Post character, plot, and thematic information for Joe Turner's Come and Gone by August Wilson.
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Maggie Johnson
Joe Turner's Come and Gone Characters:
1. Bertha Holly -Wife of Seth -Cooks and clean for the boarding house
2. Seth Holly -Husband of Bertha -Owner of the boarding house
3. Bynum Walker -Rootworker -Used to work on a farm -Dad taught him how to see a song about each person he meets "...you can see his song written on him." (Page 71).
4. Molly Cunningham -A resident -Acts like she doesn't care about boys since she doesn't want to do their work -"I done found out the harder you try to hold onto them, the easier it is for some gal to pull them away" (Page 63).
5. Jeremy Furlow -A resident -Flirts with Mattie and Molly
6. Mr. Loomis (Herald) -A resident -Husband of Martha Loomis -Was looking for his wife -Waited 7 years to see his wife
7. Zonia -Mr. Loomis's daughter -Helps Bertha cook and clean since Herald Loomis does not have enough money -Wants to stay with her dad
8. Jack Carper -Mattie Campbell's boyfriend who left her
9. Mattie Campbell -Talks to Bynum for help since her boyfriend left her (Jack Carper)
10. Joe Turner -Split Mr. Loomis and his wife up
11. Reuben Scott -Boy who lives next door -Becomes friends with Zonia, and tells her he loves her -Tells Zonia that her mom could maybe be dead
12. Miss. Mabel -Mr. Seth's mother
13. Martha Loomis -Zonia's mom, Mr. Loomis's wife
14. Rutherford Selig -Only white character -Known for finding people; helps Mr. Loomis find Martha Loomis -Found Sadie Jackson -Sells pots to make money -Found Martha in Rankin
"What kind of meaning you got? What kind of clean you got, woman? You want blood? Blood make you clean? You clean with blood? I'm standing!I'm standing. My legs stood up! I'm standing now!" (Wilson 93).
"Now you mine, Spider. You my girl, okay?... When I get grown, I come looking for you" (83-84).
"If it ain't Rutherford Selig...the People Finder himself" (6).
"I'm a Binder of What Clings. You got to find out if they clung first. You can't bind what don't cling"(10).
"I ain't got enough for you. You'd use me up too fast"(77).
"Take this and sleep with it under your pillow and it'll bring good luck to you. Draw it to you like a magnet. It won't be long before you forget all about Jack Carper"(24).
"Herald Loomis, you shining! You shining like new money!" (Wilson 94)
Wilson, August. Joe Turner's Come and Gone. New York: Penguin Books, 1988. Print.
. Identity (or a character's own song) . Every character is searching for something, but really they are looking for their song (ex: Loomis thinks he is looking for his wife, Martha, but really he is looking for his song)
. Racism . story is set in the time when african americans were still looked down upon
Act 1, Scene 1 Seth and Bertha are in the kitchen discussing Seth’s occupational woes as he tries to get a loan. Rutherford Selig, a Jewish peddler, stops by the boardinghouse to barter with Seth. Bynum now comes in and describes how to “bind” people together. Jeremy comes in and gripes about white people, this time the police. Herald Loomis and his daughter, Zonia, show up and rent a room. Loomis is looking for his wife, Martha. Loomis leaves, and Bynum encourages Jeremy to take his guitar to the contest at the bar, but Jeremy doesn’t go, because a white man ripped him off once. Mattie Campbell shows up, and talks to Bynum. Jeremy asks Mattie out on a date. Outside, Zonia plays in the yard and meets Reuben, the boy next door. Act 1, Scene 2 Bertha and Seth argue about Loomis. Seth does not trust him, Bertha does. Selig shows up for his weekly visit, sit and Seth sells him the dustpans that he made. Loomis heard about his people finding skills and hires Selig to find his wife. Selig leaves, and Bertha says that he just finds people that he already lost. Loomis doesn’t care because he really wants to see his wife. Act 1, Scene 3 The next morning, Seth talks to Bynum about the fact that he is unable to get a loan to start his own business. Jeremy pays for Mattie to live with him at the boardinghouse. Jeremy likes Mattie because she is pretty, and Bynum lectures Jeremy, saying that prettiness isn’t the most important thing. Just then, Molly Cunningham, who is way hotter than Mattie, asks for a room for the week. Act 1, Scene 4 Everyone is at dinner, but they decide to start dancing, or “juba”. Loomis freaks out and has a vision. He imagines that he is looking at ocean, where bones walk on the water and then sink. The bones then become living Africans, lying on the shore, unable to stand up for themselves. Near the end of the vision, He panics when he realizes that he is not able to stand up. Act 2, Scene 1 The next morning, Seth tries to kick Herald out, but Herald won’t go. Mattie leaves for work, and Molly says that she refuses to work and she doesn’t need any men or any children. Jeremy comes in, saying that he got fired when he refused to pay a white man just to keep his job. Jeremy decides to leave Mattie and run away with Molly. Act 2, Scene 2 On Monday evening, Bynum and Seth sit and play dominoes, and Bynum sings a song about Joe Turner. Loomis walks in and doesn’t like that he was singing that song. Bynum and Seth ask about him, so Loomis finally tells them what when down when he was enslaved to Joe Turner. Bynum says that Loomis lost his song. Act 2, Scene 3 The next morning, Loomis and Mattie talk about his vision. They start digging on each other, but Loomis is all about how he can’t love after being with Joe Turner. Act 2, Scene 4 The next morning, Zonia and Reuben play in the yard. Reuben says he saw a ghost. Zonia freaks out. Then they become boyfriend and girlfriend and kiss. Act 2, Scene 5 On Saturday morning, Loomis and Zonia prepare to leave when Selig arrives, with Martha Pentecost, Herald's wife. Herald and Martha catch up, and Herald gives Zonia back to her mother. Martha tells Herald that he should look to Jesus to save him, but Herald starts going on about how Jesus has done nothing for him but bring him pain. Martha tells him that the “blood of the lamb will make him clean” but Herald says he can bleed his own blood and slashes his body. Mattie follows after Herald, and Bynum says that Loomis is the Shiny Man.
4 comments:
Maggie Johnson
Joe Turner's Come and Gone
Characters:
1. Bertha Holly
-Wife of Seth
-Cooks and clean for the boarding house
2. Seth Holly
-Husband of Bertha
-Owner of the boarding house
3. Bynum Walker
-Rootworker
-Used to work on a farm
-Dad taught him how to see a song about each person he meets
"...you can see his song written on him." (Page 71).
4. Molly Cunningham
-A resident
-Acts like she doesn't care about boys since she doesn't want to do their work
-"I done found out the harder you try to hold onto them, the easier it is for some gal to pull them away" (Page 63).
5. Jeremy Furlow
-A resident
-Flirts with Mattie and Molly
6. Mr. Loomis (Herald)
-A resident
-Husband of Martha Loomis
-Was looking for his wife
-Waited 7 years to see his wife
7. Zonia
-Mr. Loomis's daughter
-Helps Bertha cook and clean since Herald Loomis does not have enough money
-Wants to stay with her dad
8. Jack Carper
-Mattie Campbell's boyfriend who left her
9. Mattie Campbell
-Talks to Bynum for help since her boyfriend left her (Jack Carper)
10. Joe Turner
-Split Mr. Loomis and his wife up
11. Reuben Scott
-Boy who lives next door
-Becomes friends with Zonia, and tells her he loves her
-Tells Zonia that her mom could maybe be dead
12. Miss. Mabel
-Mr. Seth's mother
13. Martha Loomis
-Zonia's mom, Mr. Loomis's wife
14. Rutherford Selig
-Only white character
-Known for finding people; helps Mr. Loomis find Martha Loomis
-Found Sadie Jackson
-Sells pots to make money
-Found Martha in Rankin
Andrew Bradley
Joe Turner's Come and Gone Quotes
"What kind of meaning you got? What kind of clean you got, woman? You want blood? Blood make you clean? You clean with blood?
I'm standing!I'm standing. My legs stood up! I'm standing now!" (Wilson 93).
"Now you mine, Spider. You my girl, okay?... When I get grown, I come looking for you" (83-84).
"If it ain't Rutherford Selig...the People Finder himself" (6).
"I'm a Binder of What Clings. You got to find out if they clung first. You can't bind what don't cling"(10).
"I ain't got enough for you. You'd use me up too fast"(77).
"Take this and sleep with it under your pillow and it'll bring good luck to you. Draw it to you like a magnet. It won't be long before you forget all about Jack Carper"(24).
"Herald Loomis, you shining! You shining like new money!" (Wilson 94)
Wilson, August. Joe Turner's Come and Gone. New York: Penguin Books, 1988. Print.
Lauren French
Joe Turner's Come and Gone Themes:
. Identity (or a character's own song)
. Every character is searching for something, but really they are looking for their song (ex: Loomis thinks he is looking for his wife, Martha, but really he is looking for his song)
. Racism
. story is set in the time when african americans were still looked down upon
Danny Foussard
Plot Summary
Act 1, Scene 1
Seth and Bertha are in the kitchen discussing Seth’s occupational woes as he tries to get a loan. Rutherford Selig, a Jewish peddler, stops by the boardinghouse to barter with Seth. Bynum now comes in and describes how to “bind” people together. Jeremy comes in and gripes about white people, this time the police. Herald Loomis and his daughter, Zonia, show up and rent a room. Loomis is looking for his wife, Martha. Loomis leaves, and Bynum encourages Jeremy to take his guitar to the contest at the bar, but Jeremy doesn’t go, because a white man ripped him off once. Mattie Campbell shows up, and talks to Bynum. Jeremy asks Mattie out on a date. Outside, Zonia plays in the yard and meets Reuben, the boy next door.
Act 1, Scene 2
Bertha and Seth argue about Loomis. Seth does not trust him, Bertha does. Selig shows up for his weekly visit, sit and Seth sells him the dustpans that he made. Loomis heard about his people finding skills and hires Selig to find his wife. Selig leaves, and Bertha says that he just finds people that he already lost. Loomis doesn’t care because he really wants to see his wife.
Act 1, Scene 3
The next morning, Seth talks to Bynum about the fact that he is unable to get a loan to start his own business. Jeremy pays for Mattie to live with him at the boardinghouse. Jeremy likes Mattie because she is pretty, and Bynum lectures Jeremy, saying that prettiness isn’t the most important thing. Just then, Molly Cunningham, who is way hotter than Mattie, asks for a room for the week.
Act 1, Scene 4
Everyone is at dinner, but they decide to start dancing, or “juba”. Loomis freaks out and has a vision. He imagines that he is looking at ocean, where bones walk on the water and then sink. The bones then become living Africans, lying on the shore, unable to stand up for themselves. Near the end of the vision, He panics when he realizes that he is not able to stand up.
Act 2, Scene 1
The next morning, Seth tries to kick Herald out, but Herald won’t go. Mattie leaves for work, and Molly says that she refuses to work and she doesn’t need any men or any children. Jeremy comes in, saying that he got fired when he refused to pay a white man just to keep his job. Jeremy decides to leave Mattie and run away with Molly.
Act 2, Scene 2
On Monday evening, Bynum and Seth sit and play dominoes, and Bynum sings a song about Joe Turner. Loomis walks in and doesn’t like that he was singing that song. Bynum and Seth ask about him, so Loomis finally tells them what when down when he was enslaved to Joe Turner. Bynum says that Loomis lost his song.
Act 2, Scene 3
The next morning, Loomis and Mattie talk about his vision. They start digging on each other, but Loomis is all about how he can’t love after being with Joe Turner.
Act 2, Scene 4
The next morning, Zonia and Reuben play in the yard. Reuben says he saw a ghost. Zonia freaks out. Then they become boyfriend and girlfriend and kiss.
Act 2, Scene 5
On Saturday morning, Loomis and Zonia prepare to leave when Selig arrives, with Martha Pentecost, Herald's wife. Herald and Martha catch up, and Herald gives Zonia back to her mother. Martha tells Herald that he should look to Jesus to save him, but Herald starts going on about how Jesus has done nothing for him but bring him pain. Martha tells him that the “blood of the lamb will make him clean” but Herald says he can bleed his own blood and slashes his body. Mattie follows after Herald, and Bynum says that Loomis is the Shiny Man.
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