The Spyglass Tree: Analysis of Major Characters
"The Spyglass Tree: Analysis of Major Characters" explores the lives and dynamics of characters in a narrative centered around race and identity in Alabama during a transformative period. The protagonist, Scooter, is a young African American boy whose aspirations and experiences are shaped by his environment, particularly through the influence of teachers at Mobile County Training School. His friendship with Little Buddy Marshall contrasts Scooter's academic focus with Buddy's rebellious lifestyle. Luzana Cholly, a talented blues musician, serves as a mentor, emphasizing the importance of choices to the boys despite his own wandering life.
Key figures like Lexine Metcalf and B. Franklin Fisher play pivotal roles in guiding Scooter toward his scholarship at Tuskegee Institute, highlighting the value of education and community support. At college, Scooter's relationship with his eccentric roommate T. Jerome Jefferson introduces a blend of urban and rural perspectives. The narrative builds tension through the character of Giles Cunningham, a jazz club owner, and his conflict with Dudley Philpot, a white businessman, illustrating the racial tensions and struggles for agency within the community. Overall, the analysis offers a rich portrayal of how these characters navigate their identities amidst societal challenges, setting the stage for deeper discussions around race, friendship, and personal growth.
The Spyglass Tree: Analysis of Major Characters
Author: Albert Murray
First published: 1991
Genre: Novel
Locale: Southern Alabama
Plot: Psychological realism
Time: The 1910's to the 1930's
Scooter, the otherwise unnamed narrator, a young African American boy who grows up in Mobile, Alabama, and later attends Tuskegee Institute in Tuskegee, Alabama. Scooter's childhood consists mainly of baseball and blues music until he begins attending Mobile County Training School, where he falls under the influence of some memorable teachers. They instill in him the belief that nothing can stop him but his own limitations, and they help him to obtain a scholarship to Tuskegee Institute, the famous central Alabama African American college. There Scooter acquires a somewhat eccentric roommate from Chicago and becomes involved with the local jazz performers. He finally puts all of his skills to the test when he helps to end a potential racial conflict by riding shotgun, armed with a .38 automatic.
Little Buddy Marshall, the narrator's best friend while growing up. Little Buddy is in many ways the opposite of the narrator. Instead of excelling at Mobile County Training School, Little Buddy drops out of school and begins to ride the rails.
Luzana Cholly, a blues singer, master of the twelve-string guitar, and mentor to the two boys. Though a rider of the rails himself, he discourages the boys from emulating his life and drifting from town to town.
Lexine Metcalf, one of the teachers at the Mobile County Training School. Her job is to motivate the students to escape the fate of people such as Luzana Cholly and even Little Buddy Marshall. She is the first to recognize Scooter's talent and convinces him to spend extra time at school and at his studies.
B. Franklin Fisher, head of the Mobile County Training School. He helped form the “talented Tenth” of the African American school and required from them more than was expected of other students. He helps to secure Scooter's college scholarship.
T. Jerome Jefferson, Scooter's eccentric college roommate, a native of Chicago. His big-city ways balance Scooter's down-home approach to life.
Giles Cunningham, the owner of a group of jazz and blues clubs and bars in the vicinity of Tuskegee Institute. The climax of the novel is his confrontation with a local white businessman, Dudley Philpot.
Hortense Hightower, a jazz singer at Giles Cunningham's clubs. Hortense initiates Scooter into the world of jazz clubs and into the world of black and white conflict. When Giles Cunningham and Dudley Philpot become enemies, Scooter is asked to ride shotgun as Hortense's bodyguard.
Dudley Philpot, a white businessman and owner of a check-cashing operation. When one of his clients, Will Spradley, has his check cashed by Giles Cunningham, Philpot is deprived of the percentage of the check that he takes as a fee for cashing it. This turf battle leads to the crisis at the end of the novel.