The Story of My Life

by Helen Keller

The Story of My Life: Setting 1 key example

Definition of Setting

Setting is where and when a story or scene takes place. The where can be a real place like the city of New York, or it can be an imagined... read full definition
Setting is where and when a story or scene takes place. The where can be a real place like the city of New York, or... read full definition
Setting is where and when a story or scene takes place. The where can be a real place like the... read full definition
Setting
Explanation and Analysis:

The Story of My Life takes place during the early years of Helen Keller's life during the late 19th century in the United States. Each location in the story represents a new chapter in Helen's life. The first location she mentions is Tuscumbia, Alabama—a small town in Northern Alabama where Keller was born on June 27, 1880. She grows up, falls ill, and loses her sight and hearing in this location. The second significant location is Boston, Massachusetts, at the Perkins Institution for the Blind. While at the Institution, Helen meets Dr. Alexander Graham Bell, a man of "tenderness and sympathy" who examines her and approves of her beginning more formal education. In May 1888, Helen moved to Boston to attend Perkins, and her life was forever changed.