The remote setting of Bethsaida is based on the real rural communities on the islands in the Gulf of Maine, which are marked by both natural beauty and adversity. In creating Touch Blue, author Cynthia Lord drew from her experiences teaching in a one-room schoolhouse on an island in the Casco Bay. The author incorporates the region’s wildlife into the story to advance the characters’ development and convey their relationship with their environment. For example, Aaron reveals his gentler side by rescuing mussels from being devoured by seagulls. Tess’s love of the local harbor seals emphasizes that closeness to nature is an essential part of what “home” means to her, intensifying the stakes of losing the school and having to move to the mainland.

Like the protagonist’s father, many people living in the Gulf of Maine rely on lobsters for their livelihood. This fosters a deep relationship between the fishermen and their environment: “When the survival of you and your family is intrinsically tied to the natural world, sustainability isn’t a new marketing ploy, but a lifeline you grasp with both hands” (“The Lobstering Life.” Visit Maine). Mr. Brooks describes lobstering as “a hard, dangerous way to make a living” (55), and Tess observes that some fishermen “barely catch enough to cover their costs” (47).