O'Connor was born and raised in Georgia, a heavily biblically influenced place, and it's no coincidence that her story is also set in Georgia. This symbolizes that even in the most concentrated area of ​​Christians, people are still full of sin and misfortune. The most important place in the story is the red ditch where the family finds themselves after the accident. The cloudless blue sky lingers as dusk approaches. This area symbolizes a place of salvation and is where the grandmother finds herself after finally finding grace and dying. Another important location is the ominous woods that serve as the backdrop to the story and describe the family's horrible fate. The mouth of the forest is dark and dangerous like Grandma's incessantly open mouth. Grandma changes things on her own by using her mouth again, but her family is taken to the mouth of the woods where they never could