Setting

The time setting of the short story “The Whaler” by Joe Sheerin is not revealed. All we know is that the action takes place sometime in May, in the morning (l. 35). Because the narrator does not offer any indication about the year when the events take place, the conclusion is that the time setting is not as important as the overall theme and morale of the story.…

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Physical setting

The main physical setting of the short story is Ireland. This is indicated by the Whaler’s use of Gaelic expressions (l. 77) but also by the boy’s statement that the action takes place somewhere near the “Donegal coast” (l. 14), in a “town-land” (l. 8). The main element of th…

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Social setting

The social setting focuses on different aspects related to the boy’s first step towards maturity. First, the social setting shows how a child’s dreams can be easily shattered once the child has a serious encounter with…