s short story “The Third Dumpster” was first published in 2013, and the setting is probably meant to be read as contemporary to the time of publishing. This is suggested by the presence of objects such as a Toyota Corolla car (l. 51) or Oreo cookies (l. 51). The text also mentions recession (l. 35), most likely referring to the recession that followed the financial crisis that began in 2008. 

The action of the story takes place over the span of several days or weeks, time in which the brothers work on renovating the house. The story starts with the brothers buying the house and the passing of time is suggested by the progress of the renovation: “Goodwin tried to explain what they were doing. What the house used to look like. What it was going to look like” (ll. 129-130). The story also mentions events from the past, like Goodwin’s visit to the retirement home (l. 13).

Physical setting

The story is set in the United States of America (l. 9). The state or city is not specified, but it is probably a relatively small town where there are not a lot of opportunities for employment: “Because this was what the recession meant in their neck of the woods: old people moving into purpuric ranch homes unless their unemployed children could do something about it.” (ll. 34-36)

The main events take place inside the house bought by the brothers. The house is referred to as “a dog” (l. 3...