The role that the setting plays in the development of plot and character

The setting of a story has an important role in the development of the plot and the characters in a given story because the characterization would be implausible if it were done out of the setting; it is part of the plot hence inseparable. Characterization would be implausible out of the setting because it will not be making sense. The characters are developed in the plot, and they can only make sense in the plot where they belong, meaning that out of the plot of a given story, the characters will not make sense. For instance, James, in a given story, would represent a teacher who loves and cares for the students, but in another story, the same name would be used to represent a gangster in another story. The author of a given story, therefore, comes up with a setting that will be used in developing a plot. A setting in a given story is made up of several elements that include geography, culture, historical period, and the hour when the events are taking place in a given story. It is important to note that different stories have different settings that have different geographies. For example, one story may be set in Africa, whereas the other stories could be set in the other continents that have different cultures. A story that has been set in the United States of America would reflect a different culture from the culture that has been represented in a story that was set in Senegal. An author may also talk about the time that the events in a given story took place, which may be different from the timelines that have been represented in another story.  Concisely, the setting is an important part of the story, and it develops the themes and the characters that have been included in the particular. The settings in a plot are, therefore, what makes the characters in a given story to make sense.

The setting and the plot in a story complement each other, meaning that none of them can stand on its own. A plot must have a setting for it to make sense. In a nutshell, the setting is one of the building blocks of a plot. For instance, the setting in HOW TO TALK TO GIRLS AT PARTIES is one of the components that have come together to form the setting in a given story. An author has to use a plot in the story as an environment for the development of characters. Without a setting, the characters in the story cannot be developed; hence the story will not make sense or may not exist.  One of the important things that one has to do after the assessment of a story it to check out the setting and trying to understand what it stands for and the meaning that it brings to the story.  Any author who needs to write a story must come first of all to plan the setting before thinking of the characters. The setting provides information on the setting that the authors are supposed to come up with (Gaiman 1-65).

The setting plays an important role in enabling us to understand the conflict and the theme in a given story. The setting is the time and the place where the story happens. It refers to the culture and the society that shapes the story. Some of the themes cannot fit in certain settings meaning that the author should be clear about the themes before deciding on the themes that are supposed to be addressed in a given piece. The setting is the environment where the characters interact; hence it creates a good platform for the themes and the conflicts to happen.  It, therefore, means that without the environment for the themes and the conflict to occur, there will be no story. The importance of a setting in a given piece can, therefore, not overemphasized as it can be observed when someone reads “HOW TO DATE A BROWNGIRL, BLACKGIRL, WHITEGIRL OR HALFIE.”  In a nutshell, the setting is the backbone of the story and should be well planned. Bad planning of a setting will impede the formation of the story, which will create a challenge to the people in the society (Diaz 1-20).

Work cited

Diaz, Junot. “How to Date a Browngirl, Blackgirl, Whitegirl, or Halfie.” Drown. New York: Riverhead Books 49 (1996).

Gaiman, Neil. How to talk to girls at parties. Hachette UK, 2016.