The Reivers , 72 (Event)

The Reivers , 71 (Event)

The Reivers , 71 (Event)

The Man

The man who is the Choctaw chief when Doom is born - identified in the story only as "the Man," his title as the chief (346) - is Doom's uncle (his mother's brother). He is "getting old" by the time Doom leaves for New Orleans (346), and he is "not very glad" to see him return seven years later (349) - for good reason: soon afterward he is poisoned by his nephew, who covets his title.

Doom's Mother

Doom's mother is mentioned only in the context that her brother was the Man (or chief) prior to Doom, helping to establish that Doom is not a direct descendant of a previous Chief but rather must take the position from his uncle and cousin.

Road North of Wylie's in The Reivers (Location)

The narrative gives us a very precise location for the place on the road where Ned reveals himself to Boon and Lucius: going north it is "ten miles" from Jefferson, and "two miles" beyond Wylie's farm, which is "four miles back from the river" (70, 72).

Road North of Wylie's

Although there are grounds to argue about which road the adventurers in The Reivers take to get to Memphis, the novel is very precise about where on that road Ned reveals himself to Boon and Lucius: going north it is "ten miles" from Jefferson, and "two miles" beyond Wylie's farm, which is "four miles back from the river" (70, 72).

Crawfish-ford

Crawfish-ford, or "usually it was Craw-ford" (347), is the biological father whom Sam Fathers calls "pappy" (347). He and Herman Basket have apparently known Doom since they were children "sleeping on the same pallet and talking at night, as boys will" (345). When Doom acquires Sam's mother as a slave, Craw-ford immediately tries to take her as his own but her husband objects, leading to a prolonged rivalry. Craw-ford impregnates the enslaved woman, but eventually loses the contest Doom arranges between the rivals to determine her mate.

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