# Hod Putt explained — Spoon River Anthology

> Chapter companion for Spoon River Anthology by Edgar Lee Masters.

## What happens

Hod Putt, a man weary of poverty and labor, observes the corrupt success of Old Bill Piersol, who profited through dishonest means and the bankruptcy law. In desperation, Hod robs and accidentally kills a traveler, for which he is executed. He draws a parallel between his own fate and Old Bill's, noting that both found peace in the grave.

## Themes in this chapter

### Hypocrisy and Corruption

Old Bill Piersol grows rich through unethical dealings with Native Americans and manipulates the bankruptcy law to his advantage, contrasting with Hod Putt's direct but punished crime.

### Death and Legacy

Both Hod Putt and Old Bill Piersol end up in the same graveyard, their earthly differences erased by death, suggesting a leveling of moral and social status.

## Character check-ins

### Hod Putt

The speaker and subject of the epitaph, who was hanged for robbery and murder.

## Key lines

> Here I lie close to the grave Of Old Bill Piersol, Who grew rich trading with the Indians, and who Afterwards took the bankrupt law And emerged from it richer than ever

I am buried next to Old Bill Piersol, who became wealthy by trading with Native Americans and then used the bankruptcy law to become even richer.

_Highlights the contrast between legal and illegal paths to wealth._

> Myself grown tired of toil and poverty And beholding how Old Bill and other grew in wealth Robbed a traveler one night near Proctor’s Grove, Killing him unwittingly while doing so, For which I was tried and hanged.

Exhausted by hard work and poverty, and seeing how Old Bill and others got rich, I robbed a traveler near Proctor's Grove, accidentally killing him, and was executed for it.

_Explains Hod Putt's motive and the consequence of his crime._

> That was my way of going into bankruptcy. Now we who took the bankrupt law in our respective ways Sleep peacefully side by side.

That was my version of filing for bankruptcy. Now, both of us who used the bankruptcy law in our own ways lie peacefully together in death.

_Ironic comparison between legal bankruptcy and execution as a form of debt relief._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/spoon_river_anthology_se/chapters/hod-putt
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/spoon_river_anthology_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/spoon_river_anthology_se/chapters