Charles Etienne Character Analysis in Absalom, Absalom!

Charles Etienne is the son of Charles Bon and his unnamed, mixed-race mistress. Bon abandoned Charles Etienne and his mother to confront Sutpen, but they journey from their home in New Orleans to Sutpen’s Hundred after Bon’s murder to visit Bon’s grave. After his mother’s death, someone (likely Clytie) fetches Charles Etienne from New Orleans so he can grow up at Sutpen’s Hundred. Judith and Clytie care for him but don’t give him any affection. Charles Etienne’s lonely childhood, the death of his mother, and his confusion about his racial identity lead to him become a troubled and occasionally violent adult. Though General Compson offers to help him leave town and escape to the North, where he can pass as white, Charles Etienne chooses to remain on Sutpen’s Hundred. He eventually marries an unnamed Black woman with a dark complexion, and he and his wife and have a child named Jim Bond. He fixes up an old slave cabin on the property and works the land until falling ill and dying of yellow fever. Judith cares for him before succumbing to the illness herself.

Charles Etienne Character Timeline in Absalom, Absalom!

The timeline below shows where the character Charles Etienne appears in Absalom, Absalom!. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.

...the letters after she discovered “in Bon’s coat the picture of the octoroon mistress and the little boy .” Judith must have loved Bon as much as Henry did—in fact, it’s unclear to... (full context)

...the “calculation” that went into it. It wouldn’t be the fact of Bon’s mistress and child being Black that bothered Henry—it would have been “the ceremony” that bothered Henry, “the countryman.”... (full context)

...happen that way. Instead, Henry waits four years for Bon to renounce the woman and child and dissolve the marriage—all the while knowing that the relationship isn’t a marriage and that... (full context)

...and Henry, in response, continued to demand that Bon renounce the other woman and her child. Henry (in Mr. Compson’s imagination) would have demanded that Bon not “pass the shadow of... (full context)

Quentin asks Mr. Compson about the other three gravestones, which belong to Charles Bon, Charles Etienne Saint-Valery Bon, and Judith Sutpen. Mr. Compson urges Quentin to think about it: “Who would... (full context)

...New Orleans to inform her of Bon’s death. The woman arrives with an 11-year-old boy, Charles Etienne . She’s dressed in an elaborate gown rather than mourning clothing. Charles Bon’s widow and... (full context)

After Bon’s widow and her child, Charles Etienne, return to New Orleans, Clytie (or maybe Judith) keeps tabs on them and... (full context)

...or white—crossed paths with him. Judith, meanwhile, never prevented him from sleeping in the white child’s bed in her room. The town knows of Charles Etienne’s arrival and thinks they now... (full context)

Five years later, Judith, now in her forties, goes to the courthouse to retrieve Charles Etienne , who is handcuffed to an officer and in poor shape after getting into a... (full context)

Judith waits outside Quentin’s grandfather’s office while Charles Etienne and Quentin’s grandfather speak. Quentin’s grandfather asks if Charles Etienne is Charles Bon’s son, and... (full context)

Not long after this, Charles Etienne leaves town for a time and returns with a dark-skinned Black woman he married while... (full context)

Judith pleads with Charles Etienne to renounce his wife and child (Jim Bond) and go to the North, where he can start fresh and pass as... (full context)

...on. After speaking with Judith, Charles Etienne returns to his cabin where his wife and child are waiting for him. He continues to live there and farm the land. He associates... (full context)

Charles Etienne later falls ill with yellow fever. Judith moves him into the house and cares for... (full context)

...Mr. Compson, and Luster look on the gravestones while Mr. Compson tells the story of Charles Etienne . Quentin isn’t really listening to the story anymore, since he knows it all already.... (full context)

...of himself, Luster, and some other boys their age approaching the old cabin and seeing Charles Etienne ’s son, Jim Bond, who is just a few years older than they are. Bond... (full context)

...to Quentin’s grandfather, he tries to explain his choice to disown his first wife and child. Quentin’s grandfather considers this unconscionable, and Sutpen agrees but merely explains that he reasoned with... (full context)

...Shreve and Quentin imagine that Bon must have taken Henry to see Bon’s mistress and Charles Etienne (this is what Mr. Compson thinks happened, too). But Shreve and Quentin don’t think the... (full context)

...clasped the metal case—containing not her picture but the picture of Bon’s mistress and Bon’s child—in her hand. (full context)