College

The majority of the story takes place at Francie’s unnamed college. She originally declares her major as child psychology, but as she continues to take writing seminars, she finds that she is focusing more on writing than on classes for her major. She eventually switches her major to, implicitly, English and/or creative writing. She continues to pursue writing despite the fact that her classmates seem to consistently dislike the stories she writes.

Francie’s Parents’ Home

One of the opening scenes takes place in Francie’s home while she is in high school. She gives her mother some poems she wrote, in hope of praise or feedback. However, her mother shows no interest. This moment establishes a central tensions between her mother’s traditional practicality and Francie’s interest in writing.

High School

One of the early scenes in the story takes place in Francie’s...