A Gathering of Old Men: Analysis of Major Characters
"A Gathering of Old Men" is a novel that delves into themes of race, identity, and personal dignity within the context of a Southern plantation. The major characters embody these themes in various ways. Mathu, an elderly black man, stands out as a figure of strength and defiance against racial oppression, having earned respect from some white men, including Sheriff Mapes. Candy Marshall, the plantation owner's daughter, wrestles with her desire to protect the black men she sees as "hers," highlighting the complexities of racial dynamics and patronization. Sheriff Mapes, while exhibiting a certain level of brutality, begins to recognize a shift in the old men who are asserting their identities. Fix Boutan, a patriarch with a history of violence against African Americans, feels compelled by family loyalty to reconsider his past actions. His son, Gil Boutan, grapples with anger over his brother’s death and challenges the superiority often exhibited by characters like Candy. Lastly, the old men represent a collective journey of self-discovery, as they confront their circumstances and reclaim their agency after years of subservience. This rich tapestry of characters offers a poignant look at personal and social transformation in the face of entrenched racial issues.
A Gathering of Old Men: Analysis of Major Characters
Author: Ernest J. Gaines
First published: 1983
Genre: Novel
Locale: Southern Louisiana
Plot: Psychological realism
Time: The late 1970's
Mathu, a black man, now in his eighties, built like an “old post in the ground.” He is the one black man on Marshall's Plantation who has never been afraid to stand up to the whites. He has great personal dignity and has even earned the grudging respect of some white men, including Sheriff Mapes.
Candy Marshall, the daughter of the original owners of the plantation. Candy was half reared by Mathu after the death of her parents. A strong and independent woman of about thirty, she is determined to protect Mathu and the rest of “her” people. She must learn that there is something pa-tronizing in her assumption that the grown black men and women on the plantation are hers and that it is her duty to protect them.
Sheriff Mapes, a big, powerful, often brutal man. Mapes is to some extent free of the rigid racism of the past. Although he treats most of the old men with amused contempt and is not above slapping them when he does not get the answers he wants, he gradually becomes aware that something he has not seen before is happening among these old men.
Fix Boutan, father of a man who has been killed and patriarch of the Cajun Boutan family. Known in the past for his brutal mistreatment of African Americans, Fix is moved powerfully by a sense of family, and he is capable of listening to those in his family who tell him it is time to abandon the old ways.
Gil Boutan, Fix's son and Beau's brother. He is the “Salt” of “Salt and Pepper,” the white and black running backs on the football team of a now integrated Louisiana State University. He is bitter at the death of his brother, and he has always resented the air of superiority that people like Candy assume toward Cajuns. Both his concern for his own future and his sense of all that has changed tell him that he cannot participate in any violence against black people.
The old men, each an individual with his own story. They all share in the same experience, an experience of growth into a full sense of themselves as men as they are granted a last chance to take a stand after a lifetime of giving in.