Coming of Age in Ferris Beach Ferris Beach by Jill McCorkle is set in the 1970s, a transitional period in American history. The book chronicles the Roman buildings of Katie Burn's coming of age. Its maturation is complicated by the transition that is occurring in the time period. At that time, the civil rights movement had just ended and there is a movement towards a more modern society, which included the integration of races and equality between men and women. In the book, the movement is characterized as a transition from the “Old South” to the “New South.” Different characters symbolize each time period. For example, Theresa Poole represents the Old South, while Mo Rhodes is symbolic of the New South. As Katie grows up in this atmosphere, she must understand herself and her sexuality. The mentalities of the Old and New South influence Katie's development. Each character in the book influences his values ​​and beliefs. Katie must understand people like Mo Rhodes and Theresa Poole to establish her position in the change order. Throughout the book she is exposed to different extremes of the Southern mentality and falls victim to the opinions of others. Ultimately, Katie realizes that her ideas about Angela and Mo Rhodes are wrong and that she believes in ideas that fall between the two extremes she has experienced. At the beginning of the book, we are introduced to Mrs. Poole, who is a traditional Southern lady. She is ridiculed throughout the book because of her conventional beliefs. Her "Old South" mentality is revealed early in the book when Mrs. Poole says, "split levels are coming! Split levels are coming!" (page 1). She believes that split levels represent an underclass and will degrade their long-established neighborhood. Theresa leads the Children of the Confederacy club and insists that Katie and Misty should be members of this historic organization. Katie and Misty's participation almost mocks Mrs. Poole's "Southern ways." The organization embodies a traditional mentality. It is evident that Mrs. Poole does not want to participate in the transition to the New South. On the other hand, Angela and Mo Rhodes are extremely opposite in nature. Angela is a beautiful young woman, who Katie envies and admires. Angela is a free-spirited girl who doesn't commit to anything.