THe Claw. (Based on James Robertson short story)

James Robertson’s short story ‘The Claw’ is a good example of a tale in which setting is crucial to both character and action. The narrative is set in a nursing home and the entire action of the story takes place during a single visit. A man of 35 visits his aging grandfather—the old man is 98. At first it seems like a casual situation, a conversation between two relatives who are fond of each other but hugely different in every way. However, as the tale unfolds, it becomes clear that the two men have a great deal in common: each of them is facing illness and death, and each of them is afraid.



The setting is immediately obvious from the start of the story. The two men are sitting having a cup of tea in the grandfather’s room in the nursing home. The old man is very frail and needs help “to get to the bathroom or the dining room”. He has to use a chair lift to get downstairs, and when the staff are too busy to help him, he has meals in his room. This is “happenin...