The setting is where and when a story takes place. In this case, the story takes place in rainy Sarajevo when it was part of a mixed-economy Yugoslavia, which places the story between the 1950s and the 1980s. The setting is important to the story because the narrative of the assassination that happened in the same location parallels the main events of the piece. Additionally, the rain sets the mood that suggests that the relationship between the narrator and Peter is negative. In fact, Fay Weldon explicitly connects sadness and the rain by writing, “This is a sad story. It has to be. It rained in Sarajevo, and we had expected fine weather” (Paragraph 1). Weldon also stresses the capitalist elements of the economy to support the theme of The Effects of Pivotal Choices.

An allegory is a story (within the larger story) that represents a deeper meaning. The central relationship is an allegory for Princip’s choice during the assassination of the Archduke is an allegory composed of multiple parts. Princip’s love for his country reflects the protagonist’s love for Peter, which the