Character Clues

Character Analysis

Action

The famous philosopher Carl Jung wrote that "you are what you do, not what you say you'll do," and Ms. McCullers seems to agree. Her characters perform their essence in each moment of their lives.

Miss Amelia? She keeps to herself, working hard to make her whiskey, spending "whole nights back in her shed in the swamp" (Ballad.4). And when Miss Amelia reacts to Marvin Macy's cuddling by boxing his ears? We learn that she's not interested in the normal kind of romance—aggressively not interested—in fact. The story may not reveal all of the nooks and crannies of her motivation, but defense and aggression totally illuminate each character's values.

When it comes to Marvin Macy, we're given a list of his terrible, aggressive deeds, and their motivations. "He had chopped off the tails of squirrels in the pinewoods just to please his fancy." (Ballad.84) Here's a man who is not only mean, but likes being mean.

When Cousin Lymon finds his own aggression, we understand that he has shifted not only in his loyalties, but also his essence, when Miss Amelia gains the upper hand in her fight with evil Marvin:

[…] at the instant Miss Amelia grasped the throat of Marvin Macy the hunchback sprang forward and sailed through the air as though he had grown hawk wings. He landed on the broad strong back of Miss Amelia and clutched at her neck with his clawed little fingers. (Ballad.215)

A flavor of the supernatural seals it: this act of traitorous aggression proves that Cousin Lymon has become an entirely different kind of beast.

Clothing

Clothes make the man, and in Ballad, they also make the mannish woman. Gender is a major focus with all of McCullers characters, the way they opt-in and -out of conventional roles. And clothes seem to help make these statements, rather blatantly, throughout the book.

When Miss Amelia's usual uniform of boots-and-overalls is disrupted for her wedding day, the narrators shows us how lost she feels:

As the marriage lines were read Miss Amelia kept making an odd gesture—she would rub the palm of her right hand down the side of her satin wedding gown. She was reaching for the pocket of her overalls, and being unable to find it her face became impatient, bored, and exasperated. (Ballad.88)

The discomfort shows Miss Amelia's diffident strength and independence, both traditionally masculine traits, particularly in the era of the story.

You Don't Have To Put On That Red Dress

It's worth noting that when Cousin Lymon appears, Miss Amelia begins wearing a red dress on Sundays for church, and wears that red dress every day once Marvin Macy returns. The narrator claims not to know why, citing it must be for "some reason" (Ballad.176).

But what could that reason be? Does it have anything to do with the red shirt in which Marvin Macy himself returns to town? Check out our "Symbols" for more.

Clothes Make This Man A Man... Or A Boy

When Cousin Lymon appears, he's pitifully bedraggled, wearing "a ragged, dusty coat that reached only to his knees" (Ballad.12). After Miss Amelia takes him to the upstairs apartment to fix him up, that same coat "was brushed off and neatly mended" (Ballad.56).

He also wears Miss Amelia's "red and black checkered shirt" (Ballad.56), tight breeches that the narrators takes care to note are not "trousers such as ordinary men are meant to wear," (Ballad.56) and a little green fringed cape that brings to mind a grandmother. With these articles, we can learn about his gender and place in society: not a "regular" man, but a sickly child-or-old-person: sexless and without any vigor.

Though gendered clothing characterizations seem strongest in Ballad, they definitely seem to crop up elsewhere, as with the diminutive Jockey's delicately tailored green Chinese suit, and Madame Zilensky's black skirt and old leather jacket.

In the former, the exotic nature of the little green suit is just the first thing to set the jockey apart from the conventionally masculine trainer, bookie, and rich man, while in the latter, Mr. Brook notes that Madame Zilensky seems elegant despite her unfeminine clothes.

All Ears

Clothes take a different, sweeter role in characterizing the newspaper boy of "A Tree, A Rock, A Cloud," as he ventures into the café wearing a earflap hat:

[…] such as aviators wear [...] he unbuckled the chin strap and raised the right flap up over his pink little ear; often as he drank his coffee someone would speak to him in a friendly way. (Tree.1)

Here that pinned-up flap seems to demonstrate the boy's openness, which will ready him for the tales of love to come.

Direct Characterization

McCullers is never shy about offering a narrator who acts as a judge and jury, telling us (when they feel like it) precisely who each characters is and isn't.

For example, how are we supposed to feel about Marvin Macy? There seems to be no question here: "[…] Marvin Macy was not a person to be envied, for he was an evil character" (Ballad.84).

In fact, he may be the evil character. In pages full of delicious mystery and ambiguity, Marvin's villain-hood is the one thing that we can always rely on. While both Miss Amelia and Cousin Lymon experience marked evolutions, Marvin's gleeful reign of terror doesn't seem to change in quality one bit.

Again and again, we're told exactly what to expect of characters, as with our Ballad protagonist: "It was only with people that Miss Amelia was not at ease." (Ballad.5) Emily, the alcoholic wife, is described by her husband frankly, as having "a latent coarseness […] inconsistent with her natural simplicity." (Domestic.35) "The woman was a pathological liar," (Madame.31) Mr. Brook decides in "Madame Zilensky" and we must follow along, unpacking her lies as the story continues to unfold.

Judgment is an important notion when it comes to McCullers's work: characters are often being evaluated (even more than described). For more on this, check out our Themes.