The novel is set in the Deep South, where, for more than a century, cotton was integral to the South’s economy. This crop symbolizes survival and speaks to the theme of The Struggle for Economic Independence. Children are let out of school in March to help their families with the cotton crop. Cassie says, “Cotton sustained life, and no matter how greatly learning was respected, the cotton had to be planted, chopped, weeded, and picked if the family was to survive” (89).

The Logans are desperate for a good crop because government edicts prevent them from planting too much cotton. Their sharecropping neighbors face a similar dilemma. The Great Depression has driven cotton prices down, and curtailing the supply is intended to bring prices back up. While this tactic might look good to authorities in Washington, it creates a crisis for the small farmers in the South.

Of course, the planters are eager to exploit this new hardship to increase the debt owed to them by poor sharecroppers. Granger is particularly happy to capitalize on the situation to force the Logans into a state of economic dependence on him. The family strives hard to prevent that from happening.