Previous
Elijah Mosley
Walter Thomas is unique in that he is the only man in the village to speak out against perceived injustices (save for Joe Kanty, whose version of speaking up is meek and ineffective). Walter challenges the status quo and voices his opinions openly, seemingly unperturbed by the fierce backlash he might receive from his male peers. Firstly, Walter voices his discomfort about how the men—namely Elijah— treat Joe Kanty in the general store. Walter “grumble[s]” his disapproval of Elijah’s bullying and “chide[s]” him, warning that “Spunk will sho’ kill” Joe as a result of the men’s actions, a prediction that turns out to be true. Secondly, Walter raises concerns about the immorality of Spunk’s affair, saying “tain’t right the way he carries on wid Lena Kanty.” Finally, after Joe’s murder, Walter boldly declares that “Joe wuz a braver man than Spunk,” a statement that receives “derision” from the other men. In contrast to Elijah, Walter is interested in truth and justice. For Walter, Spunk receives the punishment he deserves when he’s faced with Joe’s ghost and has to reckon with his past immorality.
Walter Thomas Quotes in Spunk
The Spunk quotes below are all either spoken by Walter Thomas or refer to Walter Thomas. 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:
).
Spunk Quotes
“’Tain’t cause Joe’s timid at all […] If Joe was a passel of wile cats Spunk would tackle the job just the same.”
Related Characters:
Related Symbols:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
When the men watch Joe Kanty walk towards the woods in search of Spunk, knowing that Joe has a razor blade with him and that Spunk will be armed with a gun, Walter Thomas warns Elijah that they are sending Joe to his death. Walter also insists that Spunk’s affair is morally wrong and that he only “carries on wid Lena” because Joe is weak and passive, which implies that Spunk is both cowardly and a bully. When Elijah asserts that Spunk would fight a whole “passel of wile cats” in order to win over Lena, he speaks to Spunk’s 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. Hic tempore laborum. Nisi quia ea. Quia soluta itaque. Deleniti nisi earum. Ad tenetur laboriosam. Eum accusamus harum. Accusantium iusto voluptas. Totam quae corporis. Impedit non ut.
“Humph!” sniffed Walter, “he oughter be nervous after what he done. Ah reckon Joe come back to dare him to marry Lena, or to come out an' fight […] Joe wuz a braver man than Spunk.”
Related Characters:
Related Symbols:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
After Elijah has described Spunk’s incident with the black bobcat to the men, Walter outspokenly expresses his disapproval of Spunk. According to Walter, Spunk deserves to have been spooked by the presence of the bobcat outside his house; the creature symbolizes justice and rightful revenge. Despite “derision from the group,” Walter continues by expressing that he thinks Joe “was a braver man than Spunk” all along. The fact that Joe was physically inferior to Spunk, and knew that Spunk was a “crack shot” with his gun, yet continued to pursue him anyway, demonstrates his superior courage and bravery. For Walter, 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 con
Get the entire Spunk LitChart as a printable PDF.
"My students can't get enough of your charts and their results have gone through the roof." -Graham S.
Walter Thomas Character Timeline in Spunk
The timeline below shows where the character Walter Thomas appears in Spunk. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Spunk
...Joe, arrives and orders a drink. Elijah immediately begins taunting Joe by asking after Lena. Walter tries to get Elijah to stop, but Elijah presses on, telling Joe that his wife...
(full context)
...men laugh “boisterously” as they watch Joe “shamble woodward” in search of Spunk and Lena. Walter warns Elijah that he and the other men have sent Joe to his death, declaring...
(full context)
Elijah ignores Walter’s warning, assuring the men that Joe is calling their “bluff.” He thinks that Spunk would...
(full context)
...story about how Joe had meekly confronted Lena and Spunk the week before. Elijah denounces Walter’s accusation that Spunk only “carries on wid Lena” because her husband is timid and passive,...
(full context)
...Orlando later arrests Spunk, but after a short trial, Spunk walks free. Some time later, Walter and Elijah discuss how Spunk and Lena have moved in together and are about to...
(full context)
Unsympathetic, Walter declares that Spunk “oughter be nervous after what he done,” and argues that Joe was...
(full context)
...discuss Spunk once more, but there is “no laughter. No badinage this time.” Elijah and Walter somberly discuss Spunk’s death as they walk slowly towards Lena’s house for the funeral wake....
(full context)
