Previous

Genre

African-American novel; Southern novel; American modern novel

Narrator

There are fifteen different narrators in the novel. They are: Snookum, Janey, Miss Merle, Chimley, Mat, Cherry, Clatoo, Lou Dimes, Rufe, Sully, Tee Jack, Rooster, Coot, Sharp, and Dirty Red. Lou Dimes, Sully, and Snookum each narrate more than one chapter.

Point Of View

The fifteen different narrators all describe the events as they see them. These narrators often speak in the first person as they describe their thoughts and ideas. Usually, they speak in the third person about the other characters.

Tone

The tone varies according to the character that is narrating the section. Each narrator has a unique voice that matches their identity, with appropriate Southern dialects depending on their race and social class. Toward the end of the book, the tone grows more comedic as the author attempts to bring out notions of absurdity in the final battle and the subsequent trial.

Tense

Present tense, with some history given in the past

Protagonist

Candy Marshall

Major Conflict

The discovery of who killed Beau Bauton and how justice will be served.

Rising Action

The gathering of the men at the plantation, the meeting between Gil Bauton and his father Fix, the preparation of Luke Will and his crew at a local bar.

Climax

The confession of Charlie and the arrival of Luke Will and his crew for a lynching

Falling Action

The refusal of Sheriff Mapes or Charlie to give in, the shootout between blacks and whites, the death of Charlie and Luke Will, the trial

Foreshadowing

Beau's initial murder, everyone's expectation of Fix's arrival, Candy's appeal for the gathering of old men

Previous section Symbols

Popular pages: A Gathering of Old Men

Take a Study Break