Buying taffy is rarely just about the sugar; it is about the "theater" of the purchase:
Saltwater taffy is a common motif used to ground a story in a specific time and place—usually a summer resort or a boardwalk.
: Watching the massive pulling machines stretch and fold the candy through shop windows is a core part of the boardwalk experience.
: In the classic novel To Kill a Mockingbird , the act of going to "buy taffy" at the Halloween festival represents a final moment of childhood normalcy for Scout and Jem before the story's climactic and darker turn.