Settings Make Incredible Influences in Short Stories, Essay Example

James Salter’s stories Dusk and Dirt come off to the reader as very ordinary stories with not much action involved. We are trapped in one character’s mind, and no one scene is shown or emphasized. We are taken through some significant events in that character’s life and this is accomplished in a few pages or so. However, the complexity of the stories remains great, and there is an odd surprise which is revealed in the end, or is developed within the story.

The two stories differ in a number of things from the characters, the settings, the mood and the kind of story. Both stories show an ordinary American, Dusk is about a woman who was vividly described in the story as someone who was strong yet lonely, and Dirt is about a man in his forties who was of a lower class in regards to his socio-economic status. This was a big change in characters and settings, however the tone of the stories and their initial meaning was kept at pace.

The overall title of the collection of stories is Dusk, and this symbolically relates to its literal meaning. Dusk is that time of day where the light changes, and day transitions into night. It is a brief period in the day and can be beautiful when one sits down and really appreciates it. The meaning for the short stories take on the same pattern – the characters are seen to change for the readers and their dynamic personalities are revealed through very descriptive means. The range of the settings and subjects in these stories is very different; however the theme of change is ever present.

The initial setting the story Dusk takes place in the front of a meat deli, the time of day is not revealed but one can say t might be mid afternoon. The store has a glass window, and it is described to be empty, there were no other people, just a girl named Vera at the register. Very early into the story, rain started pouring, and it was not long until we see that the rain gets harder. This description was very important in portraying the character Mrs. Chandler. She was said to stand by the window of the store:

“She seemed to be looking at onions, she had one in her hand” (qtd. Salter and Gourevitch 98).

This suggests that Mrs. Chandler was standing in a daze, she was still and contemplating on something which is other than the onions she seemed to be tending to. Her character reflects that of the store which is described in the setting of the story, she was empty with no other people in her life. Soon, when the rain started pouring, it only got heavier – this was explained later in the story and had much to do with the development of character we see in Mrs. Chandler.

Mrs. Chandler would seem to be a well off woman, dressed in a tailored suit and an owner of a foreign car, her life seemed to be compared to that of the neon sign described in the story which was “very bright in the grayness” (qtd. Salter and Gourevitch). She was described as someone who did not have any problems, someone who was financially well of and whom had known a great life; a privileged woman who was strong in nature. We learn in the story that she was far from being content with her life. Mrs. Chandler was sad and lonely. Her husband was said to have left her, and she would daydream about happier days, or fantasize about what could have been. This can be compared to the weather in the story, how rain suddenly started to pour mid afternoon, and it only seemed to have gotten heavier – as did the life and the pain in Mrs. Chandler. A big house is described later in the story, the one which Mrs. Chandler’s husband had left her. Everything seemed to have gone by so fast, and she finds herself just sitting in their large and empty living room, by herself and all her wealth. She was much like her house, she stood strong, showed great prominence and was built of good quality, however without people inside the house, it was empty – much like Mrs. Chandler’s life.

Dirt was very different from the story Dusk. it starts off in a setting under s house, and was described to have the smell of unturned earth, this place is said to have been cool. The weather outside was hot, and seemed to be sticky and humid. The time of day was again not mentioned yet it might have been mid afternoon as well. The character, Billy was under the house and he was covered in dirt. Billy was not as privileged as Mrs. Chandler, he worked a blue collar job and got his hands messy most of the time. The weather reflected on how life was for Billy, it was hot and uncomfortable.

“…sunlight that was browning his arms” (qtd. Salter and Gourevitch 136).

This line in the story described the California sun and weather, it directly related to Billy’s profession and how he worked hard for a living using his hands. The weather and the heat were repeated many times in this short story, it emphasized tiredness which Billy might have been feeling as well as being exhausted. Nearing the end of the story, the foundation in which Billy was said to be working on was finished at the beginning of September. This was relevant because the month of September is when summer ends and fall begins; a change in setting is seen to change the character. Life did not change for the better in Billy; he had lost his friend and workmate, Harry. After this, Billy  went to Mexico and he did this with Alma, he was not alone anymore, and it was strange that he had decided to go to a sunnier and hotter place. It was as if he were chasing the sun.

Works Cited

James Salter and Philip Gourevitch. “Dusk and Other Stories”. (New York: Random House, Inc., 1988). pp 98-104; 131-138.