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Motifs
Definition of Setting
Setting is where and when a story or scene takes place. The where can be a real place like the city of New York, or it can be an imagined... read full definition
Setting is where and when a story or scene takes place. The where can be a real place like the city of New York, or... read full definition
Setting is where and when a story or scene takes place. The where can be a real place like the... read full definition
Setting
Explanation and Analysis:
“The Birds” is set along the coast of England in a small, quiet town. The main character, Nat, works as a farmhand. A quiet and contemplative person, he likes to observe nature and the habits of the birds as the seasons change. This calm country setting is juxtaposed with busy city life, namely in London. London is considered a more important place, as the center of government and capital, but Nat, who works with the land, notices the birds' strange behavior before the radio comments on it. In contrast to life in the city, Nat and his family live relatively far from other people. This means they are less of a target when disaster strikes, but also that they are farther from resources like groceries.
The story takes place around its time of writing in the 1950s. This is in the aftermath of World War 2, when air raids devastated the English countryside. The lingering effects of the war are present throughout the story: not only does Nat have a physical disability as a result of the war, but he makes sense of the horror as it unfolds by comparing it to the war. The scale of destruction and cruelty Nat witnessed during the war has created a world where the sudden, senseless violence of the birds is possible. The aftermath of the war was also a time of economic decline for the British Empire both abroad and at home. While initially Nat trusts that “the best brains in the country” will come up with a plan to save everyone, when the aircraft falls through, he reflects that the authorities “always let us down.”
Related Themes:
