# Mr. Harry Cresswell explained — The Quest of the Silver Fleece > Chapter companion for The Quest of the Silver Fleece by W. E. B. Du Bois. ## What happens Harry Cresswell, a wealthy white landowner, is angered by a letter proposing a cotton combine and by the local Negro school's influence on his laborers. He visits the school to intimidate Miss Smith, but is instead charmed by Mary Taylor, whose brother he knows. Meanwhile, Bles Alwyn encounters Harry on the road and refuses to yield or show deference, sparking mutual rage. Harry later tells Mary Taylor that Zora is 'utterly depraved' and should be expelled, but Miss Smith refuses to dismiss her, valuing her own judgment over the white aristocrat's accusations. ## Themes in this chapter ### Racial Oppression and Education The chapter shows the white aristocracy's fear of Black education as a threat to their labor system, and the school's role as a site of resistance. ### Class and Color Hierarchy The encounter between Harry Cresswell and Bles Alwyn illustrates the rigid racial hierarchy, where a Black man must cringe before a white man regardless of personal merit. ### Corruption of Philanthropy and Politics Harry Cresswell's visit to the school is a thinly veiled attempt to control it, using his social position and accusations against Zora to assert power. ## Character check-ins ### Harry Cresswell Visits the school to intimidate Miss Smith, but is charmed by Mary Taylor. He accuses Zora of being 'utterly depraved' and demands her expulsion. ### Bles Alwyn Refuses to yield the road to Harry Cresswell, feeling a burning rage at the injustice of having to cringe before a white man. ### Mary Taylor Receives Harry Cresswell at the school and is impressed by him. She urges Miss Smith to expel Zora, believing Cresswell's accusations. ### Miss Smith Refuses to expel Zora based on Harry Cresswell's word, asserting her own judgment and educational philosophy. ### Colonel Cresswell Discusses the cotton combine letter with his son and worries about the cost of labor. ### Zora Cresswell Mentioned as the girl Harry Cresswell accuses of being 'utterly depraved' and wants expelled from the school. ## Key lines > If this went on, the day would surely come when Negroes felt no respect or fear whatever for whites? And then⁠—my God! Harry Cresswell fears that if Black people stop showing deference, the entire social order will collapse. _This reveals the deep-seated anxiety of the white aristocracy about maintaining racial control._ > No; but I mean that I am here to learn from those whose ideas of right do not agree with mine, to discover why they differ, and to let them learn of me⁠—so far as I am worthy. Miss Smith explains her educational philosophy of mutual learning and understanding, rather than imposing her own views. _This contrasts with Mary Taylor's and Harry Cresswell's more rigid and judgmental attitudes._ > I regard Zora as a very undesirable person from every point of view. I look upon Mr. Cresswell’s visit today as almost providential. Mary Taylor believes Zora is a bad influence and sees Harry Cresswell's visit as a divine opportunity to get rid of her. _Mary Taylor is willing to accept the white aristocrat's judgment without question, showing her alignment with the existing power structure._ ## Links - HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_quest_of_the_silver_fleece_se/chapters/viii-mr-harry-cresswell - Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_quest_of_the_silver_fleece_se - All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_quest_of_the_silver_fleece_se/chapters