Understanding the storys setting essay sample

Dear Professor Surname:

Upon reading the narrative Janus by Ann Beattie, I intended to understand how an individual gets drawn to something he/she loved so much, that love for other things also gets affected. Actually, I find it hard to determine how the plot of the narrative is portrayed; that is, whether it is by the story’s setting, characters, or symbolism. At first, the jar being talked about in the story seemed to be a mere symbolic factor in the narrative. In fact, the story seemed to be a pure abstract. But with the help of reading over it again and again, and with the realization of the function of the story’s setting, I soon find out that it is something that deals with reality.

What basically became difficult for me is the analysis of the story’s plot. Since the writer also includes some symbolic figures in the narrative, I found it hard to quickly understand it. When the writer changes the course of her writing – especially when the description of the color of the jar or the exclusion of other things where it was placed is mentioned – I somehow find it to be a difficulty. Nevertheless, that would be a good strength of the narrative. It details the way the jar became loved by Andrea yet unnoticed by many. It talks about the reality in life that there are things which we see that others do not, and vice versa.

Since I somehow find it hard to absolutely understand the story, I hope that my instructor would evaluate this paper for comprehension, clarity, and accuracy [according to the narrative]. Also, I would ask that he examine whether there are technical errors in my writing. This paper is in MLA formatting style.

Best Regards,

The setting plays a big role in any story. Although it depends on the style the story is written, the setting is mostly the element that determines how the story goes; it helps the readers determine and understand the plot. However, the idea of a story’s setting should not be restricted on the places and times set on the story. It not rely refers to the physical place and time – such as road, city, war, evening, etc. – where the action occurs in the story (Muller and Williams 55) but also the description of the environment and the other things in it, as portrayed in every part of the story.

This is conveyed in the story Janus written by Ann Beattie. Although it may be considered that the characters – Andrea, her dog, her husband, the real-estate buyers, and the jar – contributes much to the interpretation of the story, the settings included in the story is also a vital element. The story seems to be more of a description of the characters, but the setting is more important. Throughout the story, the setting portrayed is a house. It is either the house of Andrea or the house which Andrea – as a real-estate agent – shows to her clients. What catches the attention of the reader is the presence of the jar in every place/setting throughout the narrative. This is first placed in the second paragraph of the narrative, wherein Andrea brings her dog and the jar in the house that was up for sale. In the sixth paragraph, it tells of the change of the setting wherein the jar is kept by Andrea in her house when not placed in other houses. Since it shows that the jar is present wherever Andrea goes and that she doesn’t leave it permanently in other houses, this tells the reader that the jar has some sort of greater substance for Andrea. In the eighth paragraph the narrative had some change in the setting. It tells of the jar being left in a house by Andrea, and then she eventually rushed back to it. Nevertheless, the significant description of the setting is a house with the presence of many people and of the jar.

Moreover, the area where the jar is placed in a particular house also affects the function of the story’s setting in the narrative. In the fourth paragraph, it tells of the jar being unnoticeable to everyone. Most of Andrea’s clients fail to see this jar being inside the house. Such background could somehow imply that only Andrea is attached to the jar. With the setting of having many people going in and out of the house yet unable to notice the jar conveys that the jar is important to Andrea. In fact, the narrative also includes Andrea thinking of the jar as luck for her being a successful real-estate agent.

In the nearly latter part of the narrative, there is somehow a change in the setting. Unlike the past, Andrea now places her jar only when there are no people around. It tells of Andrea’s possessive character towards the jar. Besides, Andrea even became frustrated with how she had such attachment with the jar. The setting of Andrea getting up at nighttime to look after the jar conveys a change in her – wherein she almost loved the jar at the expense of other things.

In an overall analysis, the story is about Andrea’s commitment to the things that she has – the jar, her lover, and other things. Merely taking the setting will not be adequate to clearly get the point of the story. In fact, this also applies to many stories. Nevertheless, the setting gives a background of the character(s), its relationship with other things in the story, and even the plot or flow of the narrative.

Works Cited

America Public University System. ENGL 200: Composition and Literature. New York:
McGrawHill, 2011. E-book.