Setting

Physical setting

The short story “Walk Don’t Run” by Douglas Bruton takes place in an unnamed town or village. The story probably takes place near the sea, as the grandmother was a fisherman’s wife, and their livelihood depended on catching and selling fish. The time setting of the story is not specifically mentioned, but it seems to be set in modern times. 

The narrator’s grandmother lives in a two-story house (ll. 44-45) with a back garden (ll. 60-61). As the narrator stands at the window and smokes, she tells her grandmother “what it’s like outside, on the other side of the glass” (l. 62), describing the flowers in the garden. This suggests that the narrator now acts as a link between her grandmother and the outside world.

Social setting

The social setting explores teenage relations, infidelity, and peer pressur...