A Gathering of Old Men | Topics for Discussion & Projects

A Gathering of Old Men Topics for Discussion

1. Why does Mathu take the blame for the murder of Beau Boutan when he did not kill him?

2. Why do the old black men respond to Candy's call? What does Mathu mean to these men?

3. Mapes as sheriff first tries to beat the truth out of the old black men. Why does he stop, and what does he do to find Beau's murderer afterwards? How does Mapes's sense of justice change in the novel?

4. Fix is portrayed as a violent bigot. Why does he not lynch Mathu as he would have, he says, twenty years before?

5. Clatoo is an organizer of the old black men. What changes does he bring about, and how does he persuade various people to go along with his wishes?

6. The trial at novel's end is one of the funniest...
(read more)