Text Questions: Where is Here?

1. The stranger arrives at the house one November evening at dusk. The timing of
the stranger’s arrival creates a sense of mystery in many ways. Dusk is usually a time of day
when most people are more susceptible to fear and superstition, so a stranger wanting to
come inside the house is very frightening. In addition to this, the details given regarding the
stranger made him seem more ambiguous and less identifiable. The combination of factors,
such as setting and sensory details, create a sense of unease and suspense in the audience,
making the stranger seem like a figure of danger and mystery.

2. The father let the stranger look around the house believing that it was a nice
gesture to the stranger, while the mother was suspicious of the stranger’s intentions from the
beginning. However, as the plot progressed, the father gets more agitated and intimidated by
the stranger’s actions and this ends very badly for his wife. After the stranger’s departure, the
father is very frustrated, and he takes his anger out on his wife, who suggested it was his idea
initially, by beating her. The father’s abusive nature emerged once again, and it can be
inferred that the circumstances for his wife became worse.

3. The stranger reacts with surprise and delight when he sees the window seat as it
was his happy place when his father was not home. However, in the bedroom, the stranger is
quiet and withdrawn because all the memories of his abuse resurfaced inside him. The
stranger's reaction to the window seat and the boy's bedroom suggests that he had a difficult
relationship with his own father. The window seat was a place where he could feel safe and
protected, away from his father while his bedroom was a reminder of his father’s abusive
nature.

4. The stranger makes the apparent mistake of saying "We’ve all been dead" when
the mother asks him if his family is still living, suggesting the fact that he is not alive. Where
is Here? could be a ghost story as many of the details support the conclusion that the stranger
had died due to this father’s abusive nature. The stranger requests to go to the basement
repeatedly, allowing the audience to assume that he may have died there. In the end, it is up
to speculation whether Where is Here? is a ghost story, but many of the details support the
fact that the stranger wanted to come back and visit the place where he died.
 First Read Questions: Where is Here

1. The stranger wanted to continue upstairs, while the mother and father wanted him
to leave the house. Paragraph 21 supports the idea that the stranger was determined to go to
his childhood room as it states, “... indeed almost defiantly, did he limp his way to the stairs
neither the father nor the mother knew how to dissuade him.” The stranger wanted to go
upstairs so that he could visit his room. It can be inferred that his room was where he got
abused the most as his body language and demeanor suddenly shifted towards defiance and
bravery. The stranger wanted to go to his room and battle his worst memories of getting
abused by his father.

2. The demeanor and composure of the stranger changed when the mother asked him
if his parents were alive, and he mistakenly said he was not either. In addition to this, the
ending of the story includes a moment where the stranger is asked to leave, and he has a
complete mental breakdown; this moment was triggered due to many memories of his
abusive father resurfacing. Initially, as the stranger was in the backyard, the mother was
extremely suspicious of his motivations for coming to the house, but eventually she allowed
him inside feeling sympathetic towards his circumstance as she realized the stranger was a
soft-spoken individual who meant no harm. It can be assumed that she allows the stranger to
come inside as it may provide her with temporary relief from her husband’s abusive nature.

3. The story elements in Where Is Here? are described in a way that creates a sense
of mystery, tension, and unease. The use of literary elements, such as dialogue and sensory
details, create a sense of uneasiness, a common theme in modern Gothic literature. The story
Where Is Here? creates a sense of the uncanny by presenting the reader with ordinary
settings and characters, but then adding disturbing elements, such as the stranger's mysterious
past and the house's dark secrets. The audience eventually realizes the recurring topic of
abuse, and how it affected both families, and the occasional hint that the stranger is a ghost is
one that also raises suspense in the overall story. The author creates the effect of mystery and
suspense by gradually revealing the true past behind the stranger and the family.