Town

The story is set in a small, unnamed town in rural Indiana. The population is stagnant at about 1,200 people, and it appears to have originally been established as a farming community, although farming has greatly diminished in and around the town. The narrator acknowledges some aspects of beauty in the town, although he more heavily emphasizes the sense of aimlessness, sadness, and isolation associated with life in the town.

House

The narrator lives in a house with only his pet cat as company. Behind the house is a row of maple trees, the tops of which were removed to make room for power lines. The narrator’s main preoccupation at home appears to be writing fiction and poetry. He generally feels lonely and isolated. When he looks out through the windows of his house, the views remind him of death.

Billy’s House

Billy Holsclaw’s house is...