The Bottom

The Bottom is the poor, rural Pennsylvania town where the four linked stories of "The Five-Carat Soul Bottom Bone Band" take place. The Bottom is just outside of Uniontown, PA, and its poverty is a result of the shuttering of local steel mills some time before the stories take place. It is a predominantly African American town with a reputation for crime and tragedy. When the journalists arrive after the shooting of Buck Boy, Butter remarks that "The Bottom is always good for the news. 'Cause we mostly bad news" (57). Poverty is one of the major themes of Five-Carat Soul, and nowhere is this theme more prevalent than in the stories about The Bottom. In addition to mentioning the steel mills, Butter describes the dilapidated Thresher Park with its lone sycamore tree and refers to his friend Goat's family's obvious financial struggles. For example, Mr. Popcorn's former...