Mississippi, 1941

The story is set in a small town in Mississippi, in the year 1941. In the original printing of the story, it was set in 1939. During this time, the United States was still suffering lingering effects of the Great Depression. As the reader can observe, the story’s characters all appear to be suffering under financial strain and concerns about money. The setting is also significant in the insularity of the community, as some characters view outsiders (such as Mrs. Pike) with wariness.

Hair Salon

Technically, all of the story’s scenes take place in the hair salon where Mrs. Fletcher regularly has appointments. Mrs. Fletcher converses with her hairdresser—Leota—and the information conveyed in their conversations comprises the main substance of the story. In this way, the hair salon is like a community hub, where the employees and customers converse and trade recent personal anecdotes. Mrs. Fletcher...