The Little Friend

The Little Friend is set in Alexandria, Mississippi, in the mid-1970s, and the novel also refers to events that took place in previous decades. The novel’s historical and physical setting shape aspects of the plot and character dynamics, especially concerning race, socioeconomic class, and gender. The protagonist is a 12-year-old white girl from an upper-class family that now has less money than it used to in the past. Her family members resent people of color, working-class white people, and Northerners, whom they blame for their relative “misfortune.” The family’s attempts to glorify the past result in exacerbated prejudices toward groups that are “othered.”

After the Civil War and Reconstruction, the American South was racially segregated until the practice was formally outlawed in 1964. The novel takes place after public schools were integrated, but Harriet and her white counterparts attend private school, thereby resegregating the schools themselves since most Black children in town attend public school. This trend was common at the time and still exists in some areas. The racial dynamics in the novel are such that even working-class white families like the Ratliffs forego other necessities to pay tuition for private school, which they really can’t afford. For example, Curtis does not have a jacket but attends the private school with Harriet, seemingly just to avoid going to school with people of color. Although this segregation exists in schools, many of the white families in the novel (including Harriet’s) employ Black housekeepers who do most of the domestic work for them. Harriet differs from her peers in that she develops a deep and meaningful relationship with Ida Rhew, who works at her house, and is devastated when Ida gets fired. Although Harriet may seem to be rejecting the racism of her white counterparts, she still has a worldview that is informed by her own race, and she views Ida as someone who is there to serve her family rather than someone who has her own family.

Another cultural element included in the novel is the use of poisonous snakes by preachers. This was a trend at the time when the novel is set and still exists in some Southern states despite legal issues. Typically, preachers would argue that the snakes would not bite congregants unless God saw it fit and that snakes are not evil because they are also part of God’s creation. Characters like Loyal Reece, who uses snakes, contrast with characters like Edie, who attend church despite not believing in God. Christianity was a pervasive cultural presence in the American South, and although the preachers who used snakes were generally seen as outside the mainstream, so were people who didn’t attend church at all. The fact that Edie attends church just to socialize is less abnormal than it would be if she didn’t attend at all.

The novel also refers to some now outdated laws. For example, girls today can still get married at age 15 with parental consent in Mississippi, but the minimum required age was only 12 until 1957. The minimum age for driving permits has also increased over time, along with legal requirements to stay in school longer. These changes coincide to some degree with stricter laws against child labor and child abuse.