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“The Scarlet Ibis” takes place in the American South in the 1910s. In the story, there are several historical details that place the story in this time period. First, the “crazy” neighbor is described as being in love with President Woodrow Wilson, who served as president from 1913 to 1921. Then in the year 1918, the narrator recalls hearing names around the house such as Château-Thierry, Amiens, and Soissons, which were places in France where battles took place during World War I between 1914 through 1918. During prayer at the supper table, Mama also takes special care to “bless the Pearsons, whose boy Joe was lost in Belleau Wood.” Belleau Wood was another battle site in France during World War I, a war in which over 100,000 American soldiers were killed.

Further historical context is given during the episode following the hurricane that destroys the family’s crops. Father goes out into his now ruined field and curses “heaven, hell, the weather, and the Republican Party.” At the time, most southern farmers were Democrats, and southern states were held mostly by the Democratic Party, who supported pro-agricultural policies. This was before the broad demographic allegiances to the two parties essentially switched.

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