Claude McKay published Home to Harlemin 1927 during the heyday of the Harlem Renaissance, the early twentieth-century outpouring of art, music, and literature produced by African Americans. The impact of this historical period is apparent in many of McKay’s choices in the novel, including the choice of setting and his use of black musical forms in the novel.

The cultural, geographical, and physical settings in the novel are primarily located in Harlem. As a character, Jake spends as much of his time wandering the now-famous streets of Harlem as he does in the interiors of Harlem, including cabarets, buffet flats, and brothels. The emphasis on the street culture of Harlem—the mix of working people and the promenading of well-dressed African Americans—reflects a burgeoning black, urban culture that developed as a critical mass of African Americans settled in places like Harlem. Jake’s wandering through the streets of Harlem allows the reader to learn the geography and people,and would have satisfied the curiosity of both black and white readers who wondered about the reality of Harlem.

One impact of having Jake compare and contrast Harlem before the war and Harlem after the war is to help the reader to understand that Harlem was bursting at the seams, barely able to contain the energies of people eager to escape the limits of life outside of Harlem.