The author very skillfully uses the local speech, and presents the local customs. He criticizes the small town locale. The satire in the novel is double-edged: it is aimed at the simple townspeople and at the same time it satires the superficial intellectuals who look down on them.
The detailed descriptions provided by the author are highly emphatic and revealing. When the novel was first published, it drew the public attention, but the critics had their differing opinions.