Setting

The story is set in a rural southern community in the early years of the twentieth century. All of the events of the story take place within the space between Hawkins' large farm and Dave's modest home, including the road that connects them and the store along the way. This constricted setting suggests the limitations of Dave's options and contributes to an atmosphere of entrapment.

The two locales of farm and home suggest a duality between have and have-not, rich and poor, white and black, which is evocative of the larger segregated culture. The road is a particularly significant setting as it is a place of movement and transition where the story both begins and ends.

Narration

"The Man Who Was Almost a Man" is narrated by a third-person, omniscient narrator. That is, the story is told by a narrator who is not part of the story's action...