In many stories, the setting in which that story takes place has a great deal of effect on how or why the story takes the course that it does. An example of how important the setting really is to a story can be found in Amy Tan’s “A Pair of Tickets”. The narrator of the story and main character Jing Mei along with a few other characters, including her father, will be an example of how setting plays a part in affecting the characters and their actions within the story. The different encounters throughout the story will also be affected by when and where an event takes place.
Jing Mei was born and has spent much of her life in San Francisco, California. Being born and raised here she has always denied having so much as an ounce of “Chinese” …show more content…
Whilst the two are on the train traveling through China to Guangzhou that cross through rural farmland. As they were traveling Jing Mei noticed her father was a lot happier than usual stating “he looks like a young boy, so innocent and happy I want to button his sweater and pat his head” (Tan 6). She also made the point that he has not been home since he was 10 and now he is seventy-two. In addition to that Jing Mei makes note that when her father began to see the farm land and being that much closer to home also brought tears to his eyes which provides another example powerful the setting’s impact on him …show more content…
One of the main points she makes is how crowded the place is. She states that, “We pass a public bus, with people jammed in so tight their faces are nearly wedged against the window” (Tan 59). Furthering her explanation of her surroundings, she points out how it looks like a typical major American city. With this information, the setting is now easier to picture and; also, it gives off the impression of being cramped up. Jing Mei’s comments about her surroundings show that she clearly underestimated the grandeur of a Chinese city although her ignorance on the subject can be justified by her having never had the opportunity to visit until this point and time. Upon reaching the hotel Jing Mei is shocked at how beautiful it is and how expensive it looks and worries about how her family would feel and is shocked to find that it is fairly cheap. These two instances in the story further support the idea that the setting influences the characters and the encounters in the story. Jing Mei attitude and expectations of China we’re very low, this may come from her being raised in America and the expectations of countries other than America based on her
Jing Mei was born and has spent much of her life in San Francisco, California. Being born and raised here she has always denied having so much as an ounce of “Chinese” …show more content…
Whilst the two are on the train traveling through China to Guangzhou that cross through rural farmland. As they were traveling Jing Mei noticed her father was a lot happier than usual stating “he looks like a young boy, so innocent and happy I want to button his sweater and pat his head” (Tan 6). She also made the point that he has not been home since he was 10 and now he is seventy-two. In addition to that Jing Mei makes note that when her father began to see the farm land and being that much closer to home also brought tears to his eyes which provides another example powerful the setting’s impact on him …show more content…
One of the main points she makes is how crowded the place is. She states that, “We pass a public bus, with people jammed in so tight their faces are nearly wedged against the window” (Tan 59). Furthering her explanation of her surroundings, she points out how it looks like a typical major American city. With this information, the setting is now easier to picture and; also, it gives off the impression of being cramped up. Jing Mei’s comments about her surroundings show that she clearly underestimated the grandeur of a Chinese city although her ignorance on the subject can be justified by her having never had the opportunity to visit until this point and time. Upon reaching the hotel Jing Mei is shocked at how beautiful it is and how expensive it looks and worries about how her family would feel and is shocked to find that it is fairly cheap. These two instances in the story further support the idea that the setting influences the characters and the encounters in the story. Jing Mei attitude and expectations of China we’re very low, this may come from her being raised in America and the expectations of countries other than America based on her