Reese Novosel

Honors. 8
9/15/16
In the story A Mother in Mannville, the author Marjorie Rawlings takes some
great time to describe the setting of the story. She took the time to describe the
setting because it helps show the relationship of the two main characters in multiple
ways throughout the story.
The author describes that the story takes place when it is autumn but it
changes throughout the story to closer to winter. In the passage Jerry has to chop
wood for the narrator, Jerry states I can chop some wood today when he first
meets the narrator, whom is the other main character. This shows that if it wasnt
cold Jerry wouldnt have had to chop wood for her fire and they would have never
met. So if the author didnt describe the setting as cold Jerry wouldnt have met the
narrator.
The author also makes it a point to describe that the story takes place in the
Carolina Mountains which is a rural area. The author states that The orphanage is
high in the Caroline Mountains. The narrator finds a cabin in the mountains about a
half a mile away from the orphanage farm, so this brings the two characters closer
together because half a mile isnt far. When the narrator gets there she sends for a
boy from the orphanage to chop some wood for her for her fire that she will need to
keep the cabin warm. If the story wasnt based in the mountains which is a rural
area the two characters wouldnt have been able to meet each other.
Rawlings also explains the season winter during this story. She describes that
it is cold and that the boys at the orphanage have to do jobs during the winter. The
author tells us about winter in the very beginning and she also tells us about it
towards the end. In the passage Jerry has gloves for when he has to do his jobs
outside like when he delivers stuff from the orphanage to the baby cottages and

Reese Novosel
Honors. 8
9/15/16
other places around the orphanage, but most of the other boys do not have gloves
so some of them get frostbite. I know Jerry has gloves because in the passage Jerry
says, I have gloves. This proves that the two characters connect because when
Jerry tells the narrator that he got gloves from his mother it makes her mad. This
also made them have a whole conversation about Jerrys mother.
In conclusion, the author Marjorie Rawlings spent a great deal of time
describing the setting in her story A Mother in Mannville. She used the setting that
she took so much time describing, to help connect the two main characters. she
took her time to describe the setting and in the end made the story connect to it in
a great way.