Seth Holly In Joe Turner's Come And Gone

Seth Holly from August Wilson’s Joe Turner’s Come and Gone is one of the main characters of the play. Seth is the owner of the boardinghouse in Pittsburg, where the play is set. He determined for his boardinghouse was seen as a respectable place. He did not put up with people causing trouble. For example, he confronted Jeremy, a tenant at the boardinghouse, when he got thrown in jail for drinking. “Know these is respectable quarters. Everybody knew Seth Holly kept a good house.” (1.1) Other than just owning the boardinghouse, Seth also creates pots and pans. He worked at night for Mr. Olowski as a craftsman and made his own crafts for Mr. Selig during the day. Also, unlike his wife, Seth was not a very spiritual person. “…all that heebie-jeebie stuff. I just put up with that ‘cause of you. I don’t pay no mind to that kind of stuff.” (1.1)

The tenants knew he kept a close eye on them for the sake of the boardinghouse. He did not like when the tenants cause trouble or to act suspicious. His wife would rather him not worry about their business and just leave them alone. “As long as you get your boarding money it ain’t your cause about what he do.” (2.1) Additionally, even if he has worked all night, he loves to sit in the kitchen during breakfast and talk about the gossip around the town. “My grandpap say he a great big old windbag.” (1.1)
Seth Holly’s main focus was to have a stable life. He worked nights and during the day from time to time to make sure he had enough to get by. His dreams were to open his own business making pots and pans rather than just doing it on the side for Mr. Selig. Since Selig provides the materials and sells the items, he collects a bigger profit than Seth does. Seth just enjoyed having some business and doing what he loves. The only way he could afford to open his own business was to sell the boardinghouse to Mr. Johnson, which he never even