Mr. van Tosch

Character Key Number: 
3701
Display Name: 
Mr. van Tosch
Sort Name: 
Van Tosch, Mr.
Ever Present in Yoknapatawpha?: 
No
Biography: 

In The Reivers the man who owns Coppermine (i.e. Lightning) is named van Tosch. He is originally from Chicago, but on a trip to Memphis decided he liked it so much that he moved to Tennessee and became a breeder of race horses. It is because he is "a foreigner" (281) - i.e. from the North - that he does not behave correctly when his black employee, Bobo, asks for money to help him out of trouble. But the narrative treats him favorably as a friend of both Colonel Linscomb and Grandfather.

Linked Characters