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
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Jim could not handle the responsibility and felt incredibly guilty for it. In addition, the other people in that community may not have had enough to spare to feed Jim’s child. Jim then lost the ability to tolerate his daughters whining. Jim was escorted to jail by the sheriff, where a crowd of curious townspeople soon gathered. 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. While reading “Daughter,” one can understand the people’s thinking more, as it is consistent to what life was like in the Southern United States in the early 20th century. ” (Caldwell 39) The key word there is “again” which suggests that the girl had been hungry and complaining for a length of time. In today’s time, killing is something with which we are not familiar- especially when it involves children. Human beings have a certain tolerance for anxiety, but after a time we can begin to lose patience and react without thinking clearly first. Jim needs these to support himself and his daughter, Clara, who is eight years old. In the story, Jim is a “Negro” which affects his rights. They decided it was not right for him to be punished. They realized it was not his fault that his daughter was hungry, and felt badly because of what the farm owner did. ceives his pay in the form of food and shelter. The owner of the farm is most likely white, and would therefore expect his African-American workers not to question his authority.
Approximate Word count =
888
Approximate Pages =
4 (250 words per page double spaced)
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