The Reivers

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For other uses, see The Reivers (disambiguation).

The Reivers

First edition

Author William Faulkner

Country United States

Language English

Publisher Random House

Publication date June 4, 1962[1]

Media type Print (hardback & paperback)

 Preceded by The Mansion  (1959) 

The Reivers: A Reminiscence, published in 1962, is the last novel by the American
author William Faulkner. The bestselling novel was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for
Fiction in 1963. Faulkner previously won this award for his book A Fable, making him
one of only four authors to be awarded it more than once. Unlike many of his earlier
works, it is a straightforward narration and eschews the complicated literary techniques
of his more well known works. It is a picaresque novel, and as such may seem
uncharacteristically lighthearted given its subject matter. For these reasons, The
Reivers is often ignored by Faulkner scholars or dismissed as a lesser work. He
previously had referred to writing a "Golden Book of Yoknapatawpha County" with
which he would finish his literary career. It is likely that The Reivers was meant to be
this "Golden Book". The Reivers was adapted into a film of the same name directed
by Mark Rydell and starring Steve McQueen as Boon Hogganbeck.

Contents

 1Plot

 2Boon Hogganbeck

 3Ned McCaslin

 4References

 5External links

Plot[edit]
In the early 20th century, an 11-year-old boy named Lucius Priest (a distant cousin of
the McCaslin/Edmonds family Faulkner wrote about in Go Down, Moses) somewhat
unwittingly gets embroiled in a plot to go to Memphis with dimwitted family friend and
manservant Boon Hogganbeck. Boon steals (reives, [2] thereby becoming a reiver)
Lucius' grandfather's car, one of the first cars in Yoknapatawpha County. They discover
that Ned McCaslin, a black man who works with Boon at Lucius' grandfather's stables,
has stowed away with them (Ned is also a blood cousin of the Priests).
When they reach Memphis, Boon and Lucius stay in a boarding-house (brothel). Miss
Reba, the madam, and Miss Corrie, Boon's favorite girl, are appalled to see that Boon
has brought a child. In fact, Corrie's nephew Otis, an ill-mannered and off-putting boy
about Lucius' age, is already staying there. In the evening, Otis reveals that Corrie
(whose real name is Everbe Corinthia) used to prostitute herself in their old town, and
he would charge men to watch her through a peephole. Outraged at his conduct, Lucius
fights Otis, who cuts his hand with a pocketknife. Boon breaks up the fight but Everbe is
so moved by Lucius' chivalry that she decides to stop whoring. Later, Ned returns to the
boarding-house and reveals he traded the car for a supposedly lame racehorse.
Corrie, Reba, Ned, Boon and Lucius hatch a scheme to smuggle the horse by rail to a
nearby town, Parsham, to race a horse it has lost to twice already. Ned figures that
everyone in town will bet against the horse and he can win enough money to buy back
the car; he claims to have a secret ability to make the horse run. Corrie uses another
client who works for the railroad, Sam, to get them and the horse on a night train. In
town, Ned takes Lucius to stay with a black family while they practice for the horse race.
Unfortunately, the local lawman named Butch finds them out and attempts to extort
sexual favors from Corrie to look the other way. Reba is able to send him away by
claiming she will reveal to the town that he intentionally ordered two prostitutes,
angering his constituency.
On the day of the race, Lucius rides the horse (named Coppermine but called Lightning
by Ned) and loses the first of three heats as planned. Just as the second heat begins,
Butch returns to break up the horserace and arrest Boon for stealing the horse. Lucius
and one of Ned's kinsman are able to get the horse to safety; Corrie is supposedly able
to clear the whole ordeal up by having sex with Butch and the race takes place as
scheduled the next day. Lucius and Lightning win much to everyone's surprise, but are
greeted at the track by Boss Priest, Lucius' grandfather.
That night, Ned reveals his scheme: his cousin Bobo accrued a huge gambling debt to a
white man and agreed to steal a horse to make up for it. Ned recognizes some kind of
spirit in the horse that he once saw before in a lame mule he was able to make race.
Ned decides to try to bet the horse against the car, but Boss Priest's arrival ruins his
scheme. Now himself embroiled in the horse theft and confusion, Boss Priest is forced
to enter another race: if they win, he pays $500 to legally take the horse but reveal
Ned's secret (he enticed the horse with sardines); if they lose he pays $500 but does
not have to take the horse. Ned intentionally throws the race, knowing the horse is
worthless. Boss pays the penalty and they get the car back.
Back home, Boss Priest saves Lucius from receiving a beating from his father, knowing
that the ordeal he went through at his age was punishment enough. Boon and Corrie
eventually marry and name their son Lucius Priest Hogganbeck.

Boon Hogganbeck[edit]
Boon is also a major character in Go Down, Moses, where he appears as a
McCaslin/Priest family retainer of limited education and interests. In The Reivers he
shows the unexpected qualities of a car lover and a romantic hero; his marriage ties up
a major "loose end" in the Faulkner canon.

Ned McCaslin[edit]
Ned's character resembles that of his distant relative Lucas Beauchamp in many ways.
Like Lucas, he at least pretends to work for his white cousins while constantly outwitting
them in various ways. The Priests invariably find it in their hearts to forgive him.
References[edit]
1. ^ Prescott, Orville (June 4, 1962). "Books of The Times". The New York Times: 27.  ...in his
newest novel, 'The Reivers,' which is published today.
2. ^ "Definition of REIVES". www.merriam-webster.com. Retrieved 30 December 2017.

External links[edit]
 The Reivers at Faded Page (Canada)
 Photos of the first edition of The Reivers
 The Reivers at Digital Yoknapatawpha

Preceded by Novels set in Succeeded by

The Mansion Yoknapatawpha County none

Awards

Succeeded by
Preceded by
Pulitzer Prize for Fiction no award given (1964)
The Edge of Sadness 1963 The Keepers of the House
by Edwin O'Connor
by Shirley Ann Grau (1965)

show

William Faulkner

show

Pulitzer Prize for Fiction

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Authority control 

Categories: 
 1962 American novels
 Novels by William Faulkner
 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction-winning works
 Picaresque novels
 Random House books
 Novels set in Mississippi
 Novels set in Memphis, Tennessee
 Fiction set in the 1900s