TKAM Setting Blog

         The picture I chose to represent Maycomb County shows a small town with old cars. One of the main cars looks very dirty as if it could be a farming truck. In the book, To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee it states, "As Maycomb County was farm country, nickels and dimes were hard to come by for doctors and dentists and lawyers." This quote shows that mostly everyone was a farmer in Maycomb County. The truck in the front of the picture looks to be a truck that carries produce produced on farms. The truck accurately represents the lifestyle of Maycomb County. This photo also depicts Maycomb because the man in the picture seems to be very hot. The book states, "Somehow it was hotter then: a black dog suffering on a summer's day; bony mules hitched to Hoover carts flicked flies in the sweltering shade of the live oaks on the square. Men's stiff collars wilted by nine in the morning. Ladies bathed before noon, after their three-o'clock naps, and by nightfall were like soft teacakes with frostings of sweat and sweet talcum." This quote explains that Scout, the main character, remembers Maycomb to be excruciatingly hot. The picture shows this because the man in the car has his head down resting in the shade of his car. There seems to be a rag of some sort on his neck and head that could be helping him keep cool from the sun. This picture also represents the way people could have acted in Maycomb county.

         There was a few things that I thought about while looking at the photo. One of these things was that the main car seems a lot more dirty and beat up then all the other ones. The reason of this was that this could have been a farmers truck, since it needed a trunk for all the produce. Something else that I thought about was what the difference would have been if this picture was taken today. Well, one of the differences would be that all the cars would be a lot newer and have air conditioning. The "farming" truck would be a big SUV that you see on the highways with the logo of the store, restaurant, or farm on the sides of it. Another difference would be how the stores would have new companies like Apple, Forever 21, Zumiez, and McDonalds. Maybe the buildings themselves would be more modern with air conditioning and plumbing.

        While looking at this photo I had a few questions. These questions was, What was the exact purpose for the photographer to take this photo?, Who is the man in the truck?, and What time of the year was this picture taken?.

Evans, Walker. Untitled Photo. June 1936. Farm Security Administration/Office of War Information Black-and-White Negatives, Library of Congress, Greensboro, Alabama