1930s Austria

The entire novel unfurls against the backdrop of Austria in the late 1930s during the rise of fascism in the country concomitant with Hitler's rise to power in Germany. The time period is of central relevance to the novel's questions, which revolve around humanity and dignity in the face of oppression. Since one of the novel's central characters, Sigmund Freud, is Jewish, the rampant antisemitism in Austria during this period of time is also of extreme relevance. In a sense, the characters in the novel are shaped most of all by their relationship and response to the political conditions in the country at the time the story takes place; the setting acts as a kind of crucible in which the characters—especially Franz—forge their identities.

Vienna

The city of Vienna is presented as stark contrast to the greenery of Franz's youth; it is bustling, dangerous, and...