The American South

The novel’s main physical setting is in the South of the United States of America. For much of its history, this particular part of the country embraced slavery as part of its social, economic, moral, and political systems. The novel’s action is a portrait of different sorts of rebellion (unspoken/internal, subversive, personal) against that system.

The Mid-1800’s

In terms of time, the novel is set in the twenty or so years before the American Civil War. At several points late in the narrative, the book refers to the tensions in America building toward the war.

Ohio

Mattie and her family want to escape to Ohio, which is located in the northern part of the United States. Ohio was free of slavery. Later in the narrative, as Lisbeth and her husband Matthew seek freedom of their own, they too travel to Ohio. It...