Suttree

Gene Harrogate is a young man whom Suttree meets in prison. Harrogate has disturbing proclivities; he is incarcerated for having sex with watermelons, but his first crime was killing a woman by burning her to death in her house. He takes no responsibility for her murder. In prison, Harrogate is a liability. He is not self-aware enough to realize how he crosses boundaries with the other prisoners and causes fights. When he is released from prison, he searches Knoxville for Suttree, on whom Harrogate projects his need for friendship and family. In Knoxville, Harrogate creates a makeshift dwelling but struggles because he has smart ideas but foolish plans. He doesn’t create the same companionship that Suttree does because of his odd behavior and his racism. His prejudice prevents him from making allies. He concocts wild schemes that nearly work, but usually despite his plans, not because of them. Ultimately, all his schemes fail because they are too foolish. Suttree predicts that Harrogate will be in and out of prison for his whole life, and he proves Suttree correct when he is relegated back to prison a mere couple of years after his release. Harrogate has flaws, but he is also a victim of society. He is not provided with any structures or systems that can help him learn how to be a member of society. He rejects society because he is rejected by society. In a poignantly ironic twist, Harrogate sees the beauty of the country around him while he is handcuffed in a train on transport to prison. Harrogate is robbed of a full and humane life by a society that doesn’t care about his rehabilitation.

Ab Jones is a large Black man who owns a meager business with his wife, Dolly. Jones is a special friend to Suttree; they trust one another and Suttree goes out of his way to help Jones when Jones feels low. Jones struggles with alcoholism and a violent temper; he is angry at the world and takes out his anger through fighting others. He wants internal peace, as is highlighted by his seeking out help from Miss Mother. Because Jones is Black, often drunk, and a ferocious fighter, he often attracts unjust attention from the police. Jones is killed through police brutality, a tragic ending for a man whose humor and goodwill are overwhelmed by internal conflicts. Jones is a secondary character whose tragedy helps Suttree find value and dignity in his own life.

The old railway man and the old ragman are people without permanent housing in Knoxville. Suttree consistently checks in on them, regularly making sure that they are alive and have someone to talk to. These men inspire pity, but they are humanized through Suttree’s compassion and friendship. Both have been houseless for a long time and don’t find a place in society’s norms. The old railway man and the old ragman present a warning to Suttree. If he continues to eschew stronger social bonds that accept all aspects of emotion and being, like those offered to him by Wands and Joyce, he risks dying alone and in despair, like them. Nameless and uncared for, the old railway man and old ragman elicit sympathy from readers and emphasize society’s cruel rejection of good people who fall on hard times.