Having read several of Liam O’Flaherty’s short stories, I was struck by the power of his novel, The Informer, and its ability to place a reader back in this time of great shadow and darkness. I noticed, throughout the book, that setting is a huge part of the writing and influences the mental journeys of each character, especially Gypo. The darkness enveloping Gypo in several scenes throughout the novel was comforting to him in his rage or his mental confusion. The influence of setting in O’Flaherty’s writing lead me to think about the influence of our surroundings on our lives and our mentalities and ideologies today. Across the world, different cultures are affected by uprisings, riots, war, peace, or political changes. Each country, and each neighborhood, even, is subject to major differences. What people in rural France felt about Charles de Gaulle and the revolutionary movements would have been vastly different from those living in Paris, just as the ideologies of farmers in America differ greatly from individuals living in cities such as Chicago or New York.
With the different settings influencing our everyday thoughts and mentalities, what are we called to do as unique individuals? Are we meant to place ourselves outside of our comfort zone and learn about other places, or are we called to be people of our homes and our surroundings? Are the homes and places we grew up in supposed to influence our ideologies, and how do we change these ideologies if they do?
I agree with your emphasis on the importance of setting in both of the films, as well as your acknowledgement of the differences of opinion based on your physical location. I can say from experience that people in more rural regions tend to have different political and general world views than someone from a larger, more populated area.