A Gathering of Old Men (Masterplots II: African American Literature Series)
At a glance:
- Author: Ernest J. Gaines
- First Published: 1983
- Type of Work: Novel
- Type of Plot: Psychological realism
- Time of Work: The 1970’s
- Setting: Southern Louisiana
- Principal Characters: Mathu, Candy Marshall, Sheriff Mapes, Fix Boutan, Gil Boutan
- Genres: Long fiction, Social realism
- Subjects: African Americans, 1970’s, Racism, Blacks, Crime or criminals, Murder or homicide, South or Southerners, Social issues, Friendship, Yards or backyards, Ethnic relations, Cajuns, Lynching, Mysteries
- Locales: South (U.S.), Louisiana
The Novel
The story of A Gathering of Old Men is told by fifteen narrators. Violence is part of the story they tell. The book, however, is also a story of the sometimes painful and uncertain processes of change and growth.
Beau Boutan, a brutal Cajun farmer, has been shot and killed. His body lies in the yard of Mathu, and, because old Mathu is known as the only black man in the area who has ever stood up to the whites, most people will surely conclude that he is the killer. He faces both the retribution of the law and the revenge of the Boutan family. Fix Boutan,...
[The entire page is 3098 words long]
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