Extra Credit Reader Response
Posted on November 18th, 2007 by deandj
Reader-response from New Stories from the South, Raise Children Here by George Singleton. Length: One developed paragraph. Worth: 5 points. What is it about place in Southern literature that’s so important to authors and their characters? Can your hometown or state boast anything like the Fruitcake Capital of the World as mentioned in the story? Explain.
4 Responses to “Extra Credit Reader Response”
Discussion Area - Leave a Comment
You must be logged in to post a comment.
Location is very important to Southern literature and its authors. The right location sets the tone of the story. Many times, where someone lives defines who they are or who they will inevitably become. If you are from a big city that has fast pace life, obviously you don’t belong in Southern literature. In the South, people have different characteristics and define and create “lit grit” Southern writing.
My hometown, Dexter, Missouri, actually can boast about something similar to the Fruitcake capital. We host the spot for the largest tree in Missouri! While thats not something that is actually profitable like fruitcake making, our town is very proud of this acheivement. Reading this story was funny, because too many times in my town i’ve heard, “this is a great place to raise children.”
Southern authors make their locations important in their stories for it is the place where their unique characters thrive. Withought the small town vibe from Claxton, Georgia, there would not be such polar extremes of characters. One side is proud of their hometown because it’s a quaint little place to raise children. Nothing bad would ever happen in a fruit cake capital. However, the rebel side is seen when the marijuana growing citizens of Claxton want the quiet little town to stay just as it is for a wonderful cover up. The two sides work off each other as they only would in a small town place.
I found myself smiling many times throughout this story for it has striking resemblances to my own town. While Alma, Missouri is far too small to hold the prestigious “Fruit Cake Capital of the World,” it’s 420 citizens boast of Alma being the “Cleanest Little City.” While there are a number of drug busts throughout farms hiding fields of more than corn and beans, I still hold true to the idea that Alma was a great place to grow up.
Location is often the thing that molds a human being. You have alot of influence from where you grew up and one’s surroundings. In Southern Literature the location is often where the characters personality is thrived. You often see that a past location or memory is what has molded their personality. In the “Fruit Cake Capital of the World” many people cared about the apearance of the town because no one likes to hear bad things about how their town is screwed up. They only like to hear the good on how “it would be great to raise children here.”
Although, the town has it’s perks and there are very nice people towns always has it’s eddgy side. You can’t tell much about a town unless some one tells you what has happened there. I don’t think that you can tell much about a town unless you have lived there because other wise you are just judging.
Setting for an author not only provides their story with valuable context, but also sets a standard of normal behavior for a citizen of that place, and allows the characters to either conform or deviate from that standard. In George Singleton’s case, Claxton, Georgia set the bar of behavior and lifestyle for the characters that Dawes met with. While my hometown of Warrenton, MO does not boast a world-famous site for anything, it does possess a well-known outlet mall that seems to be our calling card with every Missouri citizen. When I meet someone for the first time and tell them I’m from Warrenton, they always end it with telling me how many times they’ve been there and what they bought. While I appreciate the outlet mall for all its worth, I don’t feel that my life can be properly linked with its existence and I completely understand the importance of setting to a story at the same time. It allows the reader to basically set a stereotype for a character, only for that character to emerge as an individual in the end.