McCuller‘s story has many elements of the Southern Gothic in it. Here are a few:
A sense of place: The town the story takes place in is never named, but it’s clear from the description that the characters live in a small town, and that their experience (or lack thereof) is determined by the limited resources of the town. There is a sense that Sucker, the narrator, and Maybelle all are trapped in a way by the town, and in a way the real conflict of the story is the struggle to grow up and find oneself independent of what other people might think of you.
Isolation : All of the main characters are isolated in one way or another. Sucker of course is isolated from everything; his need for companionship centers on the narrator, but the narrator, in turn, is struggling with his own identity and his desire...
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for Maybelle. Maybelle, the character we have the least information about, is also coming to terms with her own sexuality, which explains her coldness to the narrator, which is the catalyst for his break with Sucker.
Violence: Although there is no physical violence in the story, there is plenty of emotional violence, first in the tricks the narrator would play on Sucker to take advantage of his gullibility, and second in the pivotal scene where he tells Sucker what he really feels about him. All the characters inflict this sort of pain on each other, and there is a sense, especially during the climax where the narrator tells off Sucker, that physical violence is bubbling just under the surface.
A psychological reading of Southern Gothic literature might focus on anxieties and repressions. Pete, the narrator of "Sucker," is sexually frustrated by his fixation on Maybelle. When Maybelle toys with Pete and ultimately rejects him, he sublimates his repressed sexual feelings and humiliation by taking his anger out on Sucker.
Sucker's response to Pete's rejection and humiliation of him also involves sublimation. Instead of expressing his hurt and talking it out, Sucker adopts a more masculine persona and retaliates by developing a separate group of friends and pointedly excluding Pete from their shared room.
A "grotesque" is a character type often found in Southern Gothic literature that awakens both empathy and distaste in the reader. Both boys can be considered grotesques. Pete is a teenager whose interest in Maybelle is understandable, and her cruel taunts and rejection awaken readers' empathy. However, the way that Pete thinks, as when he considers punching Maybelle and choking Sucker, is repugnant.
Sucker's emotional neediness as a result of being orphaned awakens readers' empathy. But his emotional hardness and relentless rejection of Pete after their blowup makes him a less sympathetic character.
Finally, the bleakness of the story's tone and resolution mark it as a Southern Gothic piece. There is no forgiveness between the boys, and Pete's belief that Sucker would kill him given the chance ends the story on an unsettling note.