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Walter Van Tilburg Clark's The Portable Phonograph

810 Words4 Pages

In “The Portable Phonograph,” Walter Van Tilburg Clark uses of setting is used to describe and captivate the depth of the new world that Dr, Jenner must experience. Setting in “The Portable Phonograph” is crucial to understand the characters and their actions because the audience will have to understand that the environment that the individuals are placed in are what causes them to act the way that they do. Many of Dr. Jenkins attitudes towards his guest during the post- apocalyptic time period can be connected to the atmosphere, the cave, and to Dr. Jenkins bedroom. The atmosphere in “The Portable Phonograph”plays a major role in understanding Dr. Jenkins and the reason for his actions, so much that we are able to see the characteristics …show more content…

Jenkins home resonates the life that he must now lead. The cave is a substantial symbol in understanding the setting and the proposed irony of Dr. Jenkins. To him, humanity was Earth's greatests specie, but they became too clever for their own good and caused their own destruction (265). It's ironic that one of the greatest species to ever walk on Earth must now resort to the comfort of a cave in order to hide from their creation. The cave is now a safe haven for survival, and the only way of survival is through devolution. The cave is now a symbol of starting over and becoming a different race of humans; one that doesn't destroy but loves and appreciates. Except the men that have gathered there won't be the start of a new race, but they will be the last. Being forced to act like a caveman has forged Dr. Jenkins to resort to violent tendencies. As a result of survival and the will to live, one must do things that could involve caveman characteristics rationing certain important objects. This is seen with the delicate use of the phonograph and the four books that Dr. Jenkins brought to the sanctuary. As a result of the setting Dr. Jenkins has come to treat the books with a “ceremonial” handling and rations the phonograph needles (266). The circumstances that he is placed in and the scarcity of the books and needles causes him to act as if they are the last of it's kind, which they very well may be. These books and needles are contextual symbols that

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