A Gathering of Old Men
A Gathering of Old Men, by Ernest J. Gaines, begins with the child narrator, "Snookum", who spreads the word that there has been a shooting on a Louisiana plantation. The person killed is a white, Cajun farmer, named Beau Boutan. He has been killed in the yard of an old, black worker, named "Mathu". Because of the ongoing conflict between Cajuns and blacks in South Louisiana, the fear of the black people is immediately felt. In South Louisiana, there is much bitterness between Cajuns, which are described as
Example: Mapes is getting frustrated because everyone is asking him what to do. OutgoingQuote: "Shoot them back," Mapes Said. There are fifteen different characters in this story, and all have an important role. In addition, Candy Marshall, the young white woman whose family owned the plantation, claims that she did it. StubbornQuote: "I'll handle it my way" Mapes said (119). Because there are so many suspects for the shooting, this really puts a lot of pressure on a character named "Mapes". Paraphrase: I don't care what you think right now, I'll get it done eventually the way that I want to do it (89). Paraphrase: If they shoot at you, shoot back at them just like you shot at me (178). "He'll be here when he get them all together. Example: Gil and others begin to get restless at Mapes because they do not think he knows what he is doing. AmbitiousQuote: "The quiet before the storm," Mapes said to Lou. Throughout the course of the novel, Mapes is described as outgoing, stubborn, and is ambitious. Mapes, is a white sheriff who traditionally deals with the black people by the use of intimidation and force, finds himself in a frustrating situation of having to deal with a group of old black men, each carrying a shotgun and each claiming that he shot Beau Boutan.
Common topics in this essay:
South Louisiana,
Mapes Mapes,
Ernest Gaines,
Candy Marshall,
Beau Boutan,
Quote I'll,
Mapes Shoot,
Lou He'll,
Example Gil,
Example Mapes,
black people,
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south louisiana,
example mapes,
beau boutan,
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