Relationships of Setting

Though the settings in “A Temporary Matter” and “Sarah Cole: A Love Story” are very different, they both play a similar role in the characterization. Since both are short stories, their settings are usually limited in the amount of places and tend to span a shorter amount of time or just one major event. However, the use of setting is different in the development of both story’s plots.

The entirety of “A Temporary Matter” takes place in Shoba and Shukumar’s house. The house is scarcely used in comparison to its potential. It was bought in the hope of their future family, so when those plans were hurt, the rooms meant for children were either left alone or turned into an office. However, the rooms still remind them of their past dream, causing Shoba to rarely enter the former nursery. Shukumar spends nearly all day in the house while Shoba will leave for work, further driving their relationship apart. When there power is shut off Shoba and Shukumar are given a new setting in which to approach each other. The empty presence of their house disappears and the are able to comfortably speak to each other.

Though the author says the exact location does not matter in the telling of “Sarah Cole: A Love Story,”  the setting of his story influences his characters actions and thoughts. Sarah and Ron first meet at a bar that traditionally serves middle-class men in their twenties or thirties. They later go to Ron’s apartment, where Sarah feels distanced from Ron, noticing how different their lives are. Whenever the two go out in public, they attend places where Ron would normally not go.The one time they are both at Sarah’s house, it is because Ron just happened to bike past. Otherwise, he makes excuses to avoid going to the house (and therefore meeting Sarah’s children), showing how he doesn’t want their relationship to progress beyond what they had in the beginning.

For both stories the setting is an extension of the characterization. Sarah Cole, who was very confident and flirtatious at the bar becomes shy and cold upon entering Ron’s apartment and realising how different their lifestyles are. Shoba and Shukumar, who were passive and distant during the day, became talkative and close when the power was shut off and created a new setting. The changes in setting allow for more to be learned about each character. However, setting is also telling of a character. Sarah’s apartment had oversized furniture and a picture of her children, showing both the economic difference between her and Ron and her care for her family, an aspect of her that Ron ignores. Ron’s apartment had his bicycle that served as Sarah’s biggest distinction for their differences and the Radarange characteristic of single men in their late twenties or lower thirties. Shoba, who had dedicated time to painting and decorating the nursery for their child, avoids the room after it is repurposed into an office, but Shukumar is bothered by it, showing how much more the stillborn baby is affecting Shoba than Shukumar. Also, since the last time Shukumar left the house for an extended period of time was when the baby was born, he begins to spend all of his time at the house, showing that it still did impact him.

Though setting impacts characterization for both stories, it does not impact plot in the same way. In “Sarah Cole: A Love Story” Sarah notices how Ron is avoiding certain settings with her, and what this means about how seriously he takes their relationship. In this way, the setting is one of the instigations of the plot, being one of the main points of argument in Sarah and Ron’s falling out, but is not the main reason for Sarah and Paul not continuing their relationship. However, in “A Temporary Matter” the change in setting provides an opening for events that drive the plot through the story. The darkness allows for Shoba and Shukumar to admit their secrets and become closer than before, but it also gives them confidence to change their actions during the day. The darkness possibly gave Shoba the confidence to leave Shukumar, but it also inspired Shukumar to change his isolated habits that had formed after the baby’s death. The change in setting also directly influenced a change in plot.