David Harum · Chapter
XVII explained
On December 23rd, David Harum tells John Lenox the story of the Cullom family's decline from wealth to poverty, focusing on Mrs.
What happens
On December 23rd, David Harum tells John Lenox the story of the Cullom family's decline from wealth to poverty, focusing on Mrs. Cullom's struggles. He reveals that he holds a mortgage on her property and instructs John to summon her to the bank on Christmas morning, ostensibly to close the matter. John feels disgust and repugnance, suspecting a hard-hearted scheme, but David later explains how he came by the mortgage.
Themes in this chapter
Social Class and Community
The Cullom family's fall from 'kingpins' to poverty illustrates the fragility of social status and the community's shifting attitudes toward class.
Horse Trading and Moral Ambiguity
David's plan to call in the mortgage on Christmas morning appears morally dubious, echoing the theme of sharp dealing and ambiguous ethics.
Characters to notice
- David Harum
Tells John the history of the Cullom family and reveals his plan to call in Mrs. Cullom's mortgage on Christmas morning.
- John Lenox
Listens to David's story and feels disgust and repugnance at what he believes is a scheme to foreclose on Mrs. Cullom.
- Mrs. Cullom
The widow of Billy P. Cullom, who has fallen from wealth and struggles to survive; David holds a mortgage on her property.
- Billy P. Cullom
Mrs. Cullom's deceased husband, who inherited the family estate but mismanaged it and left her with little.
- Charley Cullom
Mrs. Cullom's son, who married and moved West after his mother raised a thousand dollars on her property.
- Zeke Swinney
The man from whom Mrs. Cullom originally borrowed the thousand dollars that led to David's mortgage.
Key passages
“She has seen better days, but she's eat an' drunk sorro' mostly fer goin' on thirty year, an' darned little else good share o' the time, I reckon.”
Mrs. Cullom has experienced much hardship and sorrow for nearly thirty years, with little else to sustain her.
David describes Mrs. Cullom's long suffering.
“Int'rist's one o' them things that keeps right on nights an' Sundays.”
Interest on debt accumulates continuously, without pause.
David explains how debt grows relentlessly.
“She held onto that prop'ty of her'n like a pup to a root.”
She clung to her property with great determination.
David emphasizes Mrs. Cullom's tenacity in keeping her land.