Mayfield|Maydew
Character Key Number:
1285
Display Name:
Mayfield|Maydew
Sort Name:
Mayfield|Maydew
Ever Present in Yoknapatawpha?:
Yes
Biography:
In "Pantaloon in Black" the country sheriff who arrests Rider is named Mayfield; in Go Down, Moses, his name is changed to Maydew; when Rider's story is retold by Temple in Requiem for a Nun the sheriff is not named. In the first two texts, only his name is changed. In both he tells Rider that "You'll have plenty of fresh air when [the Birdsongs] get ahold of you" (254, 150). According to the deputy's account, the sheriff relies on the votes of Birdsongs to remain in office, yet he also lets Rider's aunt come to the jail with his prisoner hoping her presence will deter the lynchers.