The Moviegoer

Authors such as Walker Percy often use local color and regional reference in their literary works for two reasons. The first reason is to establish a setting in which the story will take place. All of the activities and conflicts that occur throughout the story are often related to or triggered by an element of their surrounding. Walker Percy often relates to the "burning swamps of Chef Menteur". This phrase is used to paint a picture to the audience of the sights, smells, and feelings the character experiences while passing through this infamous New Orleanian road. Southern audiences familiar with the area can project themselves to the time and place that Binx is encountering, and through local references their reading experience is enhanced. On the contrary, readers that aren't familiar with or may never have visited the neighborhoods of New Orleans such as Gentilly and Uptown, are able to see the diversity of social cultures in other parts of the United States.

The second reason Percy uses reference to local neighborhoods is to increase the awareness of southern cultures and societies. The time period for most New Orleans literature is Post-Civil War in which the region was experiencing growth and prosperity so reference to the cities in Percy's and other literary works is a form of exposure to our cities, and ideas and lifestyles that Southern people have become famous for. In addition, by referencing actual buildings and landmarks New Orleans receives a form of recognition in the literary world.