# XXXV: “Mine Enemy, O Mine Enemy!” explained — The Marrow of Tradition > Chapter companion for The Marrow of Tradition by Charles W. Chesnutt. ## What happens The race riot in Wellington escalates into a murderous mob, with white men and boys killing any Black person they encounter. Josh Green leads a group of armed Black men to the hospital to defend their community, but the mob surrounds the building and sets it on fire. Major Carteret attempts to stop the violence but is misunderstood and cheered by the crowd. Jerry Letlow, trying to escape and seek protection from Carteret, is killed by the mob. The chapter ends with Josh Green and his men preparing to fight to the death as the hospital burns. ## Themes in this chapter ### Violence and Mob Rule The chapter vividly portrays the mob's brutal, indiscriminate killing of Black people, the burning of buildings, and the inability of leaders like Carteret to control the violence they helped incite. ### Racial Injustice The riot is a one-sided race war where Black lives are devalued; a white man's death is considered unpardonable while dozens of innocent Black people are killed without consequence. ### Politics and Power The riot is the culmination of a conspiracy by Carteret and his colleagues to overturn the local government and establish white supremacy, showing how political manipulation leads to violence. ### Class and Privilege The mob's composition shifts from leaders to the 'baser element' of society, and Carteret's attempt to stop the violence is ignored, highlighting class divisions and the limits of elite control. ## Character check-ins ### Josh Green Leads a group of armed Black men to the hospital to defend their community; organizes defense and encourages his men to be brave; refuses to die without taking enemies with him. ### Jerry Letlow Terrified and hiding during the riot; attempts to flee and seek protection from Major Carteret but is killed by the mob despite waving a white handkerchief. ### Major Carteret Arrives at the scene and tries to stop the violence, calling it murder and madness; but his words are misinterpreted by the mob, who cheer him as a champion of white supremacy; he ultimately washes his hands of the horrors. ### Mr. Ellis Accompanies Major Carteret to the riot; expresses skepticism about stopping the mob, noting the violence must burn itself out. ### Captain George McBane The only revolutionary committee member remaining with the mob; enjoys the violence and has a dormant appetite for killing negroes reawakened. ### Mammy Jane Mentioned as having been killed near Major Carteret's house while fleeing for protection; her death shocks Carteret. ## Key lines > It was race against race, the whites against the negroes; and it was a one-sided affair, for until Josh Green got together his body of armed men, no effective resistance had been made by any colored person The conflict was entirely one-sided, with whites attacking Blacks, and no real resistance occurred until Josh Green organized armed men. _Highlights the imbalance of power and the turning point when Black resistance begins._ > A negro had killed a white man—the unpardonable sin, admitting neither excuse, justification, nor extenuation. In the Southern white mindset, a Black person killing a white person was an unforgivable crime, regardless of circumstances. _Reveals the deep-seated racial double standard and the justification for mob violence._ > We are all puppets in the hands of Fate, and seldom see the strings that move us. People are often unaware of the forces that control their actions, like McBane's violent nature driving him to participate in the riot. _Reflects on determinism and the lack of self-awareness in characters like McBane._ > I meant to keep them in their places—I did not intend wholesale murder and arson. Carteret claims he only wanted to suppress Black political power, not cause mass killing and destruction. _Shows Carteret's attempt to distance himself from the consequences of his own incitement._ ## Links - HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_marrow_of_tradition_se/chapters/xxxv-mine-enemy-o-mine-enemy - Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_marrow_of_tradition_se - All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_marrow_of_tradition_se/chapters