Suttree

McAnally is the makeshift neighborhood in which Suttree spends most of his time in this novel. It is a destitute section of Knoxville, Tennessee. It is characterized by crime, grime, and a severe lack of resources. McAnally is also much more than meets the eye. While some people who live in McAnally squander much of their meager resources on alcohol or criminal activity, they are also a community. Many characters in this novel help one another through the physical and emotional burdens that come with living in a place like McAnally. Historically, McAnally is a real place in Tennessee. It is also referred to as Mechanicsville because it was first built to house people who worked in the factories. It was built in the 1860s but by Suttree’s time of the 1950s, the factories had mostly gone, the people had mostly fled, and many of the remaining citizens were experiencing homelessness. McAnally represents society’s lack of concern for those left behind by capitalism. This neighborhood is allowed to descend into anarchic disarray and destitution not because people inherently want to live in a rundown and dangerous place, but because Knoxville, the state of Tennessee, indeed the entire society of American culture failed to provide those left there with alternatives.