what is the setting

The settings vary in each story. Most of the stories are set in Maine, some in cities and others in rural areas. Some have more specific settings, such as "Jerusalem's Lot," which takes place in Maine near a town named Jerusalem's Lot. "I Am the Doorway" is set in Florida, making the beaches of the keys an important part of the story, while "Night Surf" also takes place on a beach. "Children of the Corn" takes place in the Midwest where corn is a primary crop. "One for the Road" also takes place near "Jerusalem's Lot," using that same geographic area as its setting, although it takes place many years after the original short story.

Most of the settings in these novels are background, just a backdrop against which to build a story. However, in some of the stories the setting becomes a part of the story. "Children of the Corn" is one such story in which the setting is vital to the story. If the story were set in Maine, or in a place where corn is not grown, it would not have the impact, nor would it make as much sense, as it does. "Night Surf" and "I Am the Doorway" also have settings that seem vital to the story, since each is set in a place that has some connection to the overall plot of the novel. Finally, "Jerusalem's Lot" is named after its setting, a small, imaginary town where terrible things have taken place and continue to plague the people leaving nearby. This, too, makes the setting almost a character in the novel because it is so vital to the overall plot development.