Langston Hughes attempts to capture the everydayness and commonplaceness of Melton’s physical appearance. Hughes uses contradictory adjectives to describe the town. Hughes wonders, for instance, whether it’s a city or rural area. The most significant aspect of this story’s setting, however is its discussion on socioeconomic status. Cora’s family, which is the sole black in the area, seems to have a lower social standing. Hughes designed a wonderful context arrangement that illustrates how Cora is a representative of the low socioeconomic class and minority who struggles against categorizing individuals according to their income, colour, or nationality.
Hughes puts Cora in situations where she doesn’t adhere to her core values all through the novel. This is a typical example of Hughes’s many methods to emphasize Cora’s unique personality. The primary conflict in this instance is not between Cora or individual people, but between the Melton systems. There are concerns about Cora’s view of life in relation to the Studevants. Cora stands for humanity while the Studevants tend to be preoccupied by social class. Jessie’s pregnancy upsets Mrs. Art of the Studevant families. This was a very embarrassing situation for her. Hughes, however, demonstrates Mrs. Art’s frustration when Cora says, “Jessie will have a child” (3). Cora anticipated Mrs. Art becoming a happy mother. However, this shows how Cora’s femininity, based on humanity, is questionable in light of the Studevant’s social standing.
The Studevant is a story about the problems that social categorisation may cause in human relationships. Cora’s role in the novel was meant to be used as an opportunity for ridiculing wealthy members of society. According to the circumstances of the story, Cora seems more outgoing that the Studevants. Studevants have a strong influence on interpersonal relationships, as it seems. Cora has lost many of her siblings to the desire to be able socialize outside their family. The narrator points out that Mary still lives with her parents, despite being marriedable. Cora is not convinced by interpersonal interactions. At the Studevants she can establish trust with Jessie.
Because of their need to live, the settings in the book reflect the modesty and poverty of people from the lower socioeconomic levels. Cora’s humbleness is admirable, as she shows how hubris leads to troubled families. Jessie was lost to Mrs. Art’s overbearing nature. As such, this scenario demonstrates how rich people become delusional and grow arrogant.