Unnamed Negro Bootblack in Mottstown
Character Key Number:
2140
Display Name:
Unnamed Negro Bootblack in Mottstown
Sort Name:
Unnamed Negro Bootblack in Mottstown
Ever Present in Yoknapatawpha?:
Yes
Biography:
In Light in August this bootblack works in the Mottstown barber shop where Christmas gets a shave. The barbershop is identified as "a white barbership," but in that context the adjective refers to the patrons it serves (349). The race of the bootblack is not specified, but since the job he performs, shining shoes, is typically done in Faulkner's fiction by blacks, we have identified his race as "Black." This bootblack notices that Joe is wearing "second hand brogans that are too big for him" (349).