Imagine you’re reading about a small child lost in a forest. Tall trees block the sky and darken the sun. The wind moving through branches whispers and moans. Animals rustle around the forest floor. Somewhere not far away, something howls. As you continue to read, your sense of apprehension increases. You may even feel the hairs on the back of your neck stand up.
Would you feel differently if, in the story’s opening scene, the main character was lost on the moon instead of in a forest? That would be a very different story, and the details of its setting would probably evoke very different feelings in you as a reader. In other words, a description of the moon’s surface would create a very different mood.
While it is difficult to imagine yourself lost on the moon, you can probably relate to a young child lost in the forest. You’ve probably seen a forest, firsthand, or at least a wooded area. However, if an author described the surface of the moon vividly enough—with enough specific detail, that setting would convey a mood as well.
Question
The first chapter of Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry describes a setting that is much broader and more complex than a single place, like a forest or the moon. How might you describe that setting? What mood does the novel’s setting create?
