“The sun shone with a brilliant glare. The white sand in the yard reflected the bright light and made the shade on the porch seem dark and cool.”

This description of the sharp Floridian sun presents the juxtaposition of the setting. Florida is characterized by the juxtaposition of the bright glare of the sun and the coolness of the shade. The glare and the shade are metaphors for the dichotomy of Florida as both a setting for prosperity and poverty.

“Although she was only seven, she was not afraid of her father.”

This first characterization of Essie as courageous in the face of her formidable father is important because it introduces the foreshadowed conflict with her father. It also foreshadows that antagonists can be made more powerful by fear, but they can also be taken down by courage.

“The woman and children plowed the loose, dry sand with their bare feet. With each step forward, they seemed to slip a trifle backward, so their progress was slow. Bushy scrub oaks and a thicket of palmetto grew on the far side of the rough path, while a forest of tall pines rose in the distance.”

Mrs. Slater and her younger children are characterized by their poverty and heaviness. Their bare feet signify their poverty, and the imagery of their “plowing” through the sand suggests the heavy burden of their poverty. The slowness of their progress is mirrored in the unforgiving and spindly characterization of the natural plants and the setting around them.