Caldwell
The location and time period in which a story is set affects the reader's understanding of the tale. It makes the text more believable, as events are more believable in certain time periods. People act differently in different time periods. While reading, one takes into account the events that occur, and judges whether they are consistent with the time. This then affects whether the reader enjoys the story or not. The setting of Erskine Caldwell's short story "Daughter" has a significant affect on the reader's understanding of the events that unfold. The story takes place in the early part of the 20th century. The presence of automobiles and the reference to them as "cars" leads the reader to believe that the story takes place after 1920, however, the way African-Americans are titled as "Negroes" and the significance of the cotton gin and share cropping suggest late 19th century influences. In the story "Daughter," farming was the way of life in the southern United States. By setting the story in the South, it causes the reader to make certain assumptions about the culture. There are small towns, with close farming communities. The main character, Jim, made a living through sharecropping. He re
ceives his pay in the form of food and shelter. Jim needs these to support himself and his daughter, Clara, who is eight years old. After a mule on the farm dies, the owner blames Jim and revokes his shares. Actions like this were accepted, almost common in southern culture in the early part of the 20th century, but are not common today. In addition, early 20th century society and perhaps more in the South believed that African Americans were inferior to the white race. Any resistance or disrespect towards their white counterparts would induce serious trouble. In the story, Jim is a "Negro" which affects his rights. The owner of the farm is most likely white, and would therefore expect his African-American workers not to question his authority. There was not much Jim could do to prevent his loss of shares, and any argument could have cost him his job or possibly his life. If Caldwell had chosen to set the story in a more recent time, the reader would be more inclined to expect Jim to argue with the owner, in order to keep his money and support his daughter. The townspeople come to a conclusion that it was not morally right to keep Jim locked up, most likely because it was not his fault that his daughter was suffering. There was nothing Jim could do to prevent his daughter from going hungry. He did not
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Approximate Word count = 888
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)
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