Slaver not Savior Candy is supposed to be something sweet. One of the main characters in A Gathering of Old Men by Ernest J. Gaines, Candy Marshall, is anything but sweet. Candy is a stubborn, self-important, white landowner in 1970s Louisiana. Candy attempts to play the role of protector for the good of the black citizens of St. Raphael Parish. She is, however, actually considering her own interests.
Candy tries to be a marshal in more ways than one.
Not only is she subtly protecting her interests, she also tries to physically and emotionally control the black citizen s actions. Candy is a slaver not a savior. Candy constantly orders people around and may even use her position as the white landowner to give those orders. Beau Boutan, a white farmer, is killed on her property in front of Mathu s house. Mathu is an old black man she claims is her friend.