If the book had taken place in a more northern state, the idea of racism, bigotry, and discrimination would not have been as strong. There are also a lot of elements that draw from the rural setting that wouldn't be there if the book took place in the city, or suburbs. Many things they say and the way they speak or their dialect is just another thing that is affected by where they live. Also a lot of things are more common in the south as opposed to the north like lots of guns, hunting and many other things like that. If you lived in the north or in the city you definitely wouldn't be able to just shoot a bird at random without a thought or someone catching
