Understanding the setting in Go Set a Watchman is crucial in analyzing the text for its theme. The place people live often correlates to their views and their behavior. To begin the book by describing Jean Louise’s train ride from New York City (a northern, liberal urban center), to Maycomb (a southern, conservative small town), sets the tone and introduces the conflict it will present. This setup allows for the reader to infer which issues will stir up dispute, and what big ideas they should pay attention to in terms of theme. In addition to place, time plays an important role as well. While it may be between the lines, the 1954 Supreme Court decision Brown vs. Board of Education is brought up numerous times, suggesting that the story is taking place sometime after that. Maycomb …show more content…
The way that setting influences the characters is a method of portraying different points of view, making characters indispensable to conveying theme. An example of where setting shapes the actions of a character is when Hank feels obliged to attend Citizens’ Council meetings, shown as he scolds Jean Louise for not considering that men “must conform to certain demands of the community they live in simply so they can be of service to it” (230). Because the demands of the community require him to join a cause that, in Jean Louise’s eyes, is backwards, racist, and worthless, she begins to feel a disillusionment with her close friend Hank, as well as the place she knows as home. She begins to realize the true extent of the racism and bigotry that permeates Maycomb; and in the worst way: by observing the actions of the ones she loves most. Growing up, she wasn’t aware of the mounting tension in Maycomb because she was under the shield of her righteous, well-respected father. However, returning as an adult from a northern city with different views, she feels a disconnect: “Go away, the old buildings