Rome Haul: Analysis of Major Characters
"Rome Haul: Analysis of Major Characters" explores a diverse ensemble of characters set against the backdrop of canal life. Central to the narrative is Dan Harrow, a naive young man who evolves from an inexperienced worker on canal boats to the captain of the Sarsy Sal after the death of his predecessor, Samson Weaver. His journey reveals a struggle between loyalty and ambition, ultimately leading him back to his roots in farming.
Molly Larkins, Dan's cook, presents a complex character who balances her affections for Dan with a sense of pity for Jotham, a local bully. Jotham Klore embodies the brute force of the canal, engaging in violent confrontations that culminate in a significant showdown with Dan. Meanwhile, characters like Fortune Friendly, a former divinity student turned canal rascal, and Gentleman Joe Calash, a highwayman with a cruel edge, add depth to the social tapestry of the canal community.
Supporting characters, including Jotham's henpecked counterpart Hector Berry and the manipulative Lucy Cashdollar, enrich the narrative, showcasing various interpersonal dynamics in a setting marked by both camaraderie and conflict. Through these characters, the analysis captures the essence of life on the canal, exploring themes of power, resilience, and the struggle for identity within a tightly-knit, yet often tumultuous, community.
Rome Haul: Analysis of Major Characters
Author: Walter D. Edmonds
First published: 1929
Genre: Novel
Locale: The Erie Canal
Plot: Regional
Time: 1850
Dan Harrow, a tall, stooped, broad-shouldered young man. He is a naïve newcomer on the canal who, after brief jobs on two canal boats, becomes captain of the Sarsy Sal after Samson Weaver's death. At last, feeling that the canal is not the place for him, he returns to farm life.
Molly Larkins, his tall, strapping, amoral cook, blowsy looking but attractive. She formerly cooked for Jotham. Although she likes Dan and remains with him for a time, she pities Jotham after he is beaten by Dan, and she returns to the chastened bully.
Fortune Friendly, an old, red-faced, skinny canal character and rascal, a former divinity student who still preaches occasionally when he needs money.
Joseph P. “Gentleman Joe” Calash, a cruel-faced canal highwayman for whose capture a large reward is offered. He aids Dan in a fight with Jotham and rescues him after a second fight. He is at last caught and killed.
Jotham Klore, a big, black-bearded, tobacco-chewing canal bully who is knocked out twice by Calash and who knocks out Dan in a fight over Molly. In a final fight, Dan wins a great victory.
Jacob Turnesa, a hook-nosed, pale-faced Jewish peddler who picks up Dan and gives him a volume of William Shake-speare's plays.
Hector Berry, a henpecked canal boatman.
Penelope, his nagging, dictatorial wife.
Solomon (Sol) Tinkle, a bald, diminutive canal boatman.
Mrs. Gurget, Sol's fat, good-natured cook and mistress, addicted to rum noggins.
Julius Wilson, the owner of the canal boat Xerxes.
Benjamin (Ben) Rae, the big Jewish steersman of the Xerxes.
William Wampy, the cook and fiddler on the Xerxes.
Lucy Cashdollar, the operator of an agency supplying women as cooks for lonely canal men.
Samson Weaver, the captain of the Sarsy Sal. He dies shortly after hiring Dan.
Mr. Butterfield, the agent for whom Samson and Dan work.