Jefferson Courthouse and Square in "The Tall Men" (Location)

The county courthouse and the square that surrounds it sit at the center of Jefferson and throughout the Yoknapatawpha fictions serve as the political and social center of the county. We also use it as the generic location for events that cannot be linked to a specific place, as here: when the doctor says someone can "drive my car to town" (51) or the investigator says he will "take these men back to Jefferson with me to answer this charge" (53).