Charles Mallison I

Although he is mentioned in three short stories and actually appears in three novels, the father of Charles Mallison, Jr., remains an elusive character. He is dead in the first story that mentions him ("An Error in Chemistry") and almost irrelevant even in the texts where he appears: Intruder in the Dust, The Town and The Mansion. His wife, Maggie Stevens by birth and Gavin's twin sister, sometimes calls him Charley, and according to The Town he owns the livery stable in Jefferson (at a time when cars are displacing horses). His most dramatic moment occurs in The Mansion, when he breaks up the fight between Gavin and Manfred de Spain. He has the most to say in The Town, especially when he can tease Gavin about his infatuation with Flem Snopes' wife. He has a very limited role in bringing up the son who is named after him; that is almost entirely done by "Uncle Gavin."