Intruder In The Dust

Charles and his uncle follow the sheriff to the cemetery. As they pass through the rural, desolate setting, Charles reflects on how he found himself in this situation. They pass a solitary African American man plowing a field. In spite of the events in the town, Gavin says, the season still demands that men work in the fields. Other than Aleck Sander and Paralee, this is the only Black person Charles has seen all day. The man, Gavin says, must be from the North. Gavin launches into a discussion about the difference between the North and the South. In the North, he says, the laws are different. Ever since the end of the Civil War, African American people have been free to come and go between the North and South as they please. In the South, Gavin suggests anything of value can only be built “from homogeneity,” so the people of the South should resist influence from the North. Gavin finishes his pontificating on the political future of the desegrated South as they arrive at the cemetery.

They pass the cheaply made church and Charles leads the men to the grave. When they arrive at it, the sheriff asks why the flowers were not put back.