Appalachee Red: Analysis of Major Characters
"Appalachee Red: Analysis of Major Characters" explores the complex dynamics of a small Southern town in the post-World War II era, focusing on the titular character, Appalachee Red, who returns to his hometown on Thanksgiving Day, 1945. Born to a black mother, Little Bit Thompson, and a wealthy white landowner, John Morgan, Red's journey is fueled by a desire to reclaim his birthright and seek revenge on those who have wronged him. He quickly becomes a dominant figure in Appalachee, seizing control of the town's vice activities, including gambling and prostitution, and instilling fear among the residents.
Key supporting characters include Baby Sweet Jackson, Red's lover and a liberated figure who manages his café, and Clyde "Boots" White, the corrupt police chief whose violent reign over the black community ultimately leads to his downfall at Red's hands. Little Bit Thompson represents the deep scars of racism and personal tragedy, while Blue Thompson, Red's half-brother, embodies the struggle for civil rights and social justice in a racially charged atmosphere. This character-driven narrative highlights themes of identity, power, and the complexities of race relations in America, inviting readers to reflect on the historical and social contexts that shape these characters' lives.
Appalachee Red: Analysis of Major Characters
Author: Raymond Andrews
First published: 1978
Genre: Novel
Locale: Appalachee, Muskhogean County, Georgia
Plot: Social morality
Time: 1918 through 1963
Appalachee Red, owner of a café and gambling house. “Red” wanders into the town of Appalachee on Thanksgiving Day, 1945, and soon captivates the town and its residents, both black and white. Appalachee Red, as he comes to be called by the locals, is the son of Little Bit Thompson and her white employer, the wealthy landowner John Morgan. Red has returned to Appalachee to claim his birthright and to exact revenge on those who have wronged him most. Red is tall and broad-shouldered, and he appears Caucasian, with long, flowing black hair. He is quiet, mysterious, and moves soundlessly and deliberately, like a cat. In little time, Red acquires ownership of the house built for his mother by her white lover; its owner, Sam Wallace, dies mysteriously and wills the property to Red. Red also seduces the black mistress of Appalachee's white, racist police chief and soon acquires controls of all the town's vice—gambling, liquor, and prostitution. He becomes the fear and envy of Appalachee. On November 22, 1963, eighteen years to the day after he returned to Appalachee, Red leaves the town, after the funeral of his mother, but not before killing the sheriff and being joined by his half sister, white socialite Roxanne Morgan. He is not heard from again.
Baby Sweet Jackson, Red's live-in lover, also called the Black Peach. Baby Sweet's sensuous dancing brings about the wrath of her father, overseer Poor Boy Jackson, and the lustful intentions of the boss, Edward Turner. Knowing that she is powerless to fight Turner's advances, Baby Sweet runs away to Appalachee. At the age of fifteen, she reluctantly becomes the mistress of police chief Clyde “Boots” White. She is liberated by Appalachee Red. She becomes his lover and manages the restaurant and liquor sales on the first floor of Red's Café.
Clyde “Boots” White, Appalachee's police chief and later county sheriff. He terrorizes the black residents of Appalachee after he joins the police force in 1931. One of his most heinous acts occurs on Easter Sunday, 1936, when he shoots “Big Man” Thompson and kicks Thompson's wife, Little Bit (Red's mother), thus forcing the premature birth of her second son, Blue. Boots is killed by Appalachee Red on the day Red disappears.
Little Bit Thompson, Appalachee Red's mother. She is married to Big Man Thompson but carries on a prolonged affair with wealthy landowner John Morgan. This affair results in the birth of Appalachee Red while Big Man is serving time in prison for a crime he did not commit. Little Bit allows her older sister to take the baby to Chicago. In 1936, Little Bit is kicked senseless by Boots White as she tries to protect her husband, who has been shot by the police chief. For the next twenty-seven years, Little Bit lives in a state of insanity.
John Morgan, the heir to the large Morgan estate. As a young man, he falls in love with the new family maid, Little Bit Thompson. He fathers Appalachee Red by her and builds a home for his concubine before beginning his legitimate family. Morgan remains devoted to Little Bit for the remainder of her life and is grieving at her funeral when Appalachee Red absconds with Morgan's daughter, Roxanne, who secretly is in love with Red.
Blue Thompson, the second son of Little Bit Thompson and half brother to Appalachee Red. He is born prematurely on the day his father is killed, as a result of his mother being kicked by Boots White. He is taken under the wing of his elder half brother, who pays for Blue's education at the University of Michigan. After he is graduated from college, the best job Blue can find as a young black man is as a postal worker. Frustrated and angered by this lack of opportunity, Blue resigns his job and joins the Civil Rights movement. He returns to Appalachee and is arrested for trying to integrate Appalachee's most exclusive eatery. Tall, lanky, and defiant, Blue attends his mother's funeral under police escort.