English 102W – Final Draft
June 5, 2015

How Setting Sets the Tone for “The Portable Phonograph”

Walter Van Tilburg Clark describes in the great detail the setting for the “The Portable
Phonograph.” The story begins with the narrator describing the desolate conditions left by a war on a cold, late fall day. Four men have survived the war in place where there is no pleasure for the eye to see. The only pleasure can be found within in their minds is from the music played by an old portable phonograph. Clark uses the first three paragraphs to describe the setting before introducing the characters. The tone is very dark. He describes the clouds as “veils” of darkness and talks of “violence” of the upper air. The prairie lands are defined as “dead” and deeply scarred from the great toothed tanks. The setting describes the earlier war action. The pits are “scars of gigantic bombs” with their rawness covered only by a bit of weeds. The mud is frozen. The only sounds are from the geese flying south and the “quick yip-yap of a prairie wolf.” One is left clearly seeing nothing but bleak, uninhabitable conditions. The structural frame of the story is further held together by the descriptive narration of their dreadful living conditions. The men are living in makeshift caves or “cells” dug into the banks. The connotation of cells reminds one of jail like conditions where there is little or no satisfaction from life. There may not be any true bars holding them in, but certainly the weight of the setting feels like there is.
The first glimpse of light is portrayed by the small red fire “which showed dully through the opening, like a reflection or deception of the imagination.” The small fire is described as giving “petty” warmth and “acrid” smoke. The old wood fence posts are described as “precious,” for they can provide enough heat to keep the men alive during the cold winter months that lie ahead. This is not a life of warmth, but one of mere survival.
The characters are clearly affected by the setting in which they are living. They are disheartened and suffering. The men sit around the fire on old and ragged army blankets. Their hands and bodies are described as “gnarled” and “prehistoric.” Their hair is matted, and their eyes are sunken. One labeled as the musician is sickly and has a cough that will not go away. There is no place to seek medical treatment. One of the men talks about how his brain has “become thick, like my hands.” He holds his hands up to the fire to show how bad of shape there are in. The effects of living in this kind of destruction has not only ravaged their bodies, but their minds as well. There is very little way to escape the harsh realities of the conditions they live in.
One of the four men, Dr. Jenkins manages to save some books, a portable phonograph, and a few records. These are described in light, uplifting tones. He does not regret saving these items even if they seem “impractical.” Clark describes the books as “fine, leather bound books.” As they are unwrapped or opened, the men sit and watch almost religiously. They take a worship like pose as the Doctor opens the phonograph. These items are the only thing that can bring pleasure to these men in this war torn country, and that pleasure is only in their minds. The records have labels “with luxuriant gold and red seals.” Nothing has been talked about in this story is such a positive uplifting way.
When the music is played by one of the few steels needles left, the men seem hopeful. They envision a different time, when life was easier and there were pleasures. The music is described as “delectable” with notes that “tinkled.” The settings seem light and carefree even though they are sitting in a cave like cell. These few minutes are the only moments of pleasure for these men. As soon as the music finishes, the other men leave and face the bleakness of the world around them. As the musician is walking away, suppressing a cough, the doctor notices the one of the four flying stars is suddenly “obscured” by a flying cloud. Clark is using the cloud covering one of the stars as a symbolic sign that the musician is likely not long for this world due to his sickness. He is effectively showing there is very little light or life left in him. The doctor then believes he sees a shadow amongst the trees and becomes nervous and protective, returning to his war zone mentality. He even turns his ragged blanket bed laid on the bare earth towards the door to guard the only pleasures he has left in this desolate and war ravaged country.

WORK CITED
Clark, Walter. “The Portable Phonograph.” Literature: An Introduction to reading and Writing.
Ed. Edgar V. Roberts and Henry E. Jacobs. 8th ed. Upper Saddle River: Prentice Hall, 2007. 264-268