Character Analysis
Buddy McCaslin is one the twin sons of Carothers McCaslin. They inherit his plantation and his slaves. In "Was," we learn that Buddy is a confirmed bachelor. He hates wearing ties, avoids women like the plague, and likes to stay at home and cook. You can tell him apart from Buck because he's on the chubbier side. He's also a killer poker player.
In "Was," he refuses to leave the house to go fetch Tomey's Turl from the Beauchamp plantation. At the end, though, he is obliged to go save his brother from having to marry Sophonsiba Beauchamp. He wins his brother's freedom with his awesome poker skills. Buddy eventually dies a bachelor.
In "The Bear," we learn from his nephew Isaac's recollections that Buddy and his brother Buck were running a manumission scheme for their father's slaves after their father's death. The brothers built a log cabin and had their slaves move into the main house. They let their slaves do as they pleased at night and let them work to buy their freedom. Isaac finds out about all this through reading the barely literate but still extensive records the two brothers kept in their commissary ledgers.