The story’s setting is in one of the western cities in the Midwest. One of the reasons the story is based there is that Bernice refers to her hometown as Eau Claire. Since she had visited her cousin, likely, they were not very far from home. It is also evident from the author Fitzgerald who likes to base his stories on his home place. He came from St. Paul, Minnesota, and it is the most likely environment for the story.
The significance of the environment can be in many ways. First, it was the time when American history was at its climax. It was being redefined, and significant changes were taking place in the society because of the different races witnessed in the country. In the 1920s, the anti-alcohol movement was on the rise to stop unethical issues in the community due to the influence of alcohol.
During this period, the new generation of youths was making many changes in society with a lot of partying and celebrations all over the country. The setting of the story gives a picture of how the characters took part in the redefinition of society’s cultural and social practices. Bernice was an exposed young Indian girl who knew little about western culture, but the change of surroundings determined and shaped her life. He firmly followed their cultural practices and how her mum taught her.
When she arrives at her cousin’s place, she tries to maintain her social standards for a long time, but as time goes by, she is forced into the practices of modern western culture. Bernice tried to overcome the obstacles and adversity of the environment to some point but later failed. She turned into a new kind of woman who went to parties and interacted with other guys who wore short skirts, and she refused to follow the directives of the traditional woman. This is the central conflict that arises in Fitzgerald’s story.