The Portable Phonograph

In a story of this type there does not have to be a conflict between characters or a character's inner conflict. This is a story about the greatest conflict in the history of mankind, and it might...

These pits were such as might have been made by falling meteors, but they were not. They were the scars of gigantic bombs, their rawness already made a little natural by rain, seed and time. Along...

Dr. Jenkins The main character of the story is a very old man named Dr. Jenkins. He lives in a cave-like tunnel near a frozen stream in a barren landscape that has been ruined by a catastrophic...

In "The Portable Phonography," the books that are inside a hole in the wall next to Dr. Jenkins's bed are the Bible, the complete works of William Shakespeare, Moby Dick, and the Divine Comedy. Dr....

In "The Portable Phonograph," Walter Van Tilburg Clark maintains an almost detached tone to narrate a story of the bleak state of humanity in a post-apocalyptic setting. In the opening paragraph,...

The atmosphere is cold, bleak, dark, wretched, nearly unbearable and uninhabitable. It is the atmosphere of a wasteland. These four men seem doomed. They are being reduced to a primitive existence...

The famous short story "The Portable Phonograph" by Walter van Tilburg Clark was originally published in the collection The Watchful Gods and Other Stories in 1950 and has been anthologized many...

In his short story “The Portable Phonograph,” Walter van Tilburg Clark uses many adjectives in the first three paragraphs to help create a vivid setting and a memorable mood. Among the adjectives...

In the short story titled “The Portable Phonograph,” by Walter van Tilburg Clark, the setting implies the aftermath of a horribly destructive war. Details of the setting which imply such a war...

One of the strongest elements of the short story is its questioning of progress. The story features a setting that has been decimated by world conflict. Technological advancement and progress...

There is an implicit contrast throughout the story between the present and the past. The four men are living in the wasteland created by a great nuclear war. Although the bombs did not kill...

The Significance of Art When Dr. Jenkins realizes that the world is ending around him, he chooses to save what he considers the best efforts of mankind. He saves Shakespeare, Dante, Melville, and...

The setting for Moneyballis largely seen in Oakland of the early 2000s. This particular time period occupies importance in the book for a couple of reasons. Initially, the early 2000s and late...

In the wake of the desolation and emptiness of the world presented to the reader, the value of art is a powerful one. The role of art in this story is one that soothes and provides entertainment....

I cannot see that the four men in the story brought anything with them to the setting inside the cave. Three of the men are visitors and evidently brought nothing because they have nothing to...

The tone and atmosphere of Walter Van Tilburg Clark’s story “The Portable Phonograph” are effectively established in the first three paragraphs of the work. Simply in his use of nouns, Clark...

There could be many explanations for this. One potential reason would be to enhance the universal feel of the work. In writing this story in 1941, Clark is witnessing the effects of the Second...

The story opens at sunset and establishes a dark and desolate setting. We are told that the clouds blacked the sky "like threats," and everything is cold. The air is filled with a "sensation of...

In The Portable Phonograph by Walter Van Tilburg Clark, the exact quantity of various objects is frequently given. Concerning objects which appears in fours: A small red fire is describes as coming...