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Will Mayes
Minnie Cooper is an unmarried white woman in her late thirties who may or may not have been sexually assaulted by a black man, Will Mayes. There is no proof that anything happened between the two, and some people in Jefferson doubt her story, as this is not the first time she has had a “man-scare.” Minnie has been virtually abandoned by this society, due to her low class and lack of a husband. Though she was attractive as a young girl, she but was passed over by the boys in town in favor of women with a higher social status. She briefly dated the clerk at the local bank, but that did not end well, as he moved to Memphis without Minnie. After that, she settled in with her aging mother and aunt, and had little to do to occupy her time. According to others in Jefferson, Minnie drank whiskey on a regular basis and had accused a man of watching her undress, both of which are seen as desperate attempts to attract attention. The rumor involving Will Mayes makes Minnie the center of attention, whether or not that was her intent in the first place.
Minnie Cooper Quotes in Dry September
The Dry September quotes below are all either spoken by Minnie Cooper or refer to Minnie Cooper. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
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Part 1 Quotes
“Except it wasn't Will Mayes,” a barber said. He was a thin, sand-colored man with a mild face, who was shaving a client. “I know Will Mayes. He's a
good nigger. And I know Miss Minnie Cooper, too.”
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Explanation and Analysis:
At the beginning of the story, as men in the barber shop discuss the room that Will Mayes assaulted or insulted Minnie Cooper, the barber (Henry Hawkshaw) immediately asserts that Will Mayes is innocent. This is based on his character assessments of both Mayes and Cooper; he argues that Mayes is incapable of this kind of thing and implies that Minnie Cooper, as an unmarried middle-aged white woman, is not likely to be the victim of unwanted sexual contact. Hawkshaw’s assertion introduces the theme of reputation. The men in the barber shop have no actual information about the rumor and Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligen
“It's this durn weather,” another said. “It's enough to make a man do anything.”
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Faulkner begins his story by noting that it hasn’t rained for more than two months in Jefferson, and as the conversation in the barbershop gets increasingly tense, an unnamed speaker suggests that the current stifling weather can make people do crazy things. This commentary on the weather and its effects on the people of Jefferson offers surprising insight into the actions of nearly all of the characters in the story. Even the title of the story, “Dry September,” emphasizes the dramatic importance of the environmental conditions. Historically, this story takes place during a time of prolonged droughts in the American Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit
“Well,” he said, “are you going to sit there and let a black son rape a white woman on the streets of Jefferson?”
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This is John McLendon’s comment as he bursts into the barber shop, and it marks a pivotal moment in the first part of the story. Before McLendon’s arrival, the men are discussing the Cooper-Mayes rumor as casual and disinterested observers; McLendon’s arrival and subsequent comments are a sharp call to action, and in a short period, nearly all of the men in the barber shop leave with him to retaliate against Mayes. McLendon establishes himself as a man of action, and the few words he uses are significant. While no one knows specifically what may have happened between Will and Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inven
Part 2 Quotes
Then the town began to say: “Poor Minnie.” “But she is old enough to take care of herself,” others said.
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This is short discussion between two unidentified speakers in Jefferson regarding Minnie Cooper’s personal life and, in particular, her relationship with a widowed cashier from the local bank. Part II of the story is a profile of Minnie Cooper, specifically relating how she is defined by the townspeople of Jefferson. Many of the life events described in this section are determined by her social status and the whims of her friends and acquaintances. According to the omniscient narrator, Minnie was attractive as a young woman, but did not manage to find a husband like her friends did. She dated a Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut.
Part 4 Quotes
“Do you feel strong enough to go out?” they said, their eyes bright too, with a dark glitter. “When you have had time to get over the shock, you must tell us what happened. What he said and did; everything.”
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Minnie’s friends come to visit her and help her prepare to go downtown for a social outing to the movies; in reality, however, they are curious about Minnie’s emotional state after the rumors and hungry for gossip about the events themselves. Rumor and gossip play a significant role in the lives of the townspeople, in part because so much of their livelihoods depends on social status, and in part because there is not much else to keep them occupied. It is possible that Minnie invented the entire story in a bid for attention and social advancement, and if so, she Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impe
“That's the one: see? The one in pink in the middle.” “Is that her? What did they do with the nigger? Did they?” “Sure. He's all right.” “All right, is he?” “Sure. He went on a little trip.”
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This is a snippet of conversation between two men in the town square, possibly overheard by Minnie Cooper as she walks downtown with her friends to the movies. This is the same evening that the rumors have surfaced, and Minnie is an object of curiosity for the people of Jefferson. As a middle-aged woman, Minnie had become all but invisible to the men in town, but this rumor had caused them to notice her again. The first speaker points her out, identifying her by the color of her dress to his friend, who had no idea who she was. They Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit beatae. At a deserunt. Sint aperiam consequatur. Minima porro perferendis. Sit neque odit. Tenetur qui dignissimos. Qui et ut. Voluptate labore corporis. Hi
“Do you see?” the friends said. Their voices sounded like long, hovering sighs of hissing exultation. “There's not a Negro on the square. Not one.”
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This comment by Minnie’s friends refers to the effect of Will Mayes’s murder on the black men of Jefferson. The angry mob in the barber shop was intent on killing a black man send a message to the black population of the town, and that is exactly what happens. In the end, it did not matter whether or not it was Mayes who attacked Minnie Cooper, or whether the incident happened at all; this act of vigilante violence was just another expression of racial domination, allowing the white men of Jefferson to exert power over black men. The constant threat Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta
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Minnie Cooper Character Timeline in Dry September
The timeline below shows where the character Minnie Cooper appears in Dry September. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Part 1
...gathered in a barber shop in—the air stale—discuss the rumor, linking a local white woman, Minnie Cooper, with a black man named Will Mayes.
(full context)
...plan of action, even as one client wonders aloud whether anything happened at all—after all, Minnie has had a “man scare” before. McLendon promptly dismisses this, insisting it doesn’t make a...
(full context)
Part 2
Minnie Cooper is 38 or 39 years old and single, living in a small house with...
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As a pretty young woman, Minnie was invited to social events for a while, until her social group became more aware...
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Minnie began to ride around town with an older widower who worked as a cashier at...
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...years have passed since that romance, and people in town have begun to notice that Minnie started drinking whiskey during the daytime. She gets the alcohol from the soda fountain clerk,...
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Part 4
On the same night as Will Mayes’s abduction, Minnie Cooper dresses to go out. She is trembling, feverish and nervous, and her friends come...
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As the women walk down the street, Minnie is at the center of the group, and has to breathe deeply to control her...
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Minnie and her friends enter the movie theater and take their seats. The theater is “like...
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Minnie’s friends bring her home in a taxi, fan her, rub ice on her to calm...
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