How Does Marcus Change Throughout The Novel

Ernest J. Gaines’ novel ‘Of Love and Dust’ was the tale of a young black man named Marcus Payne who is bonded out of jail for murder. As he waits for his pending trail, he’s sent to work on Marshall Herbert’s plantation alongside the tractor driver, Jim Kelly. Throughout the story, we read as Jim, who watches in astonishment of how daring Marcus’ actions are. Marcus was a rebel with an attitude, using bold words and actions to chase a goal to achieve freedom, while on the other hand, Jim was an obedient worker and peacekeeper who follows the rules and has no clear goal throughout majority of the story.
Marcus was a troublemaker that disturbs the peace established on the plantation which usual leads to him getting into altercations with fellow

He constantly bickers with Jim over the littlest things at times, even though he lives within his home. He also shows he’s unlike other workers with his fashion sense, making him an individual. Other than be a part of the crowd who works in khakis, he rather work in silk shirts and dress pants. But ever action has a reaction as Marcus struggled through his first week on the plantation. On one working day, Bonbon gives him a hard labor, trotting on his horse that breaths down his neck as he carries a heavy sack across the ground without stopping to recover. And if that wasn’t enough, Bonbon adds another load a work on Marcus the Saturday prier even though it’s a day. To add on to Marcus’s trail, after Bonbon’s extra load of work, he angrily strikes out at his mistress Pauline and takes his raging storm into Josie’s house where he takes multiple shots and then punches Murphy, starting a chaotic fight. Throughout all the hard loads of labor, Marcus focuses his attention towards Pauline, Bonbon’s mistress. Most workers wouldn’t dare to try messing with somethings of Bonbon, especially if it leads to death, but Marcus is daring enough to do so. Not only was he persistent to get her attention, he goes as far too straight out strike her when she calls him the

Jim very much follows the rules and tries to keep the peace, he constantly warns Marcus of the consequences his actions may bring, and had no clear goal throughout majority of the story. Though Jim takes his place on the plantation serious, lesser than the white man, Jim has established a kind of trust with Bonbon. Seeing Jim’s level of obidenece to the plantation Marcus accuses him of being a whitemouth early in their meeting. While Jim quickly denies this, Marcus’s words have bit of truth behind them. Since Marcus’s decent onto the plantation were shown that Jim very much avoids drama. Jim explained that he doesn’t get involed in house and bar fights and just tries to quickly get out, and at Joise’s he tries to pry himself out, even though he’s knocked down and hit. Jim just doesn’t want trouble hovering amongst the place, especially if it causes chaos for everyone, and Marcus’s present doesn’t make it easier. He goes far as to take responsibility and constantly cautions Marcus every so often to follow the rules like the others, accept his status within the plantation, and serve his time. He tried to keep him away from Pauline and later goes as far as to ask Aunt Margaret for help when Marcus later pursued Louise. But even though Marcus is pain to Jim, he admired his spirt and great courage. Before Marcus’s doomed