The Setting

   From the very beginning of  the story the author introduces us with the location where this story happens.

   The story takes place in Greenwich Village, which is a district of New York City. In modern New York it looks like this:

   Mostly, people who is interested in art come there. They like the bohemian life of the village, and they enjoy living among so many artists. The buildings and apartments are very old and dirty, as we understand, but it only adds the interest to the place. The description of the home is not presented in details, but from the fleeting remarks we can conclude the poverty of rooms, but not the poverty of  its inhabitants’ spirit.

“…the maze of the narrow and moss-grown places.”

“…a bare, dreary yard…”

  Two young women, our main characters, named Sue and Johnsy shared a studio apartment at the top of a three-story building.

   The weather is cold, windy and it creates rather a pessimistic mood. The nature submitted only in a few sentences, it is very harmonic with the internal contents of the characters.

“A persistent, cold rain was falling, mingled with snow.”

“The cold breath of autumn had stricken its leaves from the vine until its skeleton branches clung, almost bare…”

    The whole description of places where the story comes about draw in our imagination not a very bright and happy picture. In this way O. Henry shows us the all sadness of the story.