Intruder in the Dust Spark-ish Notes

Overview:

Intruder in the Dust was first published in 1948. William Faulkner was born in 1897 and lived until his death in 1962. Now to the book...

Chapter 1 Summary:

Chick Mallison waits outside the jail on Sunday. Everybody in town knows about Lucas Beauchamp shooting Vinson Gowrie in the back on Saturday. Chick knows Lucas from before...

-How Chick Met Lucas

Four years ago, he was hunting with Aleck Sander (Alexander) when he fell through the ice into freezing water of the creek. Lucas helps Chick get out of the water by stopping Aleck from poking him with a pole. He takes him to his house (Lucas owns his own land) where he gives Chick dry clothes and food. Chick tries to pay him, but Lucas won’t take the money. Chick throws it on the floor like a little baby. Lucas doesn’t take the money, and Chick leaves. 

Chapter 2:

Lucas went to the store wearing a nice suit. He buys some gingersnaps and eats one. One of the white men freaks out. Lucas just keeps eating. The men start fighting. Lucas only leaves after the owner’s son yells at him (nicely-ish) to get out twice. 

All this time, Chick’s been trying to repay Lucas, but no matter what he does Lucas won’t take it. He tried to send a dress to Molly, Lucas’s wife, but he finds out later that she died.

Saturday afternoon, he heard about Lucas shooting. His horse is mentioned here; Highboy eats oats while his uncle, Gavin Stevens, talks to him at dinner. Chick gets up from the table saying he’s going to the movies. His uncle lets him go to do an errand for him. 

Chick thinks back about how Lucas was discovered. All the evidence shows that he is being framed. Still, people really, really want to lynch Lucas, and everybody is afraid of the mob. Gavin reassures Chick a bit by saying that the Gowries won’t do anything until they bury Vinson.

Now Chick is in the present waiting outside the jail. There’s a lot of men there suddenly. The sheriff drives up to the jail to drop Lucas off. Lucas sees Chick and tells him he wants to see his uncle (Gavin’s a lawyer). 

Chapter 3:

Chick goes home. He gets his uncle and they go back. Will Legate, the best shot in the county, and the jailer are guarding the jail for Mr. Hampton (the sheriff). Legate’s reading comics, and the jailer gets upset. He takes them up to Lucas. 

Gavin asks Lucas what happened, but he is so biased Lucas doesn’t want to tell him anything. We find out what Vinson was doing- selling lumber late at night to another man. They leave. Chick wants to take Lucas some tobacco and goes alone back to Lucas. Lucas tells him to go dig up Vinson Gowrie’s body to prove he wasn’t shot by Lucas (his pistol is a 41 Colt). 

Faulkner does his spiel about how women and children act and men talk.

Lucas offers to pay Chick, and they realize they need to dig him up quickly.

Chapter 4:

There’s a truck outside Chick’s house. It belongs to Miss Habersham. She’s with his uncle when Chick comes in. He asks Gavin why can’t sheriff Hampton dig him up. Gavin keeps interrupting him. He gives up and decides to dig it up himself. He’ll take Aleck Sander because they’ve done that sort of thing before on his horse. Miss Habersham comes up to Chick when Aleck is getting the stuff to dig up the grave. She was like Molly’s sister when she was alive (the reason she goes). She drives there in her truck. Aleck gets off the horse and into the truck (he drives).

When they get there, Highboy won’t cross the quick sand, and they argue about what to do. A mule comes down the hill. They hide and don’t see who it is.They dig up the grave, but instead of Vinson, they find Montgomery (a timber buyer). 

Chapter 5:

They refill the grave. His family meet him at the front door. .

That morning, his uncle brings the sheriff to the house. He breaks the news about the body not being Vinson. The sheriff gets the O.K. and makes Miss Habersham protector of Lucas (because no Southern man would cross a lady). She goes home to get something do while sitting there.

Chapter 6: 

Chick has to go to school and sleep, so he doesn’t go. He remembers what they did. He drinks his coffee and goes to school.

A mass of men has gathered outside the jail. 

Chapter 7:

The lecture on getting rid of prejudice in the South

They’re just about to start digging when Nub Gowrie and the twins come up. The twins dig up the grave. . No body’s in the grave!

-Digging up the grave chart

1. Dig at funeral put in Vinson

1. Mont. takes out Vinson
2. Crawford kills him and switches bodies
3. Chick sees Mont.
4. Crawford takes out Mont.
5. Sheriff no body

Crawford’s history

Chapter 8:

The sheriff and the Gowries look for the missing bodies. Mr. Gowrie tries to go in and gets pulled out. Montgomery is buried in the dirt by the river. Vinson is in the quicksand- “I’m standing on him.” They figure out which gun killed Vinson. 

Chapter 9:

The mob leaves. Miss Habersham goes home. Chick’s mother is there too helping. Chick debates Gavin about the mob.

Chapter 10:

lucas gets out of jail. We find out what happens to Crawford Gowrie. The whole crew goes over what happened. 

Chapter 11:

Lucas leaves. He tries to pay, but Gavin won’t let him. He finally agrees on two dollars. The book ends with Lucas asking fro his receipt.