Winesburg College

Most of the novel’s action is set at Winesburg College, a fictional college in Ohio. The college’s name is a reference to the novel “Winesburg, Ohio,” by Sherwood Anderson, which details the many tribulations of denizens of a small town in Ohio. Marcus Messner transfers to Winesburg College after completing one year at a small college in Newark. Marcus transfers in order to put distance between himself and his father, who has become intensely and irrationally fearful of everything, especially of the prospect of Marcus dying or ruining his own future. At Winesburg College, Marcus clashes for various reasons with his roommates and with the devoutly Christian dean, Hawes Caudwell. Marcus is eventually expelled for refusing to fulfill the college requirement of attending chapel, and he is subsequently drafted into the Korean War and killed in combat.

Newark

Newark is the most populous city in...