Part 1: Chapter 1 Summary

This story takes place sometime in the 1940s in Oran, a boring, ugly town, which was a French port on the Algerian coast. The town, devoted almost entirely to business and commerce, lies in the middle of a plateau (a flat piece of land that is higher than the land around it). There are no birds or plants except those brought in by peddlers in baskets. The person telling the story is a key player in the actions.

Part 1: Chapter 1 Analysis

An important step in thinking and writing about a work of fiction is to focus on its physical, emotional, psychological or temporal (when it occurred) background, as this provided the backdrop for the action. It is always good to ask this question: why did this author pick this setting (and background) for this work? Sometimes it is difficult to answer...