Land and the Promise it brings Many characteristics in Serena by Ron Rash display a sense of southern literature. Land is a major characteristic of the southern literature due to how southerners value the resource. Southerners value land as the most prosperous resource because it provide all the essentials for living. The since of community in Serena resembling the small communities scattered out through the south. Another major characteristic of the southern literature is the aspects of social class within the small communities. In the south you typically have to urn you social ranking by displaying your worth. Land is a major characteristic of the south, mainly due to how it is acquired. Land in the south is usually passed down through generations and is thought of as a family heirloom. Southerners conceder land as the ultimate resource because it provides shelter, food, and wealth. The importance and prosperity of land is shown through Pemberton’s logging company. Pemberton’s company grows throughout the book by acquires lots of land “Thirty-four thousand acres. There were seven thousand more east of Waynesville that we’ve already logged”, either by tricking people to purchase less desirable land or persuading people to sell the land to him (Rash 14). In the south land is thought of as personal treasure. Selling land is like selling heirlooms that have been passed down through generations, because most the land acquired by southerners is inherited from relatives. Pemberton and Serena’s man objective is to acquire land and grow Pemberton’s company so they can increase their wealth and power. In Serena a sense of community comes from the small town of workers hired by Pemberton. There are the workers who cut and haul logs of timber, and there are cooks who feed the community. The small towns were everyone knows each other by name is a characteristic of the south. This is also the case in Serena the small town of workers all know each other and if a rumor starts the whole camp knows about it before the day is over. Everyone in the community is helping each other in a way, and they all work to support the community. The workers chop down trees and haul them around to make money for the community. The cooks provide food for the workers to keep their energy up and stay healthy. The doctor treats the injured “Doctor Cheney in the caboose ministering to a worker who had a three0inch splinter embedded in the sclera of his eye. The doctor used a pair of tweezers to work the splinter free, then washed the wound with disinfectant and sent the man back to his crew” and the priest provides sermons to help with the moral of the workers (Rash 202). Each and every person has a role to play that helps move the community forward Social class is displayed in Serena in the workers community. Status in these tight niche communities shows the difference in social class between Serena and the workers. Serena’s from a rich family and the people at Pembertons place were very poor “They passed a cabin, in the side yard a woman drawing water from a well. She wore no shoes and the towheaded child beside her wore pants cinched tight by twine” (Rash 13). The workers in Pemberton’s camp are a tough bunch who won’t give respect to anyone who doesn’t earn it “Among the gathered loggers was a thick-bearded cutting crew foreman named Bilded. He Hocked Loudly and spit a gob of yellow phlegm on the ground. At six-two and over two hundred pounds, Bilded was one of the few men in camp big as Pemberton (Rash 22). Serena earns there respect by showing her knowledge by winning a bet over how tall a tree is “I’ll make a wager with you, Serena said to Bilded. ‘We both estimate total board feet of that cane ash. Then we’ll write our estimates on a piece of paper and see who’s closest.’”, and by protecting the workers from snakes by training a bird “Once on the ground among the stumps and slash, the eagle opened its wings like a flourished cape. The bird wobbled forward paused, and moved forward again, the yellow talons sparring with some creature hidden in the detritus. In another minute the eagle’s head dipped, the rose with a hank of stringy pink flesh in its beak (Rash 22, 103). In the tight niche communities associated with southern literature proving your worth is necessary to get any form of respect from anyone. Outside of the workers community Serena earns the respect of fellow businessman through her incredible knowledge and cunning nature. Serena even earns the respect of the highest figure in the community, Pemberton. She does this with her ideas of how to trick others out of land they wish to buy. Serena displays strong characteristics of southern literature by establishing the importance of land, community, and the diversity of social class.

Work Cited
Rash, Ron. Serena. New York: Harper Collins, 2008. Print.