The Town

The town is an isolated settlement in the mountains that does not have contact with the outside world. The townspeople are mistrustful of outsiders and believe that people from elsewhere can never understand or appreciate their customs. While Vera accepted the disappearances of mothers, that happens as a matter of common place, she decides to flee to ensure that she does not vanish. When she returns to the town years later, the community does not recognize her and assumes that she is a stranger. The isolation of the town allows for the patriarchal traditions to prosper and ensures that outside ideologies and modes of thoughts are feared and ridiculed.

Elsewhere

Throughout the novel, the townspeople refer to the outside world as elsewhere. They do not have specific names for neighboring towns or cities and mistrust people and ideas who come from outside of their town. When Vera...