The Spy, written by James Fenimore Cooper, mainly took place in one setting. That setting was what they characters referred to as "the Locust." The Locust was the summer home of the Wharton's. They migrated to the home to try and avoid the war between the British and America and having to take sides. 
        
             
        
        
        
Okeke wants to choose a wife for his son, the tradition of choosing the spouses by the elders and the traditional views more generally.
His son wants to marry a woman of his choosing,  he represents the opinion that people should choose their own spouses